Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.06.2018, Side 50

“Stórurð” is a tricky word to translate.
The “Stór” part is easy enough, mean-
ing “big.” “Urð,” at first glance, seems
to mean “earth”—but that’s the simi-
lar-sounding “jörð.” It turns out that
“urð” is a word specific to Icelandic,
with no direct translation—it means
a long slope littered with loose stones.
Although it’s a less poetic trans-
lation of Stórurð than “big earth,”
you can’t fault the name for accu-
racy. Stórurð is a remote valley near
Borgarfjörður Eystri in east Iceland,
only accessible on foot. It lies be-
neath the huge Dyrfjöll mountain
range, where hiking paths converge
on this famously wild and beautiful
spot from four directions. One path
comes over the mountains from the
coastal town of Bakkagerði. Another
two descend from the direction of the
Vatnskarðsheiði mountain pass. The
fourth route, and the one we choose
to take on a cloudy May morning, is
a gentle 7.5km hike that begins in the
grassy lowlands of the Rjúpnafell val-
ley.
Familiar reverie
We start the hike in good spirits.
The morning rain has stopped, and
tiny windows of blue sky are visible
through the smudgy clouds. It’s a rela-
tively warm day, and butterflies flit
between the yellow flowers, and pur-
ple shrubbery growing on the grassy
heathland of Rjúpnafell. To the right
lies the distant Jökulsá river, the main
tributary of Lake Lagarfljót, winding
through the valley and glittering sil-
ver in the morning light. To the left,
waterfalls trickle down from high in
the mountains, becoming streams
and sometimes torrents that we have
to pick our way across. Within half an
hour of walking, I’m sinking into a
familiar reverie: the thud of my boots
on the dirt, the smell of flora and fresh
air, and the bright colours of nature
take over my senses, and my mind
starts to slowly relax.
The path meanders through shal-
low valleys and up into the hillside be-
fore, after about an hour, it turns left
into the valley leading to Stórurð. The
road and river of the valley drift out
of sight, and the mountains rear up
around us. Finally, it feels like we’re
being swallowed completely by the
nature, and, other than the well-worn
wooden hiking poles, there’s no sign
of any man-made intrusion at all.
Drama and revelations
The first boulders of Stórurð start
to appear in the distance. They look
out of place, somehow, a series of car-
sized grey rocks that lie strewn across
the floor of the gradually narrowing
valley. The path winds ever upwards
into a wall of grey mist. Larger shapes
start to appear in the murk, silhou-
etted against the whitening fog—a
chunk of rock the size of a cabin, and
then, the size of a house. We veer off
the trail and take a little time climb-
ing the rocks and looking at the view
back towards the river.
We cross burbling streams and
bands of old snow, treading carefully
to test if there’s running water be-
neath. Sometimes, we see old foot-
prints showing that the way is safe.
The rocks grow bigger and bigger until
we’re suddenly surrounded by huge
chunks of grey, mossy stone. Ahead,
the mist starts to thin suddenly before
the wind, with an immaculate sense
of theatre, blows the curtain of clouds
away.
What’s revealed is the towering,
vast, jagged Dyrfjöll mountains that
lurk behind Stórurð, complete with a
huge horseshoe-shaped gouge where a
glacier pulled down the rocks that lie
scattered around us. My breath catch-
es in my throat, and my heart skips a
beat—it’s an unforgettable moment
in an almost bewilderingly beautiful
landscape.
Centre of the maze
There’s a circular hiking path leading
around the Stórurð area, but it runs
into suspiciously snowed in ruts with
the sound of running water beneath.
We decide to play it safe and deviate
from the path, climbing through clus-
“With an immacu-
late sense of
theatre, the wind
blows the curtain
of clouds away,
revealing the vast,
jagged Dyrfjöll
mountains.”
Travel
Distance from
Reykjavík:
677 km
Car provided by:
hertz.is
Accommodation
provided by:
lakehotel.is
Fiy to Egilsstaðir:
airicelandconnect.is
How to get there:
Fly from Reykjavík,
or drive Route One
North towards
Egilsstaðir, then take
Route 925
50The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2018
The Big Earth
Exploring the giant stones of Stórurð
Words: John Rogers Photos: Timothée Lambrecq
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