Offene Fragen Kleidung und Vorbereitung

[Blacky]

Ich habe bei Sauwetter auch schon ab Mitte Juli ein Lampe gebraucht und manchmal ist es auch auf lichtlosen Plumpsklos ganz angenehm. Deswegen: Lampe mitnehmen, wiegt jetzt auch nicht die Welt. Ein ganz kleine Notfall-LED-Funzel reicht schon.

[Ute]

Hallo,
bei meinen bisherigen Islandtouren hatte ich immer zuviel Klamotten mit. Zuviel Slips und Unterhemden, zuviel Strümpfe, zuviel Pullover, zuviel Jacken. Auch beim Waschzeug hatte ich zuviel dabei - zuviel Krimskrams in der Waschtasche.
Wir wollen dieses Jahr die Trekkingtour auf Hornstrandir (vom Hrafnsfjördur zum Veidileysufjördur) machen.
Die Rucksäcke werden auf 15kg limitiert. Wenns schwerer wird, muß was raus, aber garantiert keine Nahrungsmittel.
Regenhose habe ich noch nie gebraucht - auch wenn ich manchmal im Regen unterwegs war.
Taschenmesser muß sein - da bin ich ähnlich wie Sigrid.
Kleine LED-Taschenlampe ist auch nicht verkehrt.
liebe Grüße
Ute

[Kim T.]

Hallo Ute,

vielen Dank für dein Feedback
Ich mache eine geführte Tour, d.h. das Essen stellt der Veranstalter, und der Guide (und wahrscheinlich auch die anderen Teilnehmer) werden mit Sicherheit ein Messer dabei haben, falls ich eins brauche. Die Snacks sind also "nur" für den persönlichen Komfort zwischendurch.
Meine Regenhose habe ich bisher bei jeder Islandtour ausgiebig gebraucht.
Bei den restlichen Klamotten gehe ich noch mal in mich, aber ich denke, ein Set zum Wechseln (bzw. drin schlafen) ist schon clever, schon alleine, falls ich bei einer Flussquerung mal reinfallen sollte. Ich bin schon bei nur noch einer Jacke und einem warmen Pulli. Wo würdest du denn bei den Klamotten noch einsparen?

LG,
Kim

[Ute]

Hallo Kim,
also, Wechselsachen muß man haben, das ist klar. Ich werde für die Hornstrandir-Tour nur 2 Paar Strümpfe mitnehmen.
Geplant sind etwa 6 Tage. Da reichen 4 Slip und ein U-Hemd. Trekkingschuhe und Trekkingsandalen die wasserunempfindlich sind -
die Sandalen nehme ich zum Furten. Einen warmen Fleecepullover und eine wasserabweisende Windjacke. Zum Wandern eine Hose (keine Jeans) und einen Jersey-Langarmpullover. Kurzarmpullover nehme ich nicht, wenns wirklich zu warm wird, gehe ich halt im Unterhemd - ist immerhin farbig.
Eine leichte Hose zum wechseln, vielleicht noch einen Pullover. Notfalls kann man das weglassen und die Schlafsachen dafür nehmen.
Einmal Sachen für den Schlafsack (Langarmpulli, Strumpfhose bzw. leggins und Socken).
Zum Waschen (mich selbst) nehme ich biolog. abbaubare Seife, zwei kleine Waschlappen aus Stoff und ein großes und ein kleines Handtuch.
Zahnbürste + Zahnpasta, etwas Melkfett mit Ringelblume zum Eincremen und natürlich Erste-Hilfe-Päckchen mit notwendigen Medikamenten.
(zB. Aspirin und Thrombaredukt-Salbe)
Dann natürlich Taschenmesser und Taschenlampe. Es gibt auch Essbesteck aus leichten Material.
Wäscheklammern, damit ich nasse Sachen an den Zeltleinen trocknen kann.
Soviel ersteinmal dazu.
liebe Grüße
Ute

[Kim T.]

Prima, Danke, das deckt sich ja in etwa mit meiner Packliste

[Kim T.]

So, ich wollte mich nur noch einmal kurz zurückmelden, bevor es ernst wird, und mich für eure Hilfe bei der Vorbereitung bedanken.

Am Samstag war die letzte Trainingstour: 6.5h auf steilen, schmalen und steinigen Pfaden bei 32° mit 20+kg Rucksack und auf 21km Strecke mit knapp 900 Höhenmetern. Das war hart bei der Hitze, aber es ging, und seitdem liebe ich meine Trekkingstöcke

Morgen Abend sitze ich im Flieger und am Freitag geht es los auf die Laki-Tour. Danach ist ein Tag Pause in Reykjavík und dann geht es nochmal neun Tage mit einem 4x4 Bus ins Hochland, aber dann mit Hüttenübernachtungen und Tageswanderungen und einem guten Freund als Guide.
Ich bin sehr gespannt und immer noch ein bisschen skeptisch, ob ich fit und mental tough genug bin, aber besser (und länger) hätte ich mich nicht vorbereiten können, also bleibt jetzt nur noch ausprobieren...

