This entry is part 7 of 13 in the series Iceland North to South

Distance covered: 32 miles

The weather is still mostly clear when I wake up in the morning. Where’s all that forecasted rain? I don’t want to know. I’m delighted to be able to feel relaxed and eager to start the day’s hiking, first time on this trip that I feel that way. At this stage, my first encounter with the outcome of sandy ground camping is nothing but a minor inconvenience. I’ll need to get used to this black sand all over the place. I feel for the tent but it’s its job after all.

Iceland trail nail fashion

The track is a southern, high level spur of the F910, not as much of a trunk road but still very good quality. It takes me on a SW bearing to the base of the Vatnajokull and the headwaters of the Jokulsa a Fjollum. As per the map, the track goes along the actual riverbed for quite a few miles! I’m eager to see this first hand.

Hike on a riverbed

This is exactly what the track does: it comes down to a huge flat of wet and compacted sand and it follows it beyond sight. This is just amazing, I’m walking on this huge riverbed. The fact that cars may also use the track doesn’t put me out of my trance.

I don’t know if the whole bed will be covered with water at some point. There’s certainly channels all over the place where the river braids. At this time in late july there’s no water at all. I’ll later see the only live braid is at the other end of the flats, just below the icecap. Water or not, this is spectacular.

The Jokulsa a Fjollum headwaters riverbed

I hike on the flats for several miles. Tyre prints are barely visible. There are marker posts that show the intended route even though the only certain target is finding the trackbed where it leaves the riverbed at the other end. I don’t pay much attention to either markers or prints and just proceed in a roughly straight line.

I see the far end of the flats and the track that climbs away from it. Right when I’m getting there, I hear motor sounds, a couple of 4WDs approaching. They meet the ritual of stopping and asking if I’m OK, then keep going while some passengers get me on tape from the windows. If you see an odd looking hiker in an apron-like long jacket while browsing Vimeo, do let me know.

The route eventually leaves the riverbed and I say goodbye to the Jokulsa a Fjollum, having unintentionally walked from mouth to source, even though well away from the actual course for about half its length. It’s still neat to think I was seeing it flow into the ocean just 5 days ago.

Riverbed to hillside

The track climbs away from the flats onto rocky terrain where hiking resembles that of the mid latitude mountain ranges. The higher ground provides breathtaking views over the Vatnajokull. At some point I don’t have it clear where the ice ends and the dirt takes over, it’s all a mess of ice-covered dirt or dirt-covered ice. After close scrutiny, I had no verdict. Then there’s the massive ice wall rising behind. No doubt about this one.

Vatnajokull blues

The track stays in high ground close to the base of the ice. Kistufell mountain raises dark and steep at the very edge of the icecap, it feels like an ice-stopping wall. Just past it is the namesake hut at the end of a short spur trail. I skip checking it out. It appears just the same as the previous huts.

The track keeps climbing to a stone-throw from the actual ice. At this point the map shows a route up over the Vatnajokull, I see no trail heading there but it’d be the easiest, obvious way.

You get this close to the ice

I’m at the highest point in my route, well above 1100 metres. It’s cold up here, just a few degrees above freezing. The weather has been cloudy but mostly calm during the day but it’s getting breezy and dark and I can feel the cold.

The track eventually takes a turn away from the Vatnajokull and starts going down towards the huge expanse of flat, highland desert below. I get some last views of the Askja caldera in the distance as well as Trolladyngja partially hidden by low cloud.

Down from the Vatnajokull slopes I get to Gaesavotn, two small lakes and a big hut. In true highland fashion, there’s a narrow corridor of bright green grass along the shores of the lakes and the connecting channel, an evidence of the lack of water anywhere else, which is barren. I don’t think it’s due to lack of precip but most probably lack of soil that can hold the humidity.

The last backpackers I met told me the hut was closed when they went through. Today it is open, as evidenced by the Iceland flag in the provided flagpole and the 4WD parked nearby.

A true oasis in the desert

I’m at a crossroads here. The F910 track that brought me here veers north for a while before arching back west and south around a group of mountains to reach the F26, Sprengisandur route, the main N-S highland track in central Iceland. My original plan was to leave the F910 here and keep to the side of the Vatnajokull as it bends southwards. Then I would have the choice of following the edge of the icecap, which ICE-SAR warns against due to the potentially dangerous fords, or get away from it to reach the F26 further south. By the time I left Myvatn, I had it clear that I would not follow my plan and I’d keep on the F910 instead but after 3 days of not so bad weather I was still considering it… until the latest turn on the conditions. The wind is particularly freezing and the patches of blue sky share the scene with huge, thick clouds from the north that bring freezing showers. It feels intimidating and I get scared easily. It’s too straightforward for me to decide to keep to the track.

I get so intimidated that I turn back to knock on the hut door, if only to confirm it’s not open to the public. There’s a couple there that politely inform me the hut is indeed private but that I can camp anywhere if I want. There’s a bit of soil and grass nearby but I prefer to squeeze the day’s hiking and keep going. Yet it was a sort of a good move to come in contact with people: it turns strangely comforting. This time there’s also some objective factor: they tell me the wind will come down later and the next day is expected calm and sunny! Now, this is great news.

With the perspective of a quiet hiking day upcoming, I proceed down the track through a true desert of rock and sand. I once again seek the shelter of a shallow gully for some wind break and I’m lucky that the leeside faces the Vatnajokull in its cloudy, brilliant white glory. It’ll be my most scenic camp so far on this trip of alternative scenes.

Vatnajokull and the highland desert

I set up in the freezing rain and wind but indeed the wind calms down at night. It seems it always does.

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