The Iceland Travers - Day 5
I woke up to a soft golden light I could see as we had left the tent door open in the good weather. It was 12:30am. Why had I woken up so early? I normally sleep right through the night without a problem. Bang! A sudden gust of wind smashed into the tent. Then again, and again. It hit again but this time it didn't stop. Sand flew up under the fly, through the mosquito net vents covering us and our sleeping bag. The tent poles bowed hard against the strength of the wind. We scrabbled about desperately trying to close the vents and burry the end of the tent to stop anymore sand getting in. I tried to get back to sleep but not much luck in the relentless wind.
By 5am we were sick of it. We packed up camp and started hiking. The wind in Iceland prevails from the south so on the traverse, you're always facing it. We hiked through sand filled gently rolling valleys with the wind whipping up the sand and blowing it into my eyes, mouth, nose, ears and places I didn't even known I existed. It stung, a lot! We put on sunglasses, hood down and buff around the face to try and block out the worst of it... it didn't work. We found a rock we could huddle behind to eat a quick breakfast. Safe to say I now know that lava sand is safe to eat in large quantities. After breakfast we climbed hard up the side of the valley looking for higher passes that were windier yet sand free. A good choice for sure. We got bashed about by the wind but at least we weren't being hammered by millions of tiny bullets. It also bought the added benefit of some amazing views.
Up over the mountain pass it opened into a vast moss covered plateau. A nice change from the sand. We hiked across under the shadow of a large volcano with the smell of sulphur getting stronger as we went. Once we topped the pass we could see why. Steam blew from vents all down the side of the mountain and back up the other side. We soon appeared on the rim of our first volcano crater. There was an almost luminous blue lake in the bottom. We walked around the crater and down towards more steaming vents. Some were covered with octagonal domes which we soon learnt were part of a large network of vents that were part of a geothermal power station. We walked right down past all of the station, geothermal vents lining the trail and later the road. It made for a truly fascinating walk down into Myvatn.
Dropping into Myvatn, we headed straight into the local fish and chip shop. Feed the early onset hiker hunger! Amazing spot if anyone ever hikes this trail. Get the fish and chips! We collected our resupply and headed along the lake shore to our guesthouse. The wind was flying off Myvatn Lake so we were glad to get inside. We had a lovely guesthouse; a private room with a shared kitchen and bathroom. After sorting most of our gear, it was time to try and extract some sand from the tent. Well we tried the shower... it got a lot off but far from all of it. The 50mph wind was enough to dry it quickly too. It also took me a full hour to return the bathroom to its previously white colour. Apologies to everyone staying with us and after us!
