Day 6 Hiking up to the mountains

At breakfast everybody looked fine and dandy. I have no idea at what time the last people arrived back from the dancing, but people were still singing early in the morning. It is day of departure for most of the people who just came for the round up. The full and buzzing Gauksmyri hotel is getting quiet. One by one I see everybody leave, waving goodbyes and until next year, because most of the people come here every year and formed some kind of bonded family together with everyone and the farm owners.

After breakfast when all had gone, I decided to go for a hike in the mountains. One thing I have always died for to do in Iceland, to just have my own time to explore nature. Since I stayed in Reykjavik all the time and during the tours you didnt have this opportunities. So packed and well stocked in food and a cup of hot drink I left to follow the horse track. Well that was the first challenge because the horse track is full of frozen mud, ditches, grasspolls and other things to make you mind your steps. It could only get worse... of course, I am someone off the beaten tracks, I dare to take challenges and where others give up, I go on. With safety of course in guard.

My motto is where there is streaming water in Iceland, there are waterfalls, so I decided to follow the river that comes from the mountains. There are not really hiking paths set out, so I had to find my own way. So there we go climbing the grass polls, rocks and frozen grounds, covered in a soft layer of snow. And then there was this obstacle. I had no other choice than to cross the river if I was to continue my hunt for waterfalls. I walked around checking a place easy to cross, it was not deep, but there was ice everywhere. And nowhere really a good place to cross. So I bet for the best and started to cross at the for me easiest looking place. But I was wrong... the stones under water had some icey coat and were so slippery I lost balance. Minding my camera I could not regain balance very well, and fell in the waters, one hand with the camera up, ready to eventually throw it on the grass. Not needed, but my camera case was floating on the waters. Im glad it is decently waterproof. Back on the shore, I noticed I did not get too wet. My phone didnt reach the waterlevel. And surprisingly enough I did not feel cold at all.

I just had to continue walking, but what I hate so much is wet socks. And my boots are waterproof but because I was laying down with my legs, they got water, and it could not go anywhere. Well I did cross this river and for that I would refuse to return. So I went on, and there after a 30 minute walking, there was this tiny waterfall. 3 meters high, 2 parts and tumbled down like Dynandi foss. Aside of it, grass got frozen over and over again, creating some kind of natural ice organ.  I decided to stay here for a moment, and I was just happy for once to be all alone on Icelandic grounds. How happy I could be if this was daily life, I long for a place where I am really alone. Not like at home where you always end up coming across 'annoying' people. Just annoying because they cross my path, while I want to be alone.

The waterfall doesnt look very impressing in the photos. I did not want to slip and fall back in the waters again.

On top of the waterfall there is a wide variety of herbs and flowers bringing a bit of the autumn blizz I looked for.

What if... this was just your back yard?

I noticed the abundance of flowers and herbs growing along this waterfall. I so have to go buy the Icelandic herb book! They fascinate me, and sure if I will go live in Iceland I really really would want to learn much more about Icelands biology, about herbs, minerals, the birds, geology it is like all the pieces of me rejoice here in Iceland. Whatever I like and or fascinates me, I find here. Wether it be horses, herbs, auroras, geology, mythology, mystics, elves, geothermal forces, loneliness, elements. No other country can offer me more than this wonderfull piece of earth. Maybe Galapagos, but there no auroras.

After a while I noticed I need to continue walking in order to not get too cold. And then you find Icelands limitations. The bad habit to have fences everywhere. Fences and gates, to make it easier to replace sheep and horses. I had no idea how to go further towards the mountains, I probably needed to follow the horsepath a bit longer. So I headed my way back. In the meantime, the herd of horses in this field, the one I have this lovely pictures of, noticed me and came closer. They are such curious horses, yet so skittish around their heads. Yeah it is the Icelandic ways of horsekeeping. In my way I would probably be an outsider if I had a horsefarm. But I doubt it will differ a lot at heart. Icelanders learn the horses quick hints to take action, like raising your hand to get off. If a herd comes too close for your comfort it is so easy to have them back off. I often felt like some kind of wizzard if at once I was completely surrounded by horses, but some got to argue. Not very safe for me, but with one move they all dash off like you feel some kind of magician to be able to control your surroundings.

