The Magic and Powerful Energy of Iceland – Part 6

I went south. I explored Apulia in Italy (in May) for a month, and now I’ve been exploring Côte d’Azur for two months and living near Toulon.

Lots of moving around, right? And even more stories which I hope to share with you one day.

Ok, let’s go back to Reykjavik now, to Iceland, specifically back to August 2021.

My adventure began one day when I met an Icelandic friend in Reykjavik. We got to talking about the weekend off that we had and we both wanted to go somewhere out of town. And we struck a deal. The weekend came. And we hit the road. Fortunately, and I mean it (I really love life and I’m grateful for how things turn out), my friend made a few calls and we got his family’s jeep and their holiday cottage where we could stay.

There are a few HI hostels in the south (where HI members get 10% off), camps and lodges. The route from Reykjavik to the section leading to Þórsmörk takes about a two hours’ drive. You drive past Seljalandfoss, a waterfall behind which you can take a walk. The waterfall’s source is located under the Eyjafjallajökull glacier – the one that hides the notorious volcano that erupted in 2010 and stopped all air traffic across Europe. Personally, though, I prefer Gljúfrabúi, which is a ten-minute walk away. It’s easy to overlook because it’s hidden behind rocks. When trying to reach it, you’ll probably get your shoes wet since you have to cross a river. You can only hear it from afar. And once you get there, you can spot the waterfall and feel the water drops on your skin and the safe embrace of the rocks all around you.

We didn’t stop by the waterfall, we just marvelled at it while driving by. When you’re driving down the main road, you can’t help but fix your gaze on the waterfall in the distance. We arrived at the holiday cottage to switch our car (Why? Read below). And here is where the journey to the forested Valley of Thor begins.

Come and cross five rivers (with no bridges) with me in a jeep as I head to the forested Valley of Thor

Between three glaciers, behind three bodies of water, surrounded by the energy of the elfs and dwarfs, lies Thórsmörk (Þórsmörk). The glacier valley and nature reserve in southern Iceland. Want to try pronouncing the names of the glaciers? Good luck: Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull, and Tindfjallajökull.

Wow! What a landscape. The mountains rise on the sides, there’s a glacier in the distance, and the river branches across the entire valley. And a road? Yes, there’s actually a road! But you won’t get there easily. And with a normal car? No way. With a four-wheel drive? You can try, but you might get stuck. So, how do you get there? With a jeep, a super jeep or by booking a super mountain bus or a guided tour. That’s why we switched our car. You can also visit the valley on foot, if you decide to walk at least one of the most famous Icelandic hiking trails – Fimmvörðuháls (30km) or Laugavegur (55km).

Oh, and one more thing – you can only get there between 1 May and 15 October, otherwise the road is impassable (all F-roads in Iceland are closed then).

The road winds along the branching river. We first stopped in a small canyon. I walked over the riverbed barefoot. We also watched a few kids, who found pleasure in sliding down the riverbed, with a smile on our faces. There was vegetation climbing up the cliffs (this time it wasn’t just moss, but also some bushes), you could smell wet soil, and the canyon cliffs were full of moss. We walked back. And crossed a river. Then my friend (because he knows I love glaciers and everything cold-related) drove us to one of the glacier foots along the road.

How do you cross a river with no bridge over it?

We drove on and suddenly came to the first river crossing. “Hold on, let’s analyse the river first,” my friend said. I was looking at him. “Yeeeah, ok, erm, can you show me? You know, we don’t cross rivers in Slovenia if there aren’t any bridges.” And he explained it to me. Here’s how you do it:

“If you’re lucky, there’ll be someone else crossing the river in front of you and you can simply look at where they’re crossing. If they don’t make it, you just don’t follow them,” he added jokingly.

“If you’re not lucky, you follow the ‘rules’.

1. Survey the river. If you can see the bottom, then all’s well. You just drive across (with a water level of about 20cm). If the water level’s higher, you compare it to your car.
2. If the air intake is above the water level, you can continue.
3. You should cross the river where it’s rushing, not where it’s flowing calmly (that’s where the water is deeper).
4. Activate the four-wheel-drive and go! Switching to first gear, maybe the second.
5. And you should drive slowly! And going with the flow, if possible, not against it (otherwise there’ll be splashing water getting underneath the hood and reach the engine).
6. Never stop the car!
7. And never switch the gear!”

We crossed the first river, then the second one, the third one, the fourth one and the fifth one. Aaah! Each time, I looked at the sides of the car, which cut through water. My face lit up with a huge smile, my heart was racing and there were feelings of joy and adrenaline darting around inside me.

Icelandic jeeps are adjusted for mountain terrain and river crossing and they’re called super jeeps (even buses are like that). If you love cars, it’s definitely one of the most exciting things you can see there every day, for example, when you go for a walk in town or when you go explore the wilderness. You can see all kinds of jeeps with lots of horsepower, adjusted chassis, unbelievably large tyres and a snorkel, just like the one we use for diving. It’s used for air intake from above, so that the car can “breathe”.

