Couple of months ago during the not so sunny summer month of June I decided to have a crack at the famous Fimmvörðuháls hike. The hike begins at the base of the waterfall Skógafoss, continues north between the two ice caps Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull and then finally into Þórsmörk (you can read more about that here).
After climbing the epic staircase next to Skógafoss and going through a sheep gate, the hiking trail stretched off into the distance and into the clouds. Unfortunately for the trek on this day the mist and clouds hung quite low in the sky obscuring the view of the mountains and canyons on either side of the trail. Despite this, we pressed on hoping that eventually we may break through the cloud layer and catch a glimpse of the blue sky and ice caps.
Running beside the well-trodden hiking trail flows the river that feeds into Skógafoss, and not more than 30 metres from Skógafoss itself is another one of many waterfalls on this hike. Around virtually every corner on this hike is another waterfall, which I gave up counting after about 14 or 15!
This half of the Fimmvörðuháls hike is incredibly scenic and very different to the other half which begins when you start to descend from the volcanic craters of Magni and Móði and into the Þórsmörk valley. The ascent from this side of the mountains is less steep and much easier going than ascending from the Þórsmörk side and, in my personal opinion, much more enjoyable with a far more varied landscape and more spectacular canyons and waterfalls (of course!)
The further we hiked on the trail, we saw fewer and fewer people and were rewarded with increasingly better views and landscapes that were truly beyond words. The more I see of this island, the more I realise there is something magical here that really cannot be put into words. It’s a place one must visit and experience with all five senses.
I wish there was more to write about the scenery in this area, but the clouds and mist were determined to stick around for the entire hike. It was only upon breaking through the mist and cloud cover that we were greeted with a beautiful blue sky and a view of the volcanoes to either side of us. We only travelled a little further than this to admire more of the cloudless views before deciding to turn around and head back to the car and back home. Perhaps another day when the weather is just right will we attempt to complete the full hike once more!
For now, please enjoy some choice shots from the hike.
My Nordic Life 
Fabulous Josh!
Meraviglioso!! 🙂 This is really the place to be! As for the wooden arrows, I don’t know…Id go left🤔🙄