The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Reykjavik Recon

Four days in Iceland hardly suffices to explore even a fraction of the hiking opportunities on offer near Reykjavik.  Even more so when one feels compelled to experience some of the abundant tourist sites and walk around the city itself.  I spent two days driving around the south of Iceland and the Reykjanes Peninsula, stopping at the usual tourist sites: thermal springs and fumaroles, basaltic columns, sea stacks, natural arches, glaciers, waterfalls, surf cauldrons, etc.  Even within a one-day drive of this northern-most capital in the world, the possibilities are limitless.  And I didn’t even have time to drive the popular route known as the Golden Circle, usually the first item on a tourist’s checklist.

Whilst I surely enjoyed the tourist sites, and some certainly involved walking, I took a grand total of zero photos at these sites.  That’s not to say that they were not photo-worthy. Far from it.  But in the jostle of dozens to hundreds of other tourists, I felt more connected to the landscape using only my eyes, shutting out the other featherless bipeds as much as possible.  (Bipeds of the feathered variety were quite impressive, by the way, and included puffins nesting on a South Coast cliff).

I did squeeze in two hikes of note, however.  Both are certainly in anyone’s top ten in the Reykjavik area: Glymur Falls (now only the 2nd highest in Iceland) and Mt Esja, the “city” mountain of Reykjavik, easily distinguished as the long ridge to the north of the city.  The following few photos highlight these two very worthwhile hikes.  Go early in the day while others are nursing their hangovers to best enjoy these hikes.

View of Hvalfjörður fjord and mountains, en-route to the Glymur Falls trail
View near the trailhead of the Glymur Falls trail. I’m not sure what those flowers are that have gone to seed.
The exit from the short cave near the Botnsá River through which the Glymur Falls trail passes
The first Botnsá river crossing. The log and cable are only in place during the summer.
Botnsá River vista downstream towards Hvalfjörður. Unlike most others, I did this hike as a loop, ascending on the left here to above the falls, and then descending on the right side.
Upper half of the Glymur Falls, which is really a cascade, with total height of about 198 meters.
Another view of the Glymur falls, showing some of its complexity.  The Botnsá River is seen on the left.
Up close and personal with the Glymur Falls.  Few hikers waded across to this side and I doubt any others got close enough to really experience the power of the falls.
Mt Esja lupines and clover.  There are numerous routes up and around the long ridge known as Mt Esja.  I hiked the most popular variant, to the Þverfellshorn summit (though most only hike up to an undistinguished rock known as the “Steinn,” avoiding the more interesting summit cone).
View south toward Reykjavik from Mt Esja’s Þverfellshorn summit
Þverfellshorn summit orographic disc

So, is Reykjavik and environs worth a visit?  I can most definitely answer in the affirmative, provided one’s budget permits (this must be the most expensive country in the world!) and one’s tolerance for tourists is similarly high.

My next blog post will be in 5 weeks, of my summit attempt on Pik Lenin in Kyrgystan’s Pamir Mountains.  In the mean time,

Happy trails,

The Vagabond Hiker

Day Hikes in the Canadian Rockies

As my month staying in Dead Man’s Flats (near Canmore and Banff, Alberta) comes to an end and the next stage of my adventure approaches, I find that I have only begun to scratch the surface of the outdoor opportunities this area offers.  Indeed, most of my hikes were within a 30-40 minutes’ drive of my condo; I never even visited several provincial and national parks that were within easy driving distance for a day trip.  It looks like I’ll have to return to do justice to the Canadian Rockies!