Am 12.08. soll es den Höhepunkt des Perseiden Meteoriten-Schauers geben, und da übernachten wir laut Plan bei Norðurdalur. Falls da tatsächlich klarer Himmel wäre, wär das ein Traum...

Bitte drückt mir die Daumen!

[Sigrid]

Hi. Wünsch dir ne ganz tolle Zeit. Und: es wird schon.

Góða ferð.

Sigrid

[Uwe_R]

Am 12.08. soll es den Höhepunkt des Perseiden Meteoriten-Schauers geben, und da übernachten wir laut Plan bei Norðurdalur. Falls da tatsächlich klarer Himmel wäre, wär das ein Traum...

Sorry, vergiss es. Da hast Du nichtmal "nautische Dämmerung" in Island .
Grüße,
Uwe

[Kim T.]

Hallo zusammen,

falls es jemanden interessiert, wie es gelaufen ist, nachdem ihr mir so tatkräftig mit Tipps und Infos geholfen habt...
Jedes Mal denke ich, es kann unmöglich schöner werden als der letzte Urlaub, und jedes Mal legt Island noch was drauf, meistens völlig unerwartet.
Seid nicht böse, dass ich den englischen Bericht hier rein kopiere. Der war zuerst fertig, und ich hoffe, für die meisten hier ist das kein Problem.

LG und vielen Dank für eure Hilfe!
Kim

I have been back from my fourth trip to Iceland for a week now – and I would get on a plane and go right back if I could. I kept wondering before if this happy addiction will eventually pass, but instead it just seems to keep getting stronger…
This time I had three weeks blocked for two hiking adventures: one a nine-day backpacking and tent camping trip in the Highlands classed as “extreme” which I had been training for since March 2015 and the second a nine-day superjeep/hiking tour in the Highlands guided by a friend of mine, visiting old favorites spots and new places from my list. Both would end up with surprises and both would leave me wanting more.

Here is my trip report:

August 3/4:
I flew with Airberlin and arrived in Keflavík close to midnight. I took the Airport Express to my guesthouse. The next morning I dropped off some thank you chocolates for the girl who had helped me so much with my bookings over the last six months and then walked to Elliðaárdalur, a park in the city that I had heard a lot about. I had planned to take the bus back, but I couldn’t get the Strætó app to work on my phone, so I walked back. 16 km in +20C heat I had not expected, a good workout for the tour that was to begin the next day. I had a chai and skyr at the Laundromat Café and then dinner at Íslenski Barinn with my favorite sweet potato fries and Icelandic pancakes. That night I packed my backpack and put the rest of my stuff into storage.

August 5:
I enjoyed my last shower for the next nine days and then walked to our meeting point, excited and a little nervous about beginning the hike. On the first section of the hike there would be six of us. Our guide picked us up and drove us to the Trek depot where we picked up the food and rental equipment and checked the tents. He suggested starting East of the river Djúpá instead of the original starting point closer to Laki, since the river was carrying a lot of water right now and would be difficult to ford, so that’s what we did. About four hours later we left the minibus at a parking spot, fixed the rain covers for our backpacks, since it was overcast and looked like rain and started hiking. The first day there was a lot of thick, spongy moss, difficult to walk on, but ideal for our first campsite. Just when we arrived it started raining heavily. We put up the tents and crawled in to warm up. I was glad I had brought my Kindle to pass the time. At 7 pm our guide started boiling water for the freeze-dried meals. It was still raining, but I was bored inside the tent and helped him prepare the meals. It felt as if I didn’t get any sleep that first night. I was cold and it was windy, but I must have slept, since I felt good the next day.

August 6:
After what would become the customary 6 am wake-up call for our porridge breakfast, it took us almost until 9 am to pack up and get going. Everything was still unfamiliar. I was relieved that my muscles weren’t sore. Even though the hiking was challenging my preparation was paying off and my biggest fear of not being able to keep up slowly disappeared. We hiked along the river and saw spectacular waterfalls and canyons. There were some steep sections and I was happy I had brought hiking poles for extra balance and to take some pressure off my knees. The campsite that night was not really sheltered from the wind. We put up our tent, but apparently not securely enough, because it was blown away within just a few minutes. Our guide helped us put it up more securely, but now the ground was not level. That night it was not only the fierce wind that kept me awake, but also the fact that I kept sliding off my sleeping pad and had to pull myself back up.
August 7: This time we were ready by 8 am. First we had to scramble up a steep scree slope on hands and feet while trying to avoid sliding back or being hit by rocks that had come loose. A very effective way to wake up and start focusing Over the course of the day we hiked across a rock and ash desert. The wind kept blowing ash in our faces and we would find it literally everywhere until the end of the tour. We were rewarded with a campsite close to a hot spring. It was wonderful to feel clean again and to be able to warm up before crawling into my sleeping bag that night. For the first time I slept really well.

