Laugavegur/Landmannalaugar Trek, Iceland - Day by Day Account

As we continued forth we were really stepping into the primordial soup. Dark, black lava sand was underfoot. No real "trail" was there other than the occasional markers. After all there was nothing to cut through, no forest, no scrub brush, etc. Along the way our guides would point out a feature of the landscape and indicate that it wasn't there five years ago. The entire place was a "work-in-progress."

At some points the steam was so thick the majority of our group wasn't visible.

With the weather less than ideal, we started to descend into a stunningly green valley. The vegetation was merely a thin green film over the landscape, but the richness of the hues was impressive.

We finally reached one of the many dreaded stream crossings. Glacial cold, one of the drawbacks of the trek were the river crossings. In most cases they were a hair too deep to brave with knee high gaiters. This meant crossing in river shoes. Our group worked quickly, changing out of our boots and preparing to brave the chill. At first, the blast of cold water was a wake up call, but by the time you got to the other side your feet were numb. Given how bothersome it was to me I can't imagine how much more difficult it would be for someone with arthritis.

We reached the campsite, but there was something seemingly missing. Our big tents and support truck were no where to be seen. After the first dropping of our gear, the truck broke down. Out in the highlands, this was no small matter. AAA didn't have a local truck to make fast repairs. Instead, we had to wait until 9 PM for a replacement truck to arrive. We all made the best of it with a few participants volunteering to cook some food in one of the huts while we waited.

The story continues...