The long way out of the storm
Hvammfjöll
"Outside the storm raged, raged and swept, and around in the world raged many storms, many things happened. Because this was a forgotten corner of the world, here at least only the sky was raging - so peaceful it was here."
- Gunnar Gunnarsson: Advent im Hochgebirge -
Bræðrafell - Útbruni - Hvammfjöll - Skjaldbaka - Heilagsdalur - Þrengslaborgir - Hverfell - Ringroad - Dimmu Borgir Guesthouse
Things can be very different than expected, especial in an Icelandic winter...
After leaving Bræðrafell we had a wonderful day circling the gentle slopes of Kollóttadyngja. Wide vistas over the Útbruni, fantastic weather and good snow under the ski. The day ended in complete stillness, the temperature fell deep and Aurora Borealis danced for us above the distant Hvammjöll. A magnificant spectacle that kept us out of the small tent for a while until it got too cold.
The Hvammfjöll are a small range of Hyaloclastite hills overflown by newer lava fields of the shield volcano Kerlingardyngja. It's one of the most isolated places of Iceland despite beeing relatively near to the Mývatn. But our hope to explore this remote area was futile. A heavy snowstorm accompanied us for the next four days...
"...a lashing, howling blizzard, as if a horde of angry monsters unleashed outside in the night. In a small cabin under the grass-roof, in the middle of the dark night, one keeps the weather no longer a dead thing, when you hear it that furious. The Winter, a formless being, but very much alive, alive to the most rabid anger, is back, and one can hear how well it feels."
- Gunnar Gunnarsson: The Good Shepherd -
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