Iceland Day 3: Mars Hike, Cocoa and Natural Hot Springs

Our big adventure for the day was the Hveradalir Geothermal Area, where we planned to hike for 7 miles to hot pots and promising views.  It was socked in with minimal visibility and absurd winds, and for the first mile of the hike, we all wondered if this was even a safe activity for the day.  It was absolutely the most rugged hiking conditions I have ever faced with 50 mph wind gusts that felt like they could potentially knock me off the cliff.  Combined with the weather alerts, we were on edge and proceeded with caution/reckless abandon.

So cold, so windy, so desolate, so many layers.

We were all especially anxious about Cory's knee.  On Christmas Day, he tore his ACL for the 3rd time.  His PT says he's been making "remarkable progress" with training hikes and physical activity, but crossing snowfields?  Hmmm.  That was untested territory.

Around this time, Kristen commented, "Serves us right for following influencer blogs."

Breathtaking views?  Only because we were so cold.

We passed another hiker, who told us the visibility never improved.  We wondered if this was the best vantage point we would get of the geothermal area.

Looking at our trail maps and landmarks, we were deciding whether we should turn back.  A little while later, we descended into a completely different world.  Yes, the visibility was awful, but it was such a stark contrast to the terrain we covered and we felt vindicated for the arduous miles it took to get there.

So glad Shireen had her All Trails map, or we would have been turned around several times in the geothermal valley.  There were so many winding staircases into the fog.

The visibility was much better coming back.

We got back to home base where we found Freda serving hot cocoa for $5 a cup in the lodge.  Best money we spent in Iceland.

Somehow we summoned the strength to peruse the gift shop, er, I mean Gullfoss Falls.  We bought a puffin mug to go in my blue glass kitchen display and a few things for the kids.  Brett spent $300 on a wool sweater because he lives in Arizona and he will definitely need it.  We ran down and took a few pics but learned that once you are really cold during the day, it is hard to ever adequately warm up.

Next, we knocked off Geysir Geothermal Field, another spot in the Golden Circle where the word "geyser" originates.  The Strokkur erupted about 10 feet into the air and made us all hope the flooding in Yellowstone has no lasting consequences so we could all watch Old Faithful again and realize the US is pretty great.

That's what she said.

After our gas station dinner the night before, we were all anxious to make our dinner reservation at Restaurant Mika.  Lobster soup for the win.

Somehow after the day's long adventures, I had ants in my pants and could hardly wait to hit up our last event: a private hot spring near our AirB&B in Fludir.  At midnight, we headed out for a dip in the most charming area, along with at least 10 other people.

We called our kids that night at 2am, showing off the still-pleasantly lit sky.  I love eternal summer.

Quotes of the Day:

Kristen names our blog, "People Who Care About Adventure Too Much."

Karen at the Geothermal valley, "This is so pretty or at the very least pretty-ish."

Cory: "I'm stealing photos from the internet."  (Referencing how the Hveradalir Geothermal Area often appears in photos.)

Brady: "If you have recently suffered and ACL tear, this is not the hike for you."

Brady: "Can I go sit on top of the hole?" (At Geiser)

Shireen: "Hurry!  It's been almost 24 hours since the last time I ate lobster soup!"

Shireen: "I wish I had more pants on."

Brett: "Our Everest hike."

Kristen: "This was my sad realization that I will never do Everest."

Kristen: "I will take light wind over gnats.  I will take gnats over 50 mph winds."