Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.08.2018, Síða 15

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indication that they exist—we
can only faintly glimpse their
foaming torrents.
Black ground
After several hours of ascent, the
landscape begins to change. The
green fields are replaced by grey
fields of stones, and the small
hills are replaced by open expans-
es. When the mist finally lifts, we
see the famous Eyjafjallajökull
glacier-volcano in the distance.
We continue our hike up to-
ward the glaciers, the ground
turning gradually into black lava
stone. Patches of snow lie in stark
contrast to the dark ground. “It’s
like a cow,” Ásdis remarks, of the
black and white pattern.
Stay on track
Scattered throughout the length
of the hike, poles guide us in the
right direction. “They were put
up by a man whose daughter died
on this hike,” Ásdis’ father ex-
plains. “She got lost in the fog.
He wanted to make sure no one
would ever get lost here again.”
As we hike down an unbeliev-
ably steep slope in slippery snow,
I find it comforting to know that,
at the least, the poles are telling
us, “yes, this is the right way.”
The neverending
road
Toward the end of the hike, we
have walked for ten hours—all
the way from the green hills
above Skógar to the lush forest
of Básar, back into Þórsmörk
valley. I start wondering if I can
remember a time in my life when
I have not been walking. I feel
like Frodo Baggins on my way to
Mount Doom, where time stands
still and the road goes on and on.
When we finally see our camp
on the horizon, covered in misty
clouds, Ásdis happily exclaims,
“it is SO good to see the end,”
and I couldn’t agree more. Yet
the spectacular views and the re-
markable diversity of landscapes
of this hike have been well worth
the pain I currently feel in my
feet. Fimmvörðuháls is a hike
full of unexpected obstacles,
steep mountainsides, and seem-
ingly endless pathways. But it is
also a hike of beauty, fun, and,
above all else, adventure.
“As we hike down an
unbelievably steep slope
in slippery snow, I find it
comforting to know that
the poles are telling us,
‘yes, this is the right way.’”