Seyðisfjörður -> Dyrfjöll
I woke up to see a huge cruise ship docked in the port at Seyðisfjörður. The campsite owner told me that a cruise ship sails in during the summer from Denmark, and brings about 1000 tourists in every week.
I took a quick hike to the nearby falls to get my blood flowing.
Driving out, the streets looked a lot busier than anything I’ve seen in the past week since I left Reykjavik. I drove up through the mountains and out of Seyðisfjörður, which had been transformed from a quaint town to a tourist trap overnight.
These group of guys visiting from Taiwan decided they wanted to skateboard down the mountain.
The guy from last night had mentioned puffins again. That was the fifth time someone had mentioned them, I figured I should probably give these birds another chance.
He said Dyrfjöll has a whole nesting of puffins on its shores, so to Dyrfjöll it was.
The drive is very picturesque. Mother Nature was out in all her glory. The ocean is turquoise, surrounded by mountains and plains.
Getting into the town, I drove straight to the marina where the birds were supposedly nesting. There were a lot of people clamouring to get a picture of them.
If you are a bird enthusiast, this is probably the place to be. There were birds swooping around in all directions, making strange bird noises and ofcourse pooping everywhere.
After about 15 minutes, I still hadn’t seen a puffin. I asked a guy. He pointed out a whole flock of them right in front of me. What! I never was good at finding things.
I got a few shots of this guy. He had a funny coloured beak, which was kinda cool.
Puffins can fly. Disappointing. For some reason, I assumed they were like penguins. These birds were flying all over the place.
I was done with birds for the day. I drove out of the marina and drove along the coastal road until I came across a sign that marked the trailhead for a hike – Brunavik.
The sign on the board said it was a 2.5 hour hike. It was about 7pm so I figured I’d be back by 9:30pm. Awesome.
The hike seemed easy enough. Clear trail markings, not too steep. Beautiful walk in the setting sun. I had The Division Bell playing on my iPod and really enjoying the walk.
As I gained altitude, I hit snow. That was a little unnerving, but no biggie. I climbed on.
Climbing uphill in the snow was harder than I expected. The snow had an icy layer on the top, and slushy at the bottom. I could feel the wetness creep into my shoes and my socks were starting to get wet.
A little further in, I came across these 2 holes in the ice! What the hell? I guess I was walking on ice with a stream that was flowing underneath me. Not good. I walked along gingerly hoping my leg wouldn’t fall though.
The view from top of the mountain was epic! The rays of the setting sun, the mountains, the quiet and solitude made the icy hike and wet socks worthwhile.
I hiked down to the little refuge hut at the bottom, that marked the end of the hike. There seemed to a hidden beach at the end and I thought I’d eat dinner there.
At some point, I realized there was no way this was a 2.5 hour hike. It had already been 2 hours since I left the trailhead. Maybe the snow slowed me down?
I found some viking ruins on the way down. The vikings were better at plundering than building. This “dwelling” was just stones placed on top of each other.
Getting down to the hut, I opened the door hoping to find a log book, maybe some cool pictures. Instead, I found a creepy looking windowless hut that I didn’t want to step into.
I could have been without seeing that. It creeped me out.
I ate a dinner chilling on the hidden beach. It was serene and peaceful. I thought I saw a seal but it was just driftwood.
It was 10pm when I started back. Lucky for me, it doesn’t get dark anymore. I got to the mountain pass pretty fast, and this time it was easier knowing exactly where I was heading. I felt at peace with the world on the hike back. This was a panaroma I took at the top of the pass, right before heading back downhill.
I was clomping my way back downhill in the snow, pretty much sliding down the ice and enjoying it too. I had totally forgotten about the 2 holes in the ice that I had encountered on my way up. Before I knew it, my right leg went through the ice and I fell right in. It wasn’t a big fall, but the shock factor is what got me. Also, my right leg was completely wet. Argh!
I pretty much ran back down. My toes were freezing and I was getting cold. I got to the car at around 12:30. Looking at the trailhead marking, I realized the hike was 2.5 hours EACH WAY! Oh. That made more sense.
Great hike overall. I would rate it as easy and one of the best ones I have been on.
I went back to the campsite and pitched my tent. I saw a few puffins hanging around nearby. They saw me too. We shared a mutual disinterest in each other.
My stuff 