August 8:
Just when we were getting ready to leave the next morning we encountered another group. There were only two clients on the same hike we were doing. They had started a day earlier than us, but at the original starting point, and we had already caught up. They looked exhausted, with scrapes and bruises, and in a much less relaxed mood. They told us they had had to cross the Djúpá 12 times. Their guide had to carry the woman across the creek, and I realized for the first time, how much of a difference our guide’s expertise made as far as the difficulty of the route, the pace and our enjoyment of it was concerned. To add insult to injury they had camped 10 minutes away from the hot spring, apparently without being aware it existed. We kept seeing them over the course of the day from a distance as we passed more canyons and waterfalls with colorful flowers and finally came to a hilly section with grassy slopes next to small creeks. Our guide chose a beautiful campsite with a small waterfall and pool at the top. This spot would be our home for the next two nights.
August 9: Two people from our group were only doing the first section of the hike. They needed to pack up that day, and we all hiked down to Núpstaðarskógur. The rest of us only carried snacks and rain gear, since we would receive more food and equipment at the meeting point. The hike down was relaxed with lots of breaks and stops for berry picking. Then we waited for the superjeep to come, bring three more hikers and pick up the two who were leaving the group. We packed the food, more gas and harnesses and crampons for the day on the glacier. Then we welcomed the new people and said our goodbyes. The hike back to our campsite held two real challenges: a climb up a 12m vertical rock wall on a chain and later a long scramble up what seemed a near vertical scree slope. I conquered my fears, trusted my guide who said we would all be able to do it and was flooded with adrenaline and endorphins for the rest of the day. We were rewarded by an amazing sight of two waterfalls mixing milky glacier water and blue fresh water in one pool from the top of the cliffs. After a very long day’s hike we arrived back at our campsite late in the evening. I had battled a lurking cold for the last two days, so our guide picked some herbs and brewed a tea for me that really helped. After dinner we all fell into bed.

August 10:
This day we hiked towards the foot of the glacier we were supposed to be crossing the next day. We hiked on sharp lava rocks almost all day, which took a lot of balancing skills. I was afraid my shoes might be shredded. They did hold up admirably, though. It was also the day with the most challenging river crossing. Over the course of about 15 minutes we crossed multiple glacial river arms with partially strong currents and were very happy when we could warm up our frozen feet again with a final walk up the hill to our campsite overlooking the valley and the glacier. The day before we had run into the other group again, which had now grown to 11 clients. Their guide for the second part of the hike had been injured and they needed to wait for the first guide to come back. Now we could watch them crossing the river from our campsite. They didn’t stay together as a group, but the guide had to go back and forth and help them across in small groups of 2 or 3. All in all it took them 1.5 hours to make it across the river, which must have been exhausting and very cold.

August 11:
It rained when we had breakfast and apparently the weather forecast for the glacier was not good, so we decided to wait. The two guides contacted the met office and close to noon, the weather had cleared up a bit and we decided to risk it. Unfortunately several people from the other group got into trouble, once we were on the glacier. One of them got his crampons stuck in his clothing, fell and hurt his knee. Another fell into an ice hole and while he was pulled out successfully, he was bleeding from countless cuts and was completely wet. By the time our guide had bandaged him up and got him into dry clothes, it was already past 3 pm. In combination with the fact that there was still a big river blocking our way, it would have been too dangerous to continue, so we reluctantly turned around. On the way back, someone else broke their crampons. Our guide gave him his and walked the rest of the way on the glacier with only one crampon on. At the edge of the glacier the groups split again. We were almost at the campsite when we noticed that a woman from the other group had apparently decided to join us and leave her own group behind. By this time it was foggy and our guide asked us to wait, turned around until he had found her group and could safely return her.

August 12:
We were forced to return the way we had come, including crossing the river again. This time the current was so strong that I felt myself being pushed downstream and was very happy when we all made it across without any accidents. The other group needed to return to the meeting point today, since they were technically one day ahead of us. However, we kept overtaking them about 5-6 times that day, even with plenty of rest breaks, since they were so diverse in strength and endurance and didn’t stay together as a group. We also met a group of Icelandic hikers on the way up to the glacier. Our guide saw that a woman he knew was limping and convinced her it would be foolish to keep going, so she and her partner joined our group for the way down. Our last campsite was on a grassy slope next to a creek, nice after two nights on gravel and rocks, with great views of the surrounding peaks.

