dr_wu002
Well-known member
The walk past Skógafoss and the 14 or so waterfalls on the river Skóga on day 2 of the 9 day ring-around-Iceland excursion was the most spectacular hike I’ve ever been on. However, day 3 at nearby Skaftafell National Park quickly reset that standard and may have even raised the bar!
After Skógafoss we camped at Skaftafell National Park (Iceland’s largest National Park) and the next morning (day 3) headed out for a longish dayhike. Our destination was the largest peak in the area, Kristínartindar (1126m) but as you’ll see – we never actually reached the summit. Though hopefully, when you see the views we had all around (especially from a ledge called Gláma) you’ll agree that it really didn’t matter.
The first part of the trail goes up to an interesting waterfall called Svartifoss where you can actually walk behind the falls and not get wet! This would also be the last time we saw a single person from this point on – we had Skaftafell all to ourselves from here on. The hike continues on from here, quickly lifting above the scrub and into the open while basically taking a stroll over some gentle hills. The views are incredible, particularly to the west towards glacier Skeiðarárjökull and it’s associated mountains. All the while though, the jagged, knife-edged Kristínartindar is looming to your east, begging for one photo-op after another.
It turned out that the approach to Kristínartindar from the west had a lot of snow and was pretty steep so we opted to loop around the mountain and approach from the East. We never made it from the east either – a rough herd path simply got too steep and the official “trail” had a really nasty snowfield to cross with about a 60˚ grade… however, no crampons, no ice axe = no crossing. It didn’t matter… we ended up on a ledgy, “Bondcliff-like” area called Gláma (pronounced Glowma, “ow” as in cow) and honestly, nothing else mattered from this point on. While the trail itself the day before on river Skóga was the highlight, Gláma in itself was something to marvel at. We spent what seemed like hours there, gazing to the peaks in the east, wild and treacherous Kristínartindar to the West and the massive glacier, Skaftafellsjökull in the North. It’s pretty hard to describe – without sounding ridiculous – what we saw without checking out the pictures. About all you could do was stare… it was the first time I’d seen anything like this, particularly the enormity of the glacier which was literally crushing on top of the mountains in the distance. It’s a sight, let me tell you…
After what seemed like a few hours and a final aborted attempt up the summit “cone” of Kristínartindar we headed the long walk out. Please check out the full set of photos here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/369744291QdlclH
and here are some sneak previews:
Gláma:
Views from Gláma:
-Dr. Wu (click for the pic)
After Skógafoss we camped at Skaftafell National Park (Iceland’s largest National Park) and the next morning (day 3) headed out for a longish dayhike. Our destination was the largest peak in the area, Kristínartindar (1126m) but as you’ll see – we never actually reached the summit. Though hopefully, when you see the views we had all around (especially from a ledge called Gláma) you’ll agree that it really didn’t matter.
The first part of the trail goes up to an interesting waterfall called Svartifoss where you can actually walk behind the falls and not get wet! This would also be the last time we saw a single person from this point on – we had Skaftafell all to ourselves from here on. The hike continues on from here, quickly lifting above the scrub and into the open while basically taking a stroll over some gentle hills. The views are incredible, particularly to the west towards glacier Skeiðarárjökull and it’s associated mountains. All the while though, the jagged, knife-edged Kristínartindar is looming to your east, begging for one photo-op after another.
It turned out that the approach to Kristínartindar from the west had a lot of snow and was pretty steep so we opted to loop around the mountain and approach from the East. We never made it from the east either – a rough herd path simply got too steep and the official “trail” had a really nasty snowfield to cross with about a 60˚ grade… however, no crampons, no ice axe = no crossing. It didn’t matter… we ended up on a ledgy, “Bondcliff-like” area called Gláma (pronounced Glowma, “ow” as in cow) and honestly, nothing else mattered from this point on. While the trail itself the day before on river Skóga was the highlight, Gláma in itself was something to marvel at. We spent what seemed like hours there, gazing to the peaks in the east, wild and treacherous Kristínartindar to the West and the massive glacier, Skaftafellsjökull in the North. It’s pretty hard to describe – without sounding ridiculous – what we saw without checking out the pictures. About all you could do was stare… it was the first time I’d seen anything like this, particularly the enormity of the glacier which was literally crushing on top of the mountains in the distance. It’s a sight, let me tell you…
After what seemed like a few hours and a final aborted attempt up the summit “cone” of Kristínartindar we headed the long walk out. Please check out the full set of photos here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/369744291QdlclH
and here are some sneak previews:
Gláma:
Views from Gláma:
-Dr. Wu (click for the pic)
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