The weather in Iceland for the last week has been wet! I mean it has been raining for days! No fun! Now I don't mind hiking in the "weather" but not when it is pouring down with rain to begin with. That being said I have managed to get out and try to take some pictures, it is just the light doesn't always cooperate.
Hike 1 - Hvalvatn lake.
I have hiked towards this lake twice now via a Western approach trail to Gymur falls, but have never quite made it to the Hvalvatn lake or the summit of Hvalfell. This time I wanted to try and catch the sunset over Hvalvatn, and approached the lake from the West. I drove up as far as I could in my Skoda Octavia 4X4 estate, before the "roads" turned into a serious 4X4 track only, and hiked the rest.
Road Warning to adventure!
Start of Hvalvatn hike.
Hvalvatn GPS Route.
I started at 5:00pm and the sunset was about 9:45pm, and I had a long way to go. The weather started with hail and wind, and thankfully eased off. It never really cleared however it did provide me with some amazing images of the snowy hills against the storm filled clouds. (New website Image!)
Unfortunately, I never made it to the lake, as the light was not in my favour and it was getting late. I reluctantly headed back, and as you can see from the GPS route below I still had a long way to go. The elusive Hvalvatn lake and Hvalfell will have to wait for another day.
Lesson learned today, always give yourself more time than you think.
Hvalvatn GPS Route
Hike 2 - Pverfell.
Fast forward a few days and the sun is splitting the sky in Reykjavik, so I am up and out to see if I can go further into the wilds. Travelling just under an hour and half to hike Pverfell, and see if I could take a few images of the lake behind it. The greatest and worst thing about Iceland is the weather. I had only just left Reykjavik and it started raining, but I pushed on.
Pverfell hike location.
Pverfell GPS route.
As you can see, a short route, but it was nice to be away on my own in the wilderness.
Reyðarvatn Lake.
The light and weather seemed to be against me again, as when I reached the summit the clouds came in and engulfed me in fog. So no view today, but it was great to get more experience hiking in Iceland.
Hugging the cairn at the top of Pverfell.
What a great few days hiking and there is still so much more to see!
This weekend I am going to the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the famous Kirkjufell mountain and then next week down South East to Jökulsárlón to see the glacier lagoon and do some hiking in the Vatnajökull national park!
I can't wait, but the blog may have to wait until I get back.
Onward to the summer and camping in the wild.
Cheers
Kev
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