After all the river crossings, the open desert valley, with its branched river, slowly started becoming narrower. We were getting closer to the entrance to the Valley of Thor.

This hidden waterfall has a special secret!

We drove into the narrow section and stopped the car because we saw a canyon. We parked the car and decided to explore around. There was no one around. We crossed the river and went for a half-an-hour hike. We came to a crossroads. My guts told me to turn left. And we turned. This time, we crossed the river barefoot. Well, at least I did. My friend was looking for a way across for 15 minutes, so that he could cross the river with his shoes on while also keeping them dry. Yes, he failed.

We walked into the narrow section within the canyon. We heard the waterfall from quite afar. Since I always refill my batteries when I’m next to a waterfall, I started hopping and quickened my pace. The small canyon led us all the way to a waterfall that was hidden in a cave. The cliffs came in all shapes and sizes, from perfectly flat ones to caves (where you can see petrified trolls), shelves overgrown with vegetation...

We both stopped. We both found our own spot and just surrendered to the sound of the waterfall and the view of the droplets that fell from the cliffs. And the view of the opening at the top that let in a little bit of light. And I said: “You know, what? I don’t care, I have clothes in the car.” And I went into the pool under the waterfall.

We went back to the car in a calming quietness. We stopped along the way, soaked in some sun and looked for trolls in cliffs.

It was only when we were standing next to the car that we had a good conversation about the experience we just lived through. Both our eyes were glistening. We felt like we were reborn. It was the complete opposite of how we felt when we entered the waterfall cave. During the conversation, we came to the conclusion that the waterfall cave hides a special secret, some kind of special energy that completely recharges your batteries, freshens you up and fills you with peace. Images of mighty dragons and friendly trolls popped up in my head.

When the Valley of Thor opens up before my eyes, I remain completely speechless! Unexpectedly.

A lush oasis appeared before us, a forest oasis under three glaciers and at the confluence of three rivers. A unique valley that makes you speechless. Green moss on black volcanic tuff. White and blue shades of glaciers for contrast. Green low-growth forests at the valley’s sides.

Due to geographical features, the valley is a bit warmer than other parts of southern Iceland, as well as significantly less windy. But I definitely didn’t expect such a landscape, compared to what I had been used to while exploring Iceland.

We parked the car and went for another short walk to the top that rose above the camp. The path wound through a nice little forest. And there was a view extending on all sides at the top. It took my breath away. Each time, I gasped even more at the view of the valley from every possible angle and from a different point of view. Let the photos speak for themselves.

My legs were dangling from the edge of the cliff, I was eating blueberries that were growing around me and gazing at the glacier on one side and the sunset on the other, all the while being surrounded by rocks that were holding my place. “Am I dreaming? No. I’m living.”

“YOU’RE DRIVING BACK”

“Aaaah?” I stared at him with bulging eyes.

I looked at him: “Yeah, wait. You’re giving me your jeep?”

And he said: “Yes! What about it? Get into the driver’s seat.”

My eyes lit up. I was jumping up as high as the jeep. I’m going to cross the riveeer! Heeey, you know that? Hey, let me share this with you, too. I CROSS THE RIVER AND I BET YOU CAN FEEL MY EXCITEMENT THROUGH THIS TEXT AS WELL, HA HA! My friend looked at me and laughed with me because he caught my excitement and my childlike playfulness.

I told myself: “Girl, you know what? Just so you know, you’re in Iceland, you’re making some really nice friendships, you’re eating blueberries while your legs dangle from the cliffs in the Valley of Thor and your gaze is glued to the divine sunset towards which flows a glacier river that glistens in the magical light. Now you’re going to cross the river in the jeep. This is life. You should find such indescribable joy and openness of heart when you simply are and you let life to be as well. As I’m writing down this memory, my body is tingling and my heart is grateful.

“Ok, now focus. Let’s gooo!” I sat behind the wheel. I started up the car. And I started driving. And oooh, I was approaching the first river. It was a small pond, but still my first crossing. No analysis was needed. I drove through and got across, yaaay! What a great feeling! And I drove off. I spotted the glacier in the rear-view mirror. The reflection of the sunset was in the river in front. I stopped the car. “Let’s go through the rules.” I was lucky this time because someone else was crossing the river in front of me.

I observed them closely. I switched on the four-wheel drive. I switched to first gear. Let’s gooo! My first true river crossing was a success! I was laughing out loud and my friend was laughing, too. “High five! Hey, I’m good at this!” I crossed another river with his help, and then he just relaxed and said: “Just go, you got this.” And I went. I stopped the car by the road after the last river because the sunset deserved much more attention. I leaned back and I was really grateful and my eyes were glistening. I felt free.

Thus, the adventure in the Valley of Thor magically came to an end. But a new one soon began.

Where? In another special Icelandic area.

How? With even wackier jeeps!

With whom? With strangers when my friend and I were hitchhiking (it was the first time for me).