From there, it was less than an hour to get to Alftavatn, a hut and camping area located on the grassy banks of Lake Alftavatn.

Emstrur to Álftavatn
15 km

It was a spectacularly beautiful morning, calm and lots of blue sky, something I hadn't seen the day before. Just before I left, I took this photo of a group of Icelandic seniors heading in the opposite direction. Theirs was a supported hike in that they stayed in the huts and had some of their gear carried to each nightly stop -- but still, miles are miles. They were obviously very fit, and also a fun group.

The trail leaving Emstrur headed uphill and soon entered a plateau of dark lava studded with wildflowers. All around were mountains, some jagged and rocky and bare, others covered with green. I had left early and, as with the previous day, the first hikers I met were coming from the other direction, and it was 11 am before I met them, so for several hours, I had the trail to myself. The solitude was nice, but it was equally nice when I started seeing specks of red, green, and blue, that gradually grew into people ... Then we exchanged greetings as we passed, asked where we from, inquired and told about conditions ahead on the trail.

This crossing of the Nyrðri-Emstruá river was fortunately bridged.

Flowers in all directions

The scenery got greener and more beautiful. Soon I came to the river Bláfjallakvísl, with a group of people on either side, all heading to Emstrur -- those on the far side, switching into river-walking shoes, those on my side changing back into hiking boots. The river was deep enough that shorts were necessary -- but many instead just took off their pants and walked across in their underwear. It was amusing to watch people cross the river, some slow and deliberate, others clearly anxious to get it over with. This river didn't have a very strong current, but it was frigidly cold. Apparently the word !#%?*! works in any language.

I had just finished crossing myself and was getting some feeling back in my toes when I heard some splashing behind me and someone said, "horses!" I turned around and here was a herd of horses right behind me crossing the river. Three or four horses had riders, but the rest did not. They crossed the river at a fast trot, swarmed around me, and before I knew it, had passed and were disappearing down the trail in a cloud of dust. It was quite a thrill to see them.

After that, we crossed a faster, deeper river on a bridge. More walking and then we came to one of the most beautiful sections of trail .. now you could see the mountains that the trail will be crossing in the next two days. It was warm, the sky was blue, there was a faint breeze. The trail dropped down to a shallow braided stream, but with grassy banks and lots of cotton grass. I changed to sandals and waded across, then stopped on the other side for a lunch break and to take some photos.

This was one of my favorite rest stops. I took a good long break here.

Now i've had dinner and am settling into my tent. I'm debating going all the way to Landmannalaugar tomorrow, which is 24 km; if I do that, I'll need an early start. The weather seems to be changing ... the wind has come up and clouds have moved in. But what a day ...

I found the perfect spot for my tent, and as soon as I was settled, I did a very leisurely walk along the banks of the lake. It was so warm and so pleasant, I stopped and lay down in the moss. It was as soft and springy as a good mattress.

The warden, offering bananas and power, but in the case of power, only during daylight hours (which it seems is all there is at this time of the year). Power for the huts comes from solar panels on the roof.

The bananas were delicious. I bought four.

The last sound I heard before falling asleep was the wind rustling my tent.