Johnston Creek, a very popular (and easy) day hike near Banff
Johnston Canyon Upper Falls
Bow Mt. and Bow Lake from the Helen Lake trail.  The Bow River rises above its eponymous lake.  The hike to Helen Lake is a popular one from the Icefields Parkway.
Lake Helen and Cirque Peak, Banff National Park.  I only climbed the 100 meters to the ridge shown, not the extra 400 meters needed to reach the summit.
The aptly named Dolomite Peak from the ridge above Lake Helen
Lake Helen from the ridge
Mt Lougheed from Wind Ridge.  The trailhead was only a few kilometers from my Dead Man’s Flat condo.
Canmore from Mt. Lawrence Grassi summit.  Mt Lawrence Grassi is 900 meters straight up from the Spray Lakes Road.  I was the only one of the mountain that day.
Goat Lake from Mt Lawrence Grassi summit
Wildflowers on the C-level Cirque trail near Lake Minnewanka
Lake Louise view towards the Plains of the Six Glaciers and Mt Victoria.  It seemed that most of the province was at Lake Louise that day.
Pink columbines along the Plain of the Six Glaciers trail
View of Victoria Glacier (much of which is covered with debris) from a lateral moraine
Mt Cory (left) and Mt Edith with Cory Pass as the low point between them
The crux of the Mt Edith climb is this 15 meter chimney, about hip width and fortunately not as steep as it looks.
Mt Cory and Cory Pass from Mt Edith summit
The impressive south face of Mt Loius (right) as seen from Mt Edith summit.  Definitely NOT a scrambler’s objective!
Mt Yamnuska scrambling route to the summit (at right).  Apart from a section with chains, the scrambling was straightforward.
Mt Yamnuska summit view of the descent route to the West.  Lots of “boot skiing” was enjoyed on this descent.
Heart Mt. from near Heart Creek trailhead, just down the road from Dead Man’s Flats
Lac des Arcs (sans cement plant) from Heart Mt. summit
Unnamed twin peaks from Grant MacEwen summit, the second peak of the Heart Mountain horseshoe traverse
A Mt Grant MacEwen Hoary Marmot. Or is it a small bear?
The route to Cascade Mt. summit.  At more than 1500 meters ascent, Cascade Mountain was the longest hike I did in the Canadian Rockies
Big Horn sheep on Cascade Mt. ridge
The Cascade Mt. summit traverse. Despite appearances, no snow was on the trail; with snow or ice it can be quite hazardous.
The Vagabond Hiker on top of Cascade Mt. (2998m)
Cascade summit view southeast to Lake Minnewanka.  The smoke was quite bad that afternoon in the Banff area.
Horse Thief Canyon, Drumheller, Alberta. Red Deer River is in the background.  Part of the Badlands, Drumheller is about one hour drive east of Calgary.
Maggie in Horse Thief Canyon, Drumheller, Alberta

My next post will feature some photos from day trips around Reykjavik, Iceland.  In the mean time,

Happy Trails,

The Vagabond Hiker

 

 

 

 

The Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada

Returning from a delightful – though too short – break in the UK (including a wonderful weekend in Paris), I was quickly reminded of the wet weather that has plagued western Canada this spring.  The 6½ hour drive from Vancouver Airport included periods of rain of biblical intensity.  Within minutes of settling into my cottage in Penticton, lightning struck nearby (no counting seconds between lightning and thunder – both seemed simultaneous!), knocking out the internet service.

In case you are not familiar with the Okanagan Valley, it is in south-central British Columbia and is considered the center of the province’s fruit orchards and, more recently, viniculture.  The Okanagan has a dry, sunny climate, and several lake-shore communities, including my favorite, Penticton.  With about 30,000 residents, Penticton supposedly is one of only two cities located between two lakes.  (I have no idea what the other one is and tend to doubt this claim in any event).  Apart from agriculture, the economy is retirement and recreation based, with outdoor summer activities such as fishing, kite boarding and wind surfing, hiking, biking, etc.

One obvious benefit to the cool, damp weather this spring, in what passes for the closest thing Canada has to a desert, is the profusion of wildflowers in bloom.  The landscape does have its attractions of course, from the blue lakes to the dramatic hills, to the snow-covered mountains in the distance, to the vineyards and orchards that dominate the valley.  But without a doubt the flowers this spring have stolen the show and feature in many of the photos in this blog post.  [Unlike some past slideshows from California and Utah, I have not attempted to identify the species of each flower, being content merely to give their common (generic) name].

Penticton and the South end of Lake Okanagan with much evidence of a recent fire
View looking south from Skaha Lake Park where I swam in the 14 deg. C water
Skaha Lake and the southern portion of Penticton from Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park.  The park is well known for its many fine climbing routes.
Lupines at Skaha Bluffs Park
Larkspur and granite at Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park
Shooting stars at Okanagan Mountain Park
A field of Lupine at Okanagan Mountain Park
A bouquet of Penstemon at Okanagan Mountain Park
Panorama from near Okanagan Mountain summit. Lake Okanagan is in the mid ground with Skaha Lake visible in the distance. Devastation from the 2003 fire was everywhere.
A turbulent, swollen creek at Okanagan Mountain Park
A mother grouse annoyed at me for disturbing her nestlings at the trailhead for Okanagan Mountain Park
Mt McLellan Corn(flower) field
Cornflower detail, Mt McLellan
Rock Rose (aka Bitterroot), Mt McLellan
Penticton Adventurers on the Mt McLellan hike
Scarlet Gilia on Mt Parker
View west from Mt Parker summit (1420m) to Sheeprock (l) and Mount Brent (r)
The Vagabond Hiker sweating on Mt Parker summit. Skaha Lake, 1000 meters lower, is just visible in the background.
Apex Mountain from near the summit of Mt Beaconsfield (2178m). Misleadingly, Apex Mountain Ski Resort is on Beaconsfield Mountain.
A zoom shot south to Cathedral Provincial Park from Mt Beaconsfield summit
The Vagabond Hiker chillin’ on Mt Beaconsfield summit (2178m)

My next post will likely be from the Canadian Rockies, where I have a condo for the month of July just outside of Canmore, Alberta.  The mountains will be a tad more impressive.

Happy trails,

The Vagabond Hiker

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