Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.08.2016, Qupperneq 59

BOOK YOUR FLIGHT OR
DAY TOUR AT AIRICELAND.IS
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
ICELAND’S WESTFJORDS
ARE ONLY 40 MINUTES AWAY
Let’s fly
ÞÓRSHÖFN
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
GRÍMSEY
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
REYKJAVÍK
is
le
ns
ka
/s
ia
.is
F
LU
7
32
63
0
3/
15

Distance by Car
from Reykjavík
604 km
onds of my short life. We felt the
powerful pull of the river on the
SUV, but we followed the advice
of a ranger we’d met, who told us
to drive slowly but not to stop. We
stayed calm, and drove along the
markings, holding our breaths till
we finally were through. With huge
relief, we’d conquered the crossing.
Our hearts were still pounding
as we continued through the lava
fields. The twisted rocks reared
up around us, as if someone had
poured molten metal into cold wa-
ter and then frozen the angular,
randomly shaped results. It didn’t
felt like a road trip so much as a
surreal journey into J. R. R. Tolk-
ien's Mordor.
We finally reached the park-
ing spot and began the 2.5 km
hike to the Askja caldera, sloshing
through wet snow and mud. Our
boots and clothing soon looked
like we’d been rolling in a pig pen.
But we were about to see some-
thing amazing. There aren’t words
to describe the happiness we felt
when we finally found ourselves in
the middle of nowhere, standing at
the edge of Askja. Standing on the
edge of the huge, sprawling crater
and looking down to the beautiful
milky-blue lagoon of Viti, framed
by snowy mountains and the blue
lake behind it. We were glad that
we’d listened to our hearts. In this
moment, we felt grateful, happy,
and most of all—alive.
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57The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 12 — 2016