Day 5 on Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail: An easy day….Just please don’t fall off the cliff.

Our guide went MIA today. Well kinda sorta. This morning we were all moving slow. After yesterday evening’s festivities having officially completed the Laugavegur Trail no one was in a rush to get up. Especially since we are spending another night here and didn’t have to go through our usual packing routine. When we finally all got our acts together it became clear our guide was nowhere to be found. The other group was happily cooking bacon and eggs while we were still trying to sort out coffee. 

As it turns out Hákon has some tummy troubles. The really bad kind. When he finally did make an appearance this morning all he had the wherewithal for was to prepare some oatmeal. He then joined us for about the first mile and a half of the trail. 

Either way we had all decided the previous night to forgo the really tough trail option. Fimmvörðuháls is said to be utterly epic. It’s part of our official Laugavegur Trail itinerary. But it’s pretty dangerous. It goes over something called the cat’s spine which apparently has steep drop offs on both ends. Let’s just say no one here had the stomach for it.

Taking the easy…but no less beautiful way.

Instead we all agreed to do a shorter, but beautiful loop. The loop has the option to include include a tough climb in the middle—or not—according to preference. Hákon, who clearly was in no shape to hike ensured we got past one sketchy bit at the beginning. He then left us to our own devices on what is a very well marked trail.

It was a lovely day. I chose to skip the super duper tough climb and instead go on the much more chill 6-mile loop. Most of it was along a narrow cliffside path. You definitely had to pay attention to what you were doing. And while it did require some scrambling, It was mostly packed earth, so it was all good.

The terrain was also a lot more like being in the Alps. What I mean by that, is that the starkness that usually associated with Iceland and the Laugavegur Trail was gone. It was full of vegetation. And we were accompanied by views of not one, but two glaciers most of the way through. We lollygagged in spots, took lots of photos and were back in about four and a half hours. It was pretty idyllic.

The short day also means a long afternoon spent at camp, but this is our last night together. Tomorrow it’s back to reality. We’re grilling lamb and I’m in charge of the mashed potatoes. Wish me luck!

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Food and Accommodation

Mountain Hut: Þórsmörk / Langidalur. This was the best hut out of the four we stayed in. We certainly had the most space. This is likely because it’s located at the end of the Laugavegur Trail and the beginning of Fimmvörðuháls. Basically, many people set up camp her for a few days not just one. As with most of the other huts, preference is given to groups, not individuals.