Day 2 – Blowin’ In The Wind (30 June) — 7 miles

Rain was the forecast. Mike decided to take us on a route next to the ocean under the clouds. The mountains will come tomorrow assuming better weather conditions.

We drove from our hotel at 9:30 for Stapavik, a cove that was once a major trading post for the Vikings. At the trailhead, we started off over a double sided step ladder that prevents sheep from escaping the fences built next to the road but allows access to people. We wondered about the upside down boot on the post just to the left. A warning sign about the dangers on the route or something more mundane as someone losing a boot? In any case, we were off on our second hike of this tour.

The coastline presented images that met what we thought as the Icelandic coastline — rocky cliffs, waterfalls, and black sand beaches. I’ll let the images tell the story of the beauty of this walk.

Laird captured this image of me walking across the black sand. Later, as we climbed up a hill from the beach, Karen shows the power of the wind a la Marilyn Monroe. The temperature was in the 40’s. Mike from Nashville said that he loved the cold. He was escaping the heat wave sitting over the eastern US as did we.

Our climb took us to a cove where goods were unloaded and pulled up the cliffs since the Viking times. They were then transported over the mountain to the villages that dotted the area. We ate our lunches around a modern structure that supported the pulleys used in the early 20th Century — protected from the wind. Over the cliff was a dramatic rock formation that stood mightly against the wind. We all wondered how the Vikings were able to unload the goods from their ships in this cove given the waves and wind. We were here at the end of June — the start of summer!

We retraced our steps back to our van. Along the way, we encountered sheep gazing in the grass. When they saw us, they moved quickly to get ahead of us to the safety of higher ground. Sheep abound in this area. Mike, our guide, said you never know when you might encounter them. We later did on the road. The shepherds round them up at the end of season by sweeping the area in a long line. Once corralled, they are sorted by their owners’ marking for wintering or for the market.

Our day’s adventure ended with a round of beers at the local restaurant that is owned by the brewery next door. A few hours later, dinner with sweet potato soup and lamb meatballs. Simple Icelandic dishes by our chef Baldursson. Now sleep in the land of the midnight sun.