Laugavegur Trekking - Hrafntinnusker, Alftavatna and Emstrur

    Over the course of the next three days, we connected more divergent geologic landscapes than we could have imagined.  There was the high-elevation, circuitous route through thick fog and clouds on the first afternoon, where everything was either brown volcanic rock, white snow, or gray fog.  There was the ultra-green tundra area as we descended out of those clouds and fog the next day.  There was the oddly-hot, volcanic desert area - traversed only by our trail and a series of roaring glacier-fed rivers that required crossing every few miles.  There was the canyon-infested plateau, where these glacial rivers had begun to carve their way to the sea.  And finally, there was a beautiful section of actual forest and trees as we approached the milder climate around Thorsmork.

     We camped each night in established areas near the famous huts at Hrafntinnusker, Alftavatn and Emstrur.   

      Hrafntinnusker was at high-elevation, right at the edge of the clouds.  When they lifted a hundred feet, we could see broad views across to another set of mountains.  But when they dropped a hundred feet, we could barely see the tent next door, let alone identify the way to the hut or the bathroom complex.  But the best part of Hrafntinnusker was the black obsidian laying everywhere on the ground.  Truly an otherworldly sort of place.

      Alftavatn sits along the incredibly-flat shores of a large lake.  We picked out a secluded spot, but then found ourselves surrounded as more and more hikers arrived throughout the afternoon.

      The hot and dusty hike on Day 3 left us needing showers, so we were happy to find rudimentary versions in the hut complex at Emstrur.  Again, we picked a secluded campsite, but this time at the top of a point overlooking a canyon.  We might fall off into oblivion, but we weren’t gonna be surrounded by noisy fellow hikers tonight!