This post is a follow-up post to the one I did recently where I made my own way and climbed a random cliff in Iceland. You can find this post here.
It was time for me to make my way down from the cliff and go back. I didn't feel like using the same way back where I came up so I needed to make another path to go back. It's an adventure after all. There were no trails or paths so I did a visible check over the surrounding landscapes and started going. Further away I noticed some big area with boiling pools and grounds, this was the part I wanted to check out when going back.
About 20 or 30 minutes into making my way down the cliff and over the small river I arrived at an interesting location, I didn't see before. Interesting and unique but extremely dangerous. I was surrounded by mud pools and deep pools of water at boiling temperatures.
Here are many photos of what I was surrounded by.
No one goes there it seems like, I saw no other foot marks there besides mine that I made. Definitely, no tourist knows about it because there isn't any path that goes there. It's just a random place near some mountain and I am willing to bet that not many tourists go to unknown areas without trails.
Of course, this is what makes this adventure especially interesting. It feels like I am exploring a previously unexplored place. Obviously, it's not unexplored, local explorers or scientists have definitely been there.
If it was an easy-to-reach area and well-known by everyone then tourists would come to see it and officials would probably fence this area off because it's incredibly dangerous to be there.
The ground I walked on was also warm to the touch. I was wondering if it's possible that under my feet is also some huge hole and I am walking on a thin crust that can collapse. A scary thought. I was extremely cautious about where I stepped, no funny business but I liked the adrenaline and exploring this unique area.
Soon, I walked further away from the ground that burns and saw an interesting object at the side of the hill. I decided to have a closer look. It's a seismograph. These are scattered all around Iceland and this is one of these.
I wonder if I shaked some elements, will that give a false reading to the office and a record earthquake gets recorded😅. Obviously, they would know it's false but a prank still lol. Of course, I didn't do it but it was interesting to see the equipment.
After some more walking over the fields( Iceland has no ticks, so I don't have to worry about it when roaming in tall grass) I reached an area that I saw from the cliff and wanted to see up close. Huge and violent mud pools erupted and spewed steam/sulfur. I tried not the breathe that much.
There is no surviving if someone were to fall into one. It's about 100C and you can't climb out of that. You will get severe burns instantly and fall into shock. So dangerous but insanely cool to see.
Here is just one photo of when I finished my hike. A small waterfall in the area. Small in Icelandic terms of course. Do you notice the chair next to the fall? Probably one of the locals has put it there when he/she regularly comes to sit there and enjoy.
It was really a unique hike overall, including the last post. Probably the most random hike ever. It was not planned and mostly hiked my own route where there was no path. It's incredibly fun to make my own way and see stuff that I wouldn't see if I stuck to the already existing trails. I Hope you enjoyed this adventure in the picture with me.
