The second day in Landmannalaugar we were up early, determined to be the first group up Bláhnúkur. Starting up there was a large group just in front of us, but they perceived us to be a little more sprightly and allowed us to sneak by. At 5.7 km it's a fairly short hike, but you start by ascending nearly the entire elevation gain right off the bat.
The terrain continued to impress, especially as we continued to rise. Being able to look around and take in that 360 degree is pretty breathtaking, something I'm certainly thankful for the opportunity to do so. The highlands also make it nice and easy to capture a decent photo, so thanks for that as well Iceland.
Without ground pads and our sleeping bags directly on the ground (in addition to Brian's back woes) he elected to take a nap after not getting a wonderful nights rest. So while dad sleeps, the kids play, and this time we sneak off on the Reykjakollur-Brandsgil trail. Cruising thru canyon we cross a small river then start the elevation gain again. Here we found a few great vantage points for the hike from the morning, as well as a few glacier crossings (as opposed to just seeing them off in the distance).
The way out and back was mostly uneventful, except for the fact the water had risen more than slightly to get back to camp. Losing my patience fairly quickly, I leaped over and only caught one foot into the water. Not too bad. Laurie threw her shoes across and waded thru the icy river, and after she crossed Sara decided to do the same. After nearly hitting Laurie with the first shoe, the adjustment for the second nearly landed it in the middle of the river. While we may be a little damp and cool, all was splendid.
The other hidden wonder Landmannalaugar had to provide was the hot spring that one could soak in (no free drinks like the Blue Lagoon but it'll do) to ease those muscles. While absolutely wonderful, it keeps you on your toes with the rushes of super cold and super hot water. Also, it's not that deep. Enjoy tho.
