Reykjavík Grapevine - júl. 2020, Blaðsíða 12

12 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 05— 2020
- DAY 3 -
SUDDENLY WE’RE WALT
WHITMAN
Álftavatn to Emstrur (15 km)
08:27 - Last night was horrible. I woke
up 40 times; 35 of which were down to
Art’s snoring (see, it was him after all).
But yesterday evening was great fun.
We met a solo hiker from the Nether-
lands and taught him Ólsen Ólsen [an
Icelandic card game] over a bottle of
whisky and some excellent Dutch choc-
olate. He attempted to teach us a game
called toepen, but only Art under-
stood—the man’s suspiciously good
at card games. That’s one of the best
things about Laugavegur, it’s incred-
ibly sociable. VG
11:36 - Nothing can prepare you for
the agony of your first glacier river
crossing. The only way to understand
is to experience it for yourself. But
once you’ve recovered, you feel invin-
cible. PA
12:44 - Another f*$%^&? river. You’ve
got to be kidding me. Oh, the pain! I
was almost crying on the other side.
But after I got my socks and shoes back
on, I felt almost high. It’s like what I
imagine a coffee enema feels like. VG
16:30 - When Valur said that trek-
king through kilometres of black sand
would be a mental test, I thought he
was joking, but three hours in and with
no end in sight, none of us are laugh-
ing. The post-glacier-river euphoria
kept us going at first, but after the
tenth time I climbed a hill in the abso-
lute certainty that I’d be greeted with
the sight of Emstrur, only to see yet
more black sand, I began to change my
mind. This is nothing short of apoca-
lyptic. PA
I hate the fucking sands! I just fuck-
ing hate the sands! I can’t stress this
enough. It’s an odd combination of
soul-crushing monotony and eerie
beauty. The wind whips the sand about
our feet, giving it a life of its own,
almost like a wild animal. In a sudden
frenzy it engulfs us, filling our eyes
and noses with dust, before dissipating
into the wind once more. God, it’s even
driven me to poetry.
I Am No Longer Human
If they ask me,
I’ll tell them that the glaciers
are not white
and majestic,
and overwhelming,
but a hand grenade

that the cliffs
are an illusion
that you can fly off
and be swept away
like a small leaf

That the muddy river
is not ice cold
and dark
and painful
but
a soft warm silk
that flows through the
canyons,
flapping around
in the strong wind

If they ask me,
I’ll tell them
that I am no longer
a human,
but a glacier,
dark river,
steep cliff,
that will embrace
their fall
VG
18:07 - When we finally spot Emstrur,
we practically sprint down the hillside
in relief. After yet another meal of
pasta, we return to the tent exhausted.
“Let’s play cards.” No one moves. “Let’s
talk instead.” No one speaks. “Let’s just
lie here.” PA
20:31 - I’ve got sand in my teeth, which
feels like an important thing to note
here. VG
- DAY 2 -
THE TWO TOWERS
(OK, GLACIERS)
Hrafntinnusker to Álftavatn (12
km)
08:56 - I love this place! I slept like a
baby the whole night! The sun is shin-
ing. The view is breath-taking and I’m
not even hungover after last night’s
bottle of whisky. It truly is another
dimension.
Apparently, someone was snoring like
a chainsaw last night. I deny all allega-
tions. It was definitely Art. VG
09:04 - “How did you sleep?” one
of the Trúss hikers asks. “We were
almost too warm last night.” Trúss is
a new concept for me—trekkers pay
companies to transport their food and
supplies between campsites, leaving
them free to hike with just a day pack.
At night they stay in cabins overlooking
the campsite, complete with running
water, kitchens and central heating.
Sure, there’s a certain righteous satis-
faction in doing Laugavegur the ‘right’
way by roughing it in a tent, but after
a sleepless night, it’s of little comfort.
After a cup of tepid instant coffee, I
stop complaining and we set out into
the snow. PA
13:42 - I decide to show off a little bit
when we stop for lunch in a geothermal
area, cooking hot dogs, bacon, baked
beans and coffee, all using a natural
hot pool. Only in Iceland, right? VG
12:30 - The roar of steam is constant
and I’m half-convinced that I’ll round
the corner to a busy high-way. Look-
ing back, the cabin we left this morn-
ing seems depressingly close despite
the fact we’ve been hiking for several
hours now. PA
14:55 - We reach the top of a steep
ridge and are rewarded with quite
possibly the most beautiful view I have
ever seen. We can see the remaining 36
kilometres of our trek unfold, framed
by the two glaciers, Eyjafjallajökull and
M#rdalsjökull. I almost feel as though
I’m in the presence of a celebrity, as I
gaze up at the volcano which caused
so much international havoc back in
2010 (and so much personal trauma as
a case study for my geography exams).
PA
The view is nothing short of sublime.
There is no way to describe it
adequately, so I’ll just tell you how I
feel: at first, transcendent, like I’d been
granted incredible knowledge about
everything and nothing. But now,
under the gaze of the two glaciers, I feel
scared. I feel small. I feel lucky. And I
feel incredibly alive. Oh, but my body
feels like shit. VG
18:35 - When we arrive at Álftavatn,
we catch up with a group of runners
who had passed us hours earlier. I feel
like I should loathe these people some-
how—nothing makes you feel worse
than being overtaken mid-hike by 30
super-fit middle-aged Icelanders, but
I only feel awe. I have to admit, it’s
badass to run Laugavegur. We briefly
hijack a table in their cabin, helping
ourselves to hot water and enjoying an
unexpected accordion performance.
The group’s bus driver starts playing
all these old Icelandic songs, but unfor-
tunately no one quite remembers the
lyrics. VG
HOW TO PLAY
ÓLSEN
ÓLSEN
Want to assert
your dominance
in the Icelandic
hiking world?
You’re going to
need to know
how to play this
classic card
game (if you’re
familiar with
Crazy Eights,
you’re a shoe-
in).
! "ach player
is dealt 5 cards.
One card from
the stack is
placed face up
in the centre.
! #layers take
it in turn to put
down a card
that is either the
same number
or suit as the
card before. You
can put down
multiple cards
of the same
number at once.
! $f you can’t
play, you have to
pick up a card
(max 3) until you
can either play
a card or are
forced to pass.
! "ights are
magic cards
that mean you
can select the
suit the next
player has to
follow. Pro tip:
save them until
last.
! %he aim is
to be the first
to get rid of
all your cards,
but remember
to shout Ólsen
when you’ve got
one card left
otherwise you’ll
have to pick
up three more.
When you run
out of cards,
shout Ólsen
Ólsen.