Frozen over and over again grass

So I slowely made my way back out of this field. It made no sense to look for a right place to cross anymore, so I just pulled up my starting to dry trousers and dashed through the other side of this tiny river. And I walked down to another field, hoping to give me way to the mountains. But plans change... I found a nice place out of winds, with my nose in the sun along with bushes full of bil and crow berries. My dream got busted when I saw a spider being busy to go from one place to another. And that made me wonder for a while. Iceland is known as country with barely any spiders since insects are so rare. And I saw a weird spider in Reykjavik coming out of a planter, and now here too. Now I know there are spiders, what the heck is this one doing with freezing temperatures? I guess I am here on a mission with lots of messages. Weaving the web of life. Or fate. Or both. I decided to munch some more on the berries on another spot. So that was a late lunch for me, while I just enjoyed sitting there in a warm place to dry up a bit. And with the magnificent view of the young horses grazing with on the horizon Eriksjökull, making you realise how big distances can be here. I was on the other side of Eriksjökull in April.

I could stay here forever gazing the horses, but there was land to be discovered :-) And my feet were getting cold. Still with the water in my boots I continued, and found a crater. A perfect round but conic crater about 2 meter wide. Curious to what this was, I can only think it would be a meteorite crater. Since in this area there is no geothermal activity, it cant be a geothermal related crater. No trees grew here either. In the middle was a black rock but it didn't look different than others laying around, and of course if this was a meteorite, it must have been a very very very almost invisible small one, maybe just a grain of sand. Whatever it was, it was fascinating. But I had to continue in my search for more waterfalls or hidden secrets. And I found another waterfall. Which I believe was an elfin waterfall. It was very small, delicate, but stunning constructed waterfall, measuring not even 1 meter high, but with so many streams and falls in it it can only be enchanted. Even if it flowed from a ditch farmers made themselves in order to let water flow from the meadows more easily.

I could not picture it in full glory, that must be the magic. On the photo's it looks like a pile of grass. But I had to cross it at some point to get to the other side. So I hoped for the best to not disturb anything. I managed and found a hillside with even more berries, herbs and even some flowers. I can be in heaven here! Another place to gaze to the surroundings and enjoy incredible silence. For as long as no cars drove on the ringroad, because that one is noisy! You wouldnt want to live to close to it!

Bilberry bush

Crowberries

Icelandic poppy?

Another lovely flower

Ice art, a stream of water from the faeryfalls, air traps and the flowing water create beautifull patterns

I gathered some seeds here to take home with me for my little Icelandic corner in my garden. I hope it all will thrive. I decided to go back to the farm, to have my boots dried well. On my way back I came to a place between 2 stonemen, where some horsebones were scattered. A thighbone and pelvis of a foal I think. Poor creature may not have survived its first months here. I picked up the pelvis bone and instantly a raven came flying over me, calling out right overhead to pass on. Followed by another one. Ravens rarely are alone here, but I defenitely felt a connection between finding these bones and the ravens flying over. I notice I get lots of messages about new beginnings. Nature can sometimes be so clear with its messages. I just thought of what this unfortunate foal must have overcome. Eaten by ravens and or other birds of prey. But it was strange only these two bones were here. But maybe it was just remains, knowing that some farmers here kill and slaughter their own animals if needed. I however could not believe anyone would slaughter a foal... But it is in spirit world now, and I put back the bone on the place I found it.

Off to Gauksmyri again, and I one moment tried to connect the stonemen here. The Viking GPS, there was a whole line going towards the highlands. And it is just another amazing still touchable remain of the past, one that still is used by guides, in the rare case both their gps fails. Stonemen start to fascinate me, and I decide to make one myself when I am back home. Maybe in the middle of my herbal spiral, connecting the center. And make one as well on my yet to construct Icelandic lava garden.

I spend the evening drying my boots, I smuggled them up to my room, so I could store and dry them on the heater and use the hairdryer once in a while. Around 21.00 after making a series of test pictures from my room window, yet another dream unexpectedly came true. Despite the forcast told visible auroras would be level 0, my picture slowely showed a green glow. So I packed up and went outside, of course forgetting half of my stuff, and dragged myself and camera with tripod into the fields. I almost broke my legs when I started to jump for joy when I slowely saw the sky being overtaken by rather faint but clear curtains, dancing away, constantly changing. And the pictures prooved it. Auroras! I took some pictures here around the farm, and decided to go to the field in front of the main building where it is more dark. Gauksmyri throws up a lot of light unfortunately.

Room with a view... the first auroras appeared!

When I was there in the field in front of the building, auroras had crawled up to overhead, touching the milky way and now they showed a green glow too. I saw the stereotype auroras zigzagging and it felt like the auroras literaly are dancing so close around you, you could grab them. It is amazing to believe they are over 100 km up in the sky. It was so cold outside, because I forgot my hat. It could not bother, but later the auroras started to fall back to the northern horizon and some clouds also appeared. The pictures turned difuse green now, as the auroras colored the clouds. Time for me to go dream below the auroras, curtains open, and hoping to wake up in a blaze of green.