Training Log Archive: maprunner

Several longish hikes around Snaefellness park. Again, very interesting, but different terrain. Lots of evidence of former homes (turf ruins) and ship wrecks. Beautiful sea cliffs and wide open meadows were mixed in with lava terrain of various types. Truly an amazing variety.

One thing that I found hard to get used to in Iceland was the lack of mammals. I kept expecting to look up and see a herd of elk, or at least a deer or two. But, this is a lonely volcanic island. The only mammals that were here before man were the field mouse and the arctic fox. Now there are also horses, dogs, sheep and reindeer.

Long driving day, from Skaftafell to Hellnar. Again, we stopped at many roadside attractions and took several walks. I got plenty of map reading practice today. The topo/street map we bought was excellent. After a while, you could begin to notice different types of lava fields, and see them a long ways away. It was also fun to check off the individual farms. Yes, each and every farm in Iceland is on the map. When you pass a road sign, it is not naming the road, it is naming the family that lives there. My favorite was when we passed through a small area with 5 signs that said Johanson I, Johanson II, Johanson III, Johanson IV and Johanson V.

Glacier hike at Skaftafell. This was amazing! We had a guide, who gave us crampons to wear and ice axes to carry. He took us up on the glacier, showed us the clear, clear ice, and brought us to caves, labyrinths and waterfalls. A trip highlight!

Hiking in Skaftafell, past several large, gorgeous waterfalls. We hiked all the way up this ridge, to overlook the glacier we had been on that morning. However, there was a lot of fog over the glacier, so we couldn't see it. But it was a cool scene, because it looked as if we had hiked to the end of the world; you couldn't see anything beyond the cliff. Sat and ate some Skyr (Icelandic custard/yogurt dairy stuff; very tasty) before descending.

This is one of the most popular sites in Iceland, so we passed maybe two dozen or so folks (total) on the way up and down. Outside of Reykjavik, this would be the most people we would ever see in one place. They were mostly European tourists. We saw very few American tourists on the whole trip.

Driving around the Golden Circle, and out to Skaftafell National Park. We stopped at most roadside "attractions" which could be anything from a note that so-and-so once lived here, or an absolutely stunning waterfall. The terrain is very varied, and changes around each bend in the road. We stopped a lot for mini hikes and photo ops. This country is stunningly beautiful.

One thing I found interesting: they know everything of (human) note that has ever happened in Iceland. Roadside signs would often start with "On this site on October 27, 1342..." or something similar. They know who the first settler was, where he landed, where he farmed. And everyone who followed afterwards. Current population is about 300,000, with about half living in Reykjavik.

Another map hike, this time in lava terrain at Galgahraun, just outside Reykjavik. This was very weird terrain, no rhyme or reason to the hills and rocks. And the rocks were sharp! The wind was intense up top, but that's where the best footing was, so we stayed there after a while. Very intense map reading; challenging and fun. See Mike's blog (okansas.blogspot.com) for map and photo.

Map hike on a city map at Oskjuhlid (or something like that; this keyboard doesn't have Icelandic characters). This is a small area right near Pearlan, and it was lot of fun to walk around in the mist. Saw some interesting artifacts from WWII military activity.

There are no forests in Iceland. Instead, every tree has been planted, and within the past 50 years. It's very odd to drive past groves of trees planted in rows. I really missed seeing trees in most of the country.

Walking around Reykjavik, after a long travel day. (For the whole Iceland trip, I'm just putting in partial walking times, as a rough estimate of effort only).

This is a very cool, hip, kind of city. Also, very small. It is very easy to walk to all the major sites.

Note: the hot water is VERY hot out of the tap, and smells of sulfur.