She Ventures

I’m Writing this a day late. Mostly beause I was having too much fun yesterday. Which is a good thing.  The Laugavegur Trail is officially complete. The next two days will be for day hikes in the area of Thorsmork where we are now.  We hiked about ten miles in mostly rolling terrain. While there was, like yesterday, some walking through black sand plains, we also walked through our first Icelandic forest. Yes! There are forests in Iceland. Though definitely not what we think of.  You see, while hundreds of years ago Iceland was about 40% tree covered most of those trees have disappeared. There is, very little vegetation here.…

I’ve never slept in a bunk bed in my life. Tonight that’s going to change. I’m lying on the top of a six mattress bunk. I kid you not. Thankfully two are free so there is room to stretch out. Such luxury. Especially after the two ice-cold river crossings we had to do today. So what’s the big deal with these river crossings I keep harping on? Well they’re kind of fun. But they also take a heck of a lot more time than they should. Why? Well because you can’t just walk through in your regular footwear or you’d end up hiking in wet boots and socks. Not good. So…

I’m writing this a day late, as I lie inside my sleeping bag—my roommates beginning to stir inside our little mountain hut. There are clothes hanging everywhere, including from an improvised clothes line devised last night in an effort to get our soaked clothes to dry. Our first official day on the Laugavegur trail was nothing short of epic. At fifteen miles long it is billed as the longest and hardest day of the trek, including well over 3,000 feet of elevation gain.  The first half was stunning, breathtaking, otherworldly, all those adjectives commonly ascribed to Iceland, a country who’s landscape changes in the blink of an eye. As does…

I’m sitting at a picnic table with my toothbrush sitting next to me, looking at one of the most stunning views Mother Nature could have devised. Located at the very start of the 55-kilometer Laugavegur trail in Iceland, the huts we are staying at are quite basic. There is no electricity. Just solar power. Bathrooms and showers are in a separate building. Our rooms are mixed dorms for about 16 people. To say we are quite cozy is an understatement. But I’ve always said, if there is something I really really want to do, I will do what needs to be done to go there. I’ve not always been that…