Iceland Day 15-16
After a super windy night hunkered down in the camper, I did my typical eat a small breakfast and broke down camp. The wind was still kicking pretty hard so I limited the time I spent outside, but at least the rain stopped. The built out Landcruiser camper parked next to me also left just a little before me to get an early start. Once I was ready, I started heading back down to finish the rest of F210.
Like all Froads, the view is absolutely stunning. After awhile, I passed the camper and got to the first water crossing. It was a bit faster moving and I couldn’t tell the deepness, so I decided to check it out by foot. The German couple in the camper also got out and told me they just saw a video of someone flooding their car here, so I walked the stream. Once I figured out my line, I decided to cross. The couple asked if I could stick around in case they got stuck and I agreed.
Once I got going, the crossing was nothing to be concerned about, and the truck took care of it easily. After making sure the Landcruiser made it over, we parted ways and I headed down F210 toward Mælifell. The landscape changed vastly the closer I got to the famous mountain. From the lush green, it went to a rocky lunar landscape, and then I hit the dark volcanic black sand. With the wind the way it was, when I stepped outside to take a picture, the sand pelted me painfully. Just trying to open the door without it flying odd was an adventure. Eventually, Mælifell pops up with its bright green contrasting drastically with the surrounding sand.
Mælifell is a 791 meter volcano that used to by under the Mýrdalsjökull glacier until it eventually was exposed about 10,000 years ago. Interesting fact, Mælifell translates to “Measuring Hill” and nine other mountains on Iceland have the same name. Pictures does not do justice to how cool this site looks in person. After passing Mælifell, I got to the portion of the route that earlier this summer was pretty much flooded like an ocean. When I got there, it was low enough to cross, but it still was lots of water and took quite awhile to fully cross. I continued on way to F233, when I reached the Hólmsá River.
The Hólmsá River is a glacier river that can be very tricky depending on the water level. As soon as I got there, I saw a Landcruiser/Prado stuck in the river, proving this statement as true. I parked a truck and went to talk to the people in there. It was a rental Prado with stock tires and it sunk into the deep sand. It was actually being driven by a local, who was showing his American friends around before he permanently moves to Spain. He sold his super jeep and had to rent the Landcruiser, and unfortunately the bad tires and deeper sand got him stuck. To be fair, based on he was coming from the other way and the way the river was flowing, I would have probably taken the same line.
After discussing with him the plan, we got set up to do a recovery. The water was moving pretty fast and while doing the setup, I actually broke my flip flops while trying to walk against the current. We hooked up him to my winch after I positioned the truck into the ideal position and attempted to winch him out. The first try wasn’t successful, but after repositioning one more time and strategizing, I was able to get him unstuck and then pull him out of the water. The American couple tried to pay me, but its in my opinion if you are off-roading, you always help the people when you can because the time will come when you need help.
We decided to cross the river together and since the local has done the river before, I let him took the lead. The river is quite large with a sandbank roughly in the middle of the river. We made it to the sandbank pretty easily when we reached the faster and deeper portion of the river. It was at this moment the tractor that the local called showed up. He went to go chat with him a bit, and the tractor stuck around just in case. If you visit here and decide to cross this river, definitely take the time to walk it, because it can get pretty deep and there are some areas with rock or deep sand. Later in the week, I crossed it by foot to check depth and it was almost to my hip (I’m 5’10” for reference). We crossed it with little issue. The Landcruiser group invited me along to follow them to explore, and I decided why not. The next area we headed towards was to F233.
It was nice traveling with a local because along the way on F233, he would take us down to dirt tracks that I would have probably skipped. I wish I had more time because every F road has so many dirt roads that leads to more interesting areas. On F233, there is another tricky water crossing that can definitely trick some people. People would naturally want to cut right across, but that portion is quite rocky with some decent size boulders that smaller cars could get hung up. The correct route is to take the wide way around that portion. While we were doing it, it was deep enough that I could hear the water slapping halfway up my door from the upstream side.
Eventually, we completed F233 and went right to F235. F235 leads to Langisjór Lake. There is a small campsite close to the lake with some toilets if you need a quick break. The lake is absolutely beautiful. We eventually continued on to a dirt road that lead to a viewpoint of the surrounding area. It seems everywhere I go, there is just another shockingly beautiful place. After talking to them for a bit, we came up with a plan as I was heading the other direction. The local actually pointed me to the direction of the Skælingar Blautulón track. He took me toward the track which eventually to the Blautulón lake. I already crossed rivers, glaciers, and now I had to cross a lake!
After some tips of how to follow our route, we said our goodbyes and took off. Pretty much you have to stay somewhat close to the cliff/shore while at the same time not get too close to the center of the lake. It was a cool experience and overall, pretty easy for me, but it can definitely be dangerous. The rest of the track is breathtaking like everywhere else, and there is even a hut for campers partway that is very isolated. It eventually led back to F208S, where I took and. headed to camp at Pakgil campground again.
After waking up to get an early start, I headed to go tackle F249 to the Þórsmörk area. Known as the “Valley of Thor” this place has some popular hiking trails. You do have to be careful as there are multiple water crossings, with the biggest one at the end in the Krossá river. Other than that, the road is gravel with some washboards. The first stop I visited was Nauthusagil waterfall. This was one of my favorite waterfalls, but prepare for your feet to get wet. It is a short hike there and a little tricky to get to the end. Follow the water into the canyon and just keep going. Some people stop too soon and miss the waterfall. During the hike you’ll see one part with chains set up to help you get pass some tricky sections. When you reach the Nauthusagil waterfall, it is amazing since it feels like a grotto. The light shining from above the walls adds a nice element to it.
The next stop I went to Stakkholtsgja Canyon. It’s a nice little canyon hike to stretch the legs but a little longer than the last. It is a nice stroll but the ending waterfall was honestly just ok. It did make a good lunch spot for the day. I finally got to the final crossing which is the Krossá river crossing. This river is fast moving and extremely deep. After wading through parts and watching a couple of super jeeps do it, I decided not to cross. Crossing over wouldn’t be an issue, but the issue was that the best path to get back required driving a little bit upstream. With the height of the water near my hood, where my air intake is located, and no snorkel, I opted to play it safe. I did meet a few French people who were taking a break on their bikes and had a good chat with them.
After leaving F249, I made my way to F261 to make my way to F233. This is an alternate way to get to Mælifell. It was a nice drive with nothing major on the water crossing side. There was a lady in a rental Duster that asked me to just wait until she crosses one to make sure she was ok. So, I sat that and once she crossed, continued on my way. I drove by and admired Mælifell, and this time the weather died down a little bit, so I flew the drone for a few minutes to capture so images from above. Eventually I got to F232.
F232, Öldufellsleið, is a pretty famous Froad because it is the picturesque one where you drive over a waterfall, Bláfjallafoss. The crossing itself can be challenging for some since it can be steep entering and exiting. On the F210 side, there is a nice area where you can see the waterfall from down low. I ended up doing this crossing a couple of times as I wanted to get some videos and pictures. Finally, I made my way down to a small campsite off Ring Road that had a nice waterfall walking distance. This is when I noticed that my tire swing out disappeared! I was quite shocked and luckily, had footage from my rear view dash cam of where it popped off. Of course, it was on F210 and probably 60-80 miles out of the way I was planning on going. After talking to some friends from Iceland, I decided that the next day I would drive to that spot to see if it was still there and clean up my mess.
