Iceland!!!!! Trekking, Landmannlauger

I loved Reykjavik. I loved the people. I loved the pools, library, buses, etc. But let's be real: we went for the gorgeous splendor and natural beauty. Iceland did not disappoint.

Panorama during a moment of partial sun on Day 2 

A 3+ hour drive took us to Landmannlauger in the South of Iceland. Landmannlauger is where the famous Laugavegur trail starts and where we spent a few days hiking about.  The last hour of the trip was on very primitive dirt roads with the bus plowing through puddles, streams and even, at times, serious water. Our particular bus driver took the roads like a boss passing all sorts of souped up off-road cars. It raises the question, how long do those busses last?

One of the roads buses, Jeeps and other vehicles use to get to the huts along the Laugarvegur trail

We arrived in a cold drizzle mid-day but hiked about for a few hours in the lava fields before spending the late afternoon laying about, reading and enjoying the natural hot spring.  That night, our first in the "mountain huts," was in a dormer with another 20+ people lined up shoulder to shoulder on two long rows of sleeping mats. The older woman next to me snored - loudly from the moment she laid down and all night long. I slept poorly.

Fellow trekkers soaking in the springs.

The second day the weather was even worse! We had a wintry mix of snow and rain combined with wind but did about 10 miles of traipsing about the valley and saw, among other things, the ill-named Ugly Puddle. Although we were soaked, it was beautiful and by the time we got back to the hut the sun came out and I had another nice soak in the hot spring.

A piece of the hills and valley floor at Landmannlauger.

Day three arrived with glorious sunshine. In the morning we climbed a mountain that was too steep, slippery and treacherous to hike in the rain the day before and absolutely worth the view.

I conquered that mountain.

In the afternoon we said "Goodbye" to the five other people who had been in our group for three days and said "Hello" to fifteen new people who would join us for the next six days of the Laugavegur Trail.

Rainbow over Langmannlauger