Saga of hrunting and thebruce
An Icelandic Winter Road Trip
Best laid plansContinents and CavesReykjavikian ambianceWaterfalls and sunsetsHuman wrecks and legaciesKristinartindar: The Journey is the RewardThe finding of firsts, and birthday peaceThe endurance of history in SnæfellsnesThe edge of the EarthAn unexpected discoveryCommunity, love, betrayal, and sharksThe adventure comes full circle
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The finding of firsts, and birthday peace


After the long and adventurous hike of 7 hours to a mountain peak and back, time had been cut dramatically short. Hrunting and I had intended to continue driving east along the ring road to explore the more distant regions of Iceland, but the sun didn't seem to want to work with the itinerary at that point. So, we resigned to heading back west, doubling back towards the tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and continuing the route from there. That meant there was some time to invest in a few quick geocaching stops along the way!

Hjálparfoss

10:20pm, Nov 29, 2016

One of those stops was for what many in the geocaching community value as a fun little side-game - being the first to find a brand newly published geocache. This one had been published almost a month prior, and no one had yet made an attempt to locate it. It was a little off the beaten path, however, but this was a perfect time for a little detour!

Hjálparfoss is a small waterfall located just north of the joining of two rivers, Fossá and Þjórsá. Its name means "helping falls", after travelers coming from the barren interior lands discovered it, an oasis for their horses to graze. The active volcano Mt. Hekla is located about 16km to the south-east.

A view of Hjálparfoss in summer. [photo: <a href="http://www.south.is/en/moya/toy/index/place/hjalparfoss-waterfall" target="_blank">south.is</a>]
A view of Hjálparfoss in summer. [photo: south.is]

When I arrived here, it was pitch black and the weather had started to get worse. Snow was falling and there was a couple of inches of snow on the ground. Looking at the road closure map, the geocache was located a couple hundred meters into a road flagged "impassible" (near Búrfell). I wasn't having any difficulty on the approach, however (it was very much like winter driving back home on a rough day), but I still proceeded with great caution. Approaching the parking area, there were tracks recently made just leaving the main road, but they'd turned back. Hopefully not someone who'd set out to hike and be the first to find!

Confident in Hrunting, we pushed forward down the roadway to parking. It was solid enough and the snow soft enough that grip was strong, and we plowed onward. At parking, I heard the deep rumble of the falls nearby. Lights from a power station just to the south-east provided some ambient light, but I realized the GPS might have some difficulty - the coordinates were next to a cliff.

After two attempts at approaching from the correct angle, I found the trail that led down to and along the water's edge, and thanks for a very helpful hint which otherwise would have left me searching aimlessly in the fresh snow, the cache was in hand a short time later. An empty logsheet greeting me, and I was the first to find this cache, my first FTF on a continent not my own!

There's always a feeling of accomplishment when you record a "First to Find" for a geocache - but this one's in Iceland!
There's always a feeling of accomplishment when you record a "First to Find" for a geocache - but this one's in Iceland!

I'd hoped to be able to nab some photos of the waterfall, however the temperature, falling snow, and darkness were a very bad combination, and I could only barely make out the falls anyway. This would be a stop to visit on another day, in much better weather. Sadly, I retraced my steps back to Hrunting and continued on to the next target. On the way out we passed by a few much larger winter vehicles heading inland, and Hrunting felt quite dwarfed. I wanted to leave the flagged area to find a safer location to have a power nap - my new overnight strategy after the first night's failed attempt at a nice long sleep.

It would soon be my birthday!

Letterbox quickie

3:37am, Nov 30, 2016

The initial route we'd planned had us following the Golden Circle clockwise, but tonight we were heading the opposite direction. There was another geocache I had hoped to locate, which was also not very time-dependent, so finding it at this crazy hour of the morning was just perfect.

This particular geocache - a Letterbox variant, based on a traditional orienteering style task wherein the final container also held a unique stamp you would use to mark your own personal logbook - I had worked out what I believed to be the final location before even departing for Iceland. Since the location is secret, I won't share it. But, safe to say, after some searching and a with some doubt creeping in, my calculations were verified, when I located the troll guardian! (Or, what was left of him)

This letterbox geocache guardian has seen some very rough days.
This letterbox geocache guardian has seen some very rough days.

With another success, Hrunting and I continued on after another brief nap, to the next target - one I was highly anticipating as a birthday gift to myself!

Landbrotalaug

6:30am, Nov 30, 2016

A "hot pot" is something you absolutely must schedule into your visit to Iceland, somewhere, sometime. There are numerous hot springs scattered around the island, although many (the most popular) are private or require an entrance fee. But there are some hidden gems around the country that can offer as good, if not better, experiences (arguably better than the Blue Lagoon!). One of these is a little humans-sized cauldron of water, hidden behind a larger pond you'll need to cross if you don't want to take the longer walk all the way around, and it's a short distance from the main road.

Landbrotalaug isn't as well known, but since its smaller size only fits maybe 2-4 people, if there are people there when you arrive then you may be out of luck if you don't want to wait. Thankfully, when Hrunting and I got to the parking area after 6:00am, there was no human in sight.

There is a geocache hidden here called "Heit Laug Murcielago" - and that cache was what first brought my attention to the spring. When I first looked it up, it was another recently published geocache that hadn't been found. Unfortunately, another couple had found this cache days before I arrived in Iceland.

This hot spring averages just around 40 degrees Celsius. At that moment with a very light smattering of snow and temperature just below zero, this little private ("romantic!") hot pot was an absolute delight! I could send that Hrunting was disappointed it could not join me. I did have some other company though!

ApolloAndMe, a local cacher from home, provided another faithful companion!
Trackable trinkets, geocaching "Travelbugs", often like to have their pictures taken on their travels.
...Like this little brony who couldn't decide if he wanted to jump in!

This was heavenly.
Alone in Iceland on my birthday, enjoying a relaxing and refreshing spa after a long, exhausting mountain climb. From heights of Iceland's mountainous summits to the warmth from Iceland's geological depths.

This is how you enjoy a vacation in Iceland when it's your birthday.
Entrance is off road #54, at N64 50.032, W22 17.437, then the parking entrance at N64 50.066, W22 18.724.

I highly recommend a visit to this, or at least some other Icelandic 'hot pot'. There is nothing like soaking in naturally heated water with steam rising around you - and a hot tub just doesn't cut it! If however, you want a larger hot spring to experience, there are a number of lists of free hot pots you can find online. Some may take some effort or hiking to reach, but you'll be glad you did!



Kristinartindar: The Journey is the Reward

The endurance of history in Snæfellsnes





Comments or questions? I'd love to hear from you!


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Best laid plansContinents and CavesReykjavikian ambianceWaterfalls and sunsetsHuman wrecks and legaciesKristinartindar: The Journey is the RewardThe finding of firsts, and birthday peaceThe endurance of history in SnæfellsnesThe edge of the EarthAn unexpected discoveryCommunity, love, betrayal, and sharksThe adventure comes full circle