Fimmvöröuháls Hiking Trail: Day 01
The great ascent between glaciers.
Fimmvöröuháls and Lauguvegur
The Fimmvöröuháls and the Lauguvegur are 2 different Icelandic trail that could be done one after another. It's possible to start from the north and go south as we did or you can do it in the reverse way. Here's a full recap of the Trails.
If you want to start reading from the beginning you should start with Day 01 of Laugavegur.
I woke up very electrified for the day... after a night of good rest in our tent and a cold face wash we started packing up everything, pretty early I must admit (around 7). Both of us were pretty scared about going +1000m in Iceland with 20+kgs of backpack, but we decided to try challenge ourselves. So we headed for the Básar hut that is just 30min from where we slept and mark the beginning of the Fimmvöröuháls Trail.
SAFETY ROUTE
There's a bus that leave from Pórsmörk that get you back to Reykjavik if needed, but I believe that everybody that does the Laugavegur can also do the final stretch to Skogar.
After a stop for breakfast and buying some snacks at Básar, we started the ascent to the top of the mountain ahead. After 4 days of grey/dark sky we got blessed with an unbelievable sunny hot (windy, of course) day. So step by step we enjoyed the day.
We stopped for lunch and to let some clothing dry in the middle where the land is flat and the sun was shining. After that a big climbing and some nice trailing on snow to reach our final hut: Fimmvörðuskáli hut.
Happiness and satisfaction fulfilled us when finally seating on the front porch of the shelter, we made it! The Hut was managed by an incredible funny old lady with his young nephew. It's weird to think that she spent the entire summer there, in the middle of nowhere just to host the guest of the trail...
As guest we had the chance to make some hot tea and have dinner in a cozy and hot room inside, meanwhile outside the wind and the rain started to grow and howl. Luckily we choose not to sleep outside as the temperature reached -1°C and the wind was crazy.
The hut, alone in the highlands, under an incredible sunset
The bedroom and the bathroom in the Hut.