August 13:
This was the last day of the hike and we were all more than a bit sad to be leaving, but determined to enjoy the hike down to the meeting point and each other’s company. We now had two injured hikers, since a guy from our group had twisted his ankle, so we took it slow again with lots of breaks. At Núpstaðarskógur we had lunch with the rest of our food and some people bathed in the natural pool. The superjeep came and picked us up and in the evening we said a very emotional goodbye at the Trek depot, before we were dropped back off at our guesthouses. I switched on my cellphone for pretty much the first time in nine days. My friend who would be guiding the next tour had contacted me on Facebook and asked me if I might help him a little with the tour. Of course I said I’d be happy to help and he promised more details the next day. I enjoyed a long hot shower. Then I fell into bed.

August 14:
Around noon I met up with my tent mate from the hiking tour at the Laundromat Café. I did laundry, we reminisced about the tour and had a bite to eat. Then we left to visit our tour guide who had promised to let my friend borrow his tent for her Ring Road tour. I was impressed that he would go out of his way to help her and that he wasn’t sick of our company after nine days of constantly being together. We brought some pastries, he made fresh tea for us from ingredients he had collected, showed my friend how to put up the tent and then even drove us back into the city. We had dinner and then I was more than curious about the next tour and what my friend had meant when he asked for my help. We talked on the phone: he had 10 guests booked for the tour which is a lot for one person with all-day driving and guiding. He was supposed to take an intern, but there were no interns available. Since he already let me help out on a day tour in the spring he had talked his boss into hiring me as an assistant guide for the tour and refunding a sizeable portion of the money I had paid. I couldn’t believe my luck! He said he would pick me up early the next day, so I could help him pack the truck. I couldn’t believe I had just been promoted from guest to colleague and would be paid for going on tour with him. He had been joking around about training me as a guide since March, now it seemed he hadn’t been joking at all…

August 15-23
The next nine days were an amazing whirlwind of working, learning guiding skills, exploring the Highlands and hopefully providing a wonderful adventure for our guests. My friend slowly introduced me to the role, just leading by example and giving me pointers when necessary, and I hope I was able to ease his workload at least a little bit. It would have been impossible for one person to drive and guide this tour with so many guests. He also helped me work on my rudimentary Icelandic. On day 3 he sent me on a solo orientation hike (possibly as a test) and on the last couple of days I got to guide the group by myself on a day hike and a few shorter hikes, while he brought the truck to our end point. We explored places like Sveinstindur, Laki and Mælifell, did one section of the Laugavegur, hiked upstream through a river in a cave, did a glacier hike, bathed in a geothermal river and tried to give our guests a real Highland experience away from the much frequented tourist spots. I loved every minute of it! Even though there was constantly work to be done I don’t think I’ve ever felt as content and in balance as before going to bed after a long productive tour day, planning the program for the following day together. After the tour ended we met up with part of the group for dinner which was a really fun celebration of a great time spent together.

August 24/25
I had almost a full day left in Reykjavík and decided to hike up Mt. Esja in beautiful sunny weather. My friend gave me a ride to the starting point in the morning on his day off and said I should send a picture from the highest point (not the intermediate point where most hikers stop) to show him I had really gone up all the way. So I spent half a day hiking and climbing up the mountain and enjoying the amazing view over the city and the ocean. Then I hitchhiked back into town, stopped again at the Laundromat Café and Íslenski Barinn and bought an Icelandic book, audio book and movie to work on my language skills until my next visit. My flight back was delayed for several hours, so I spent another night at the guesthouse and then (very reluctantly) had to leave again. I started counting the days until my next visit for New Year’s Eve even before my plane had taken off.

So what’s my summary looking back? My fascination with Iceland is only growing stronger, not fading. I keep doing less touristy things every time I come, trying to get a feel for the country, its culture and people rather than just looking at the sights. I’ll return to complete the Laki to Skaftafell hike next summer, either with one of my guide friends or again with the guided tour from Trek. I hope I’ll get more opportunities to help out and immerse myself rather than just visit, but with the feedback I got after the tour I think there is a real chance. Plus my friend told me it’s time for me to do a multi-day solo hike as the next step in my training next summer and he has even picked out a good route for me. So I’ll keep working on all the skills that will make me a better assistant guide, be grateful for the wonderful opportunities I have been given and look forward to the three visits that are already planned for next year. Thank you to all my Icelandic friends who are so generous in sharing their country with me and keep going out of their way to make my visits beyond special.

[Uwe_R]

Hi,
Danke für den Bericht. Coole Tour.
Wettermäßig wurde es mit den Sternschnuppen bei Euch sicher eh nichts (und erschöpfungsmäßig vielleicht auch nicht).
Ich hab festgestellt, dass es zu dem Zeitpunkt gefühlt doch schon dunkler wurde, als ich durch meine obige Angabe gedacht hatte.
Viele Grüße,
Uwe