DAY 1 - August 26th, 2023
Blahnukur- the Blue Peak
We woke up early and rushed to get to the bus stop. The bus stop was a 20 mins walk. We both had a day backpack and a duffel bag with all the stuff we needed for the trek. I had packed some winter clothes, waterproof clothing, socks, mittens, hat and also some trail mix. It was painful to walk with the duffle bag, but that was what the tour specified. They did not want any hard luggage - everyone was to use a waterproof duffle bag that will be transported separately from hut to hut each night.
My luggage for the 4-day trek - a backpack and a duffle bag.
At the bus stop, we saw other trekkers who would be part of our group. Each group has 16 members and a tour guide. The bus for the tent group came first. I chatted with the very friendly tour guide, Arvydas- who was not Icelandic. I think he was Lithuanian. But he could speak Icelandic pretty well. Neel was picked up and we were separated - we would next meet in Landmannalaugar. His bus left and few minutes later, the bus for the hut group came. I got in and was so excited that the trip had finally started !
Landmannalaugar is in the middle of the highlands and the landscape is very desolate. There is nothing to see other than mountains dusted with snow, black craters, lava fields, lakes and dusty roads. When we went as a family in 2019 to Landmannalaugar, it took us more than 2.5 hour drive to get there by car, since the roads were very bumpy and we had to go very slow. The roads are not paved and full of stones and rocks of varying sizes, potholes and bumps. Such roads are called the F-Roads and they are not maintained.
But the buses flew down the narrow roads and we reached the base camp in under an hour !
Landmannalaugar Base Camp Huts
We were told to dump our bags, pack some rain gear and the plan was to hike up Blahnukur (Blue Peak). Its a 6.1 km (3.8 miles) round trip with an ascent of 350 m (1144 ft). It's a fairly strenuous hike and some sections of the mountain are steep and can be slippery. By the time we walked across the field to the trailhead and started going uphill, a light drizzle had started, and we put on our rain jacket and pants.
This mountain really stands out amongst the rest of the rhyolite mountains. Last time in 2019, we all climbed Brennissteinsalda - the rainbow colored mountain that is an active volcano.
Can see the base camp huts behind us in the valley below.
The views got better as we got higher up !
Some of the sections of the climb was very steep and bit slippery due to the gravel.
It was windy and rainy at the top but we could still see a decent view.
At the very top of Blahnukur ! All our clothing was wet, but we were in rain proof gear.
After we got back down from the mountain, we headed to the thermal river for a relaxing soak. Landmannalaugar means the People's Pool - there is a geothermal hot spring.
There are sections of the river that is really hot and some parts are milder. It was amazing sitting in the hot river with the rain still falling.
This was the perfect way to end the day after a rainy climb up Blahnukur !
Dinner is a group affair - we help the guide with the cooking and cleaning. Once dinner was done, everyone retired to the hut to sleep. We had loads of things hanging up to dry!
These are the people who were part of the Hut hiking group. Neel was in a different room with his Tent group.
Below is the view of the empty sleeping accommodation. We were packed in neat little rows, next to each other. There were some that snored and so it can be tough to get a good night's sleep. Bathroom was outside the hut.
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