Last time I left you at Hverir - rotten-egg smell included. Today we’re heading somewhere the wind blows every smell away and, honestly, almost takes your head off. We’ll climb Hverfjall, a crater that hit me hard six years ago when we first met. Back then it was just a tourist loop, but it stuck so much that four years later I came back to Iceland for longer. Maybe for good - who knows?
Climbing the black moon
From far away Hverfjall looks simple - a perfect cone. I have no idea why I didn’t take a photo from that angle. The closer you get, the more the scale hits you. It’s one of the biggest craters of this kind in the world - about a kilometer across and more than 400 meters high. It formed around 2,500 years ago in a powerful explosive eruption, when hot magma met water. I love disaster scenes, but I’m glad I wasn’t here for that one ;)
From the first steps it’s hypnotic. Looking at it feels like a small meditation - monochrome palette, repeating lines, your eyes just stay there.
On the rim of the void
The rim gives you a 360-degree view of everything around. That day the clouds were heavy, so seeing far wasn’t easy. I don’t remember being disappointed.
I watched the surface of Lake Mývatn, saw steam rising from the Krafla power station, lava field Dimmuborgir and the Hverir field. It looked like Saruman’s orc factory.
Life against all odds
A walk around the rim takes about an hour. The wind was merciless - I think it always is. And yet, in small spots with a bit of shelter, you can see life holding on, clinging to the loose ground.
Hverfjall, unlike the colorful and noisy geothermal field, gives you space and stark, monochrome beauty. During our stay at Mývatn we also found one more place that blends both moods. We took a short hike to the Leirhnjúkur volcano, part of the Krafla system I wrote about before. I’ll take you there next time - see you :)
--- Thanks for stopping by! --- @astinmin
Icelandic stories:
A year of transition - small trips and moving to Iceland
Where my home is - "Iceland in miniature"
Winter at my place - not as scary as they said
Chasing spring in Grundarfjörður
Wolf Beans: purple beauty or invasive species? A trip to Ingjaldshóll
Welcome to Mars: Kerlingarfjöll Mountains
Katla's tongue – Sólheimajökull Glacier
In the shadow of the glacier: the stunning Þakgil campsite
Moss and ice: the road east
Basalt and turquoise: Stuðlagil Canyon, East Iceland
Cracked earth - driving to Stykkishólmur
Off the beaten path: Hafrahvammagljúfur Canyon and the hot spring shower
The road to Mývatn: through rain and wilderness
Around Lake Mývatn (1) - Víti Crater and the Hverir geothermal field