Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.07.2013, Page 48

48The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 10 — 2013 Travel
For The Hikers:
Three Thunderous Summits
From the hundreds of
mountain hikes and climbs
(both equipped and un-
equipped) Iceland has to
offer, I have chosen to
spotlight three mountains
that should be suitable
for most hikers. The hikes
are intended for the late
spring to early autumn
months, and range from
the light Helgafell-outing
close to Reykjavík to the
more demanding hike to the
summit of Kristínartindar in
Vatnajökull National Park.
The peaks are selected to
represent mountains in
West, North and South
Iceland (see www.grapevine.
is for Hólmatindur in the
East, left out of the print
version of this article due
to space constraints. It is a
great peak). All of them are
portrayed in my guidebook
to 100 peaks in Iceland,
called ‘Summit,’ which was
published by Uppheimar
Publishing House in 2012.
There are a few low mountains in Iceland named
Helgafell (“Holy Mountain”). One possible ex-
planation for the name’s popularity is that these
mountains were consecrated or considered holy
in the days of the old Nordic religion, perhaps
because of their geographical position or other
special attributes. The Icelandic male name Helgi
could also have something to do with the name
Helgafell, but the former explanation is probably
more to the point.
Helgafell (338 m) is one of the many sub-
glacially formed piles of volcanic rock found
in Iceland, albeit one of the smaller ones. Such
structures are very common within or adjacent
to active volcanic zones and belts. Helgafell’s
brownish, sandy tuff was once black basalt glass,
consisting mainly of tephra from an explosive
eruption tens of thousands of years ago under
a relatively thin Ice Age glacier that covered the
Reykjanes Peninsula.
Many different lava formations can be found
while walking towards the mountain, especially
west of it: small volcanic craters, plate lava (pa-
hoehoe) and scoria lava. The walk towards the
mountain is just as interesting as the ascent
itself, and you may even decide to take a hike
around Helgafell instead of—or in addition to—
climbing the mountain. The summit is a gentle
dome with a cairn and a small dyke, probably the
feeder dyke of the ascending back once upon a
time.
How to get there:
The road to Kaldrársel from the old cemetery
of Hafnarfjörður town (no number) ends at a wa-
terworks reservoir. The trail from here is initially
marked and leads eastwards across lava, gravel
and fine sand. A cairn at the northeastern base
of Helgafell (which looks like a dented upturned
bowl) marks the beginning of the climb. The trail
is steep at times and the fine scree soft. The go-
ing gets better on firmer tuff rock. Still visible in
most places, the trail leads you to the top—you
won’t need to pay much attention to the route.
The views are fine, including those over urban
areas and various volcanic features in the neigh-
bourhood. It is possible to continue (with the aid
of a few markers) over the summit and down the
much steeper southern slopes. This requires
good weather, sure-footed hiking and the will to
turn around if you are unsure about the trail.
Time:
The ascent time should be around 90 minutes
Distance:
The elevation difference is 260 m.
Let’s head north, to the wide fjord of
Skagafjörður. The drive along the entire north-
ern shores is very interesting. The road north
of the small town of Hofsós directs you close
to a bulky promontory, named Þórðarhöfði,
after one of the first 9th century settlers in
the area (find more info at www.visit skaga-
fjordur.is).
Þórðarhöfði (202 m) is really an island. It got
connected to the mainland through the build-up
of two gravel and boulder ridges (berms), formed
by the surf. It is situated opposite the de facto is-
land Drangey, and not far from the other large is-
land in the fjord, Málmey. The imposing 200-me-
tre-high cliffs on the seaward side of Þórðarhöfði,
which are more or less vertical, are a cross-sec-
tion of lava and tuff rocks with intrusions. They
show that Þórðarhöfði is a ruin of an early Ice Age
volcanic formation like Drangey and Ketubjörg,
found on the west coast of Skagafjörður. The out-
lines of a top crater are still visible. The landward
slopes of Þórðarhöfði are gently angled and cov-
ered with various types of vegetation, the cliffs
are a choice nesting site for seabirds.
How to get there:
Head north on Road 76, passing Lake Höfða-
vatn and the farm of Vatn en route. The Höfðamöl
(northern) berm leads to the mountain, which
should be ascended from the northeast along a
marked path. The walk may become somewhat
tedious, as the oval rocks are rather large. How-
ever, the grassy slopes provide easy ground. The
summit is called Herkonuklettur; three conspicu-
ous tuff rocks on the southern slope are said to
be a church, store and house, belonging to elves.
Despite this long-ish approach along a coarse
gravel and boulder berm, the climb itself is easy
and the view splendid. After the hike, try to visit
one of the best countryside restaurants (and
guesthouse) in Iceland, Lónkot (www.lonkot.is),
which offers fine slow-food cooking.
Time:
You probably use one and a half to two hours for
the ascent
Distance:
The route’s distance is 4.5 km
For hikers enjoying the southern part of Vatna-
jökull National Park, an ascent of Kristínartindar
1.126 m) is a must—the mountain’s popular pan-
oramic viewpoint in the heart of the national park
(www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is) has few equals.
The higher summit has a flanking rock pil-
lar that serves as a landmark en route. Various
types of eruptive rock can be found at Kristín-
artindar, but the mountain as such is part of an
eroded volcanic complex, long since vanished.
There is a lot to take in while walking across the
Skaftafellsheiði heath, including a number of
popular destinations for shorter hikes (like the
Svartifoss waterfall) and very fine views of gla-
ciers, peaks, snow domes and the vast expanses
of the Skeiðarársandur outwash plains, created
by meandering glacial rivers and glacial floods
(“jökulhlaup”) from the Öræfajökull volcano and
the glaciated Grímsvötn volcano, hidden under-
neath Vatnajökull, some 50 km to the north.
How to get there:
You start at the Skaftafell service centre. The
marked trail walk to Sjónarsker from the there is
an enjoyable hike. From that vantage point, take
the Austurbrekkur trail, walking roughly to the
northeast, high above Skaftafellsjökull, a long
valley glacier outlet of the Vatnajökull ice cap.
Soon after Austurbrekkur, you will start gaining
elevation at an increased rate as you head north-
west. A good trail leads on into a bowl-shaped
valley (Gemludalur) towards the steepening
scree flank of the northern peak of Kristínartin-
dar. Here, you are rewarded with nature at its
best: the full splendour of the high mountain
world of the Öræfajökull volcano and the peaks
closer to you can only be revealed from a lofty
vantage point such as Kristínartindar.
Time:
Ascent time should be close to three hours (eight
to nine km)
Distance:
You have to surmount an elevation gain of about
1,020 metres).
Ari Trausti Guðmundsson is a
trained geophysicist and moun-
taineer who has written a num-
ber of books from short stories
and poetry to fiction. His most
recent English language books are ‘Focus on
Iceland,’ a road guide for tourists, ‘Magma,’ a
book documenting Icelandic volcanoes from the
Katla eruption in 1918 to Vatnajökull in 2011, and
‘Summit – 100 Mountain Hikes’.
Hik
ing
Volc
anos
For
Helgafell:
A holy
mountain?
Þórðarhöfði:
An island
attached to land
Kristínartindar:
The wow-view-
point
Rögnvaldur
Steve Smith
Sebastien Van Malleghem