The night was…exhausting. Our backs hurt and we’re all tired. We slept through the alarm, and didn’t get up until an hour later, at 7:00. There is still a blizzard outside (although less strong than yesterday), so we have breakfast in the warmth of the tent. With more difficulties due to the lack of space, we start packing things and the tents. We know that we have to cross a big river right after the start (we don’t know yet that there will be 3 of them today) so we try to prepare as quickly as possible, to keep ourselves warm.
We wade in crocs, no pants. You go through about 3 phases: 1. It’s cold, but bearable., 2. It starts to really hurt, you feel like you’re walking on pins and needles. 3. You don’t feel anything, you just perceive that it hurts. Well, similar 3 phases then take place after putting your shoes on, only in reverse. In the end agreed, after walking for some time, that we felt refreshed and were doing well.
We all keep the same pace for the first 10 km and stick together. Then the group begins to tear apart. We eat lunch at about 18 km, just on the ground. It’s cold and still quite windy, so we quickly get up again and start moving. We are already getting close to today’s destination – the Nyidalur hut, but 5 km before the end we come across another river. Although it is narrow, it is quite deep, so we have to take off our shoes again. This time it’s much more tolerable, the weather has cleared up a lot, and we’re already warmed up.
Arys has already changed his hiking boots to flip flops because his feet are covered in blisters, and you can see that he’s running out of energy. We try to encourage and motivate him. But when a car drives by in the direction of the hut, Arys doesn’t hesitate and asks for a ride. Success. Before long, the car is going back (probably a supplier for the hut) and so we are trying to find out what the situation is with the last river that awaits us today. The young man certainly did not mean to scare us, but he succeeded when he told us that there was water up to ones chest…
Later it turned out that the view from the car was quite deceiving, the water was knee-deep, and we managed the third ford of today without any harm.
After arriving at the hut, we treat ourselves to a beer or hot chocolate, and come up with a plan for the following day. We need to fix the tent, and since we have a busy few days ahead of us, we would all like some rest. But the final decision will be made in the morning.
We cook dinner inside. In addition to the price for camping (2500 isk = 18 euro), we pay an additional 500 isk for the use of indoor spaces, and 500 isk for a hot shower. We will once again be sharing the tents in three people, hopefully for the last time.
Today we fall asleep without setting an alarm clock. Good night.
