Do you know how difficult it is to describe Iceland without feeling like a slave to hyperbole and superlatives? Most breath-taking scenery. Land of starkest contrasts. Most changeable weather. Waterfalls beyond number. After awhile it begins to sound ridiculous, even though I swear I’m speaking truth.
As proof of my dilemma, I offer the Fimmvörðuháls Trail, a hike which begins at the mighty Skogafoss waterfall and ends fifteen hard miles later in Þorsmörk (Thor’s Valley) after traversing between the Eyjafallajökull and Mýradalsjökull glaciers. I dare you to view the following photos and not fall into the same description predicament that I’m struggling with…
I rest my case. 🙂 (And this trail showcases only a small portion of all the visual delights Iceland has to offer).
A few side notes on this post:
- Iceland really is a land of the midnight sun. We were on the trail ten hours and the last few sun-soaked photos of this post were taken around 10 PM. The sunshine was a gift from God after all the fog and mist of the snow and lava fields.
- I didn’t have the chance to photograph any part of the last few miles of the trail which ends at Basar. We were rushing to catch the last Highland bus back to our car so I wasn’t allowed to dally to take photos. It was such a shame, really, and our biggest regret of the hike for two reasons: 1) We had already unknowingly missed the bus by 2 hours and 2) the end of the hike was delightfully Shire-esque with mounds of wild flowers and lush green foliage and even more beautiful views around every bend. Plus, traversing the Cat’s Spine should have been documented for posterity.
- I love my Galaxy S9. The wider angle of view showed Iceland to the best advantage. The photos I took with it are some of my favorites of our trip.
Whimsey Pie 