9TH JULY - DAY 3 - HRAFNTINNUSKER-ÁLFTAVATN

WHAT WE DID:

We went early to see the ice caves and then set off under heavy rain. At one point the landscape changed as we started going down hill, from there it was a few km and a river crossing to the hut by the lake. Later we climbed a small mountain near the hut and walked by the lake.

COMMENT:

The ice caves were very impressive: sulphur coming from the ground models ice above it and makes unexpected shapes out of it. There are two ice caves, one of which had very recently collapsed (but that didn't make it less interesting). They are very big and make an incredible contrast with the green around them, which is due to the warm water there is. On the way back we spotted an insect on the ice.

The weather was quite bad for the first hours of the trek. It was too foggy so we decided not to climb a viewtop which was on the way. A couple of riverbeds had very strong colours, we saw orange, red and blue. After passing a sulphorous area, the landscape changed as everything ahead of us looked green and seemed like a fairy-tale place, unfortunately visibility wasn't that good.

Once in the 'green' section (the green coming from the moss), things looked more normal although the mountains did have peculiar shapes as they seemed to have come out of the ground like islands from the sea.

After reaching the hut, we went to see a small cave nearby and then climbed a small mountain to get a view.

Being so close to Brennisteinsalda revealed the details of this so colourful mountain we had seen on the previous day. Later on, when it started going uphill, we often saw steam coming out from the ground, which contrasted with the ice found in the area. As we were going uphill, there was more and more ice to cross. Also, we started seeing more and more obsydian rock. After getting to the hut we wanted to go and see the ice caves nearby, but there was a storm so we post-poned that until tomorrow.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:

Set off from Hraftinnusker (mountain next to hut is 1128m high) at approximately 10:15 am

Arrived at Alftavatn at 2:50 pm

Elevation decrease: 490 m

Distance between huts: 12 Km

Had to wade a river towards the end, not a very wide one so we tried a somewhat dangerous jump from stepping stones, we made it all-right in the end.

THE HUT:

Sleeping bag accomodation, cooking facilities/equipment, gas, running water, WC, showers (you have to pay for showers).