In Heaven in the Highlands

A group of 30 people cross-country skied along the popular hiking route Laugavegur in the highlands a couple of weekends ago. Among them was Ragnheiður E. Stefánsdóttir, who described the adventure to Morgunblaðið journalist Ásdís Ásgeirsdóttir.

Unusually much snow and good weather created the perfect conditions for the trip, which was organized by a group within the travel association Ferðafélag Íslands (FÍ). The group was led by tour guides Bryn­hildur Ólafs­dótt­ir and Ró­bert Mars­hall. This is a route infrequently traveled on cross-country skis. The first leg of the trip began in Landmannalaugar, where the participants spent the first night.

“We had to get up and set off at 4 am, because by 2 or 3 pm, inclement weather had been forecast,” Ragnheiður relates. “The goal was to use the weather window to make it as far as possible before the weather deteriorated, and we headed toward Hvanngil ravine. We set off in calm winds and darkness in perfect weather; it looked like the setting of a movie. Traveling through the lava field up to Hrafntinnusker mountain was unbelievably beautiful, and there were stars in the sky.”

By the time they arrived at the cabin at Hrafntinnusker, the weather had deteriorated, but the cabin was buried in snow, so they continued farther. They skied for eleven hours on Saturday and 13 on Sunday. At times, they had to take off the skis, put crampons under their boots, and carry the skis on their backs.

All went well on Sunday, despite the challenge of having to make it down steep slopes, using crampons. “Leaving [the cabin at] Hvanngil ravine and skiing across the snow-covered sands in sunshine and calm winds felt like Heaven,” Ragnheiður recounts. “Skiing through the woods in Þórsmörk [nature reserve] in moonlight was like magic, with the stars above,” she adds. The group was headed toward Húsadalur in Þórsmörk, where they were to be picked up and driven back to the city.

The vehicles didn’t make it to Húsadalur, though, due to slush, so the group had to keep going farther. “There are moments when the biting cold makes you uncomfortable,” Ragnheiður admits, “but you know that subsequently, you’ll experience a great sense of pleasure. Besides, the memories last forever. I keep thinking about all sorts of moments, reliving them again and again,” she concludes.