Hiking Hljóðaklettar – see this Icelandic wonder of nature

The second day of my hike in the Jökulsárgljúfur national park got an early start (read about the first day here). Although the night had been cold, I had a great night’s sleep in my tent. I was a bit surprised by how rested I was. I only had a thin mattress, but my back didn’t even feel sore. Guess I am a natural for sleeping in tents! Probably it helped that I was looking forward to hiking Hljóðaklettar, a stunningly beautiful area I have not been to in ages.

Starting Hljóðaklettar hiking trip, breakfast of champions

I wanted to get ready quickly for my hiking trip to Hljóðaklettar. I made sandwiches for the day (salmon, chili mayo, and eggs) and had a true breakfast of champions. A can of real sugary Coke and Homeblest chocolate crackers! This raised some eyebrows amongst others in the hiking group. They seemed mostly to be breakfasting on chia porridge. I told them my strategy was for the Coke and chocolate crackers to take away the years I didn’t want. I don’t think this went down very well. Perhaps people did not appreciate the implication that chia pudding would bring nothing but years of senile misery. I don’t know. On my next hike, I am definitely having egg and bacon for breakfast. Perhaps that will be more popular.

Great hike so far

The day before, we had hiked all the way from Selfoss to Dettifoss waterfalls. We went all the way to Vesturdalur camping ground, which is right next to Hljóðaklettar (Echo rocks). We had descended into the jökulsárgljúfur canyon itself. On our way, we had gone past Hafragilsfoss waterfall. This is now one of my absolute favorite waterfalls.

Heading to Hljóðaklettar

Now we would walk about 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) from Hljóðaklettar to Rauðhólar, then to Ásbyrgi. We would come to Ásbyrgi right on top of it and get a view of this fantastic horseshoe-shaped natural wonder. This would be where the torrent of water, which formed Ásbyrgi, would have swept everything in its path.

Waiting in Vesturdalur

Our first task was to take down our tents and put them in a carriage, which would be picked up during the day and moved to Ásbyrgi. When everybody was done, we would start our hike. I did this quickly as I hate being the last for this kind of stuff. So I was first and ended up waiting a bit for everybody. These days, even Vesturdalur has a data connection. I  played chess with people from all over the world. Presumably, they were sitting on their toilets while I sat on a bench. The wonders of modern life!

Hljóðaklettar is a wonderful place

But we started out, and it was a short way to Hljóðaklettar or Echo Rocks, as I have seen it translated. A literal translation would be Sound Rocks. The place is named in this way because if you close your eyes there, you cannot hear the sound of the nearby Jökulsá river. I haven’t tried this, so I am on the fence about this one. But no matter, hiking in Hljóðaklettar is fantastic. Hljóðaklettar is a wonderful place. It is a city-like area of beautiful, large rock formations made of basalt stacks. I may be old-fashioned, but my very favorite place in Hljóðaklettar is the wonderful Tröllakirkja or Troll Church. I remember visiting it as a child, and it really sparked my imagination. When you see it yourself, you will understand why.

No limit to the art of nature

But you could wander there for hours and see so many beautiful images from the rocks and formations. There is no limit to the art that nature has created there.

Violent events formed Hljóðaklettar

But Hljóðaklettar is just like Ásbyrgi. They are the result of violent geological events. Hljóðaklettar are remains of ancient craters covered in volcanic material. Massive flooding would sweep away all loose debris and leave behind the solidified lava. Our next destination, Rauðhólar, was how Hljóðaklettar looked. High sandy hills with a red taint, which gives their name. Literally, Rauðhólar means red hills, and they are impressive. And the view from there is just incredible.

Hiking to Ásbyrgi

From Rauðhólar, it was a hike across a beautiful heath to the edge of Ásbyrgi. It was a hot day, and I thanked my lucky stars I had remembered my shorts. Otherwise, I would probably have collapsed into a sweaty heap. My liter of Powerade I had brought was quickly soaked up.  At Ásbyrgi the sky had become overcast and there a few drops of rain. That did not detract from the amazing view from the top of the cliff there. I was impressed by the skessuketill or ‘trollkettle’ above the Botnstjörn at the bottom of Ásbyrgi.

Water and rocks had drilled a massive hole above the cliff’s face before the torrent tore down to form Ásbyrgi.

What a hiking trip

This was almost the end of our hike.  We walked along Ásbyrgi cliffs until we came to Tófugil (Fox Gully). A rope helped us get down to Ásbyrgi proper. The day had gotten really hot, and I think we were all glad to get cold drinks. It had been a fantastic couple of days and more than 40 kilometers.

Rocking out in Akureyri

My next step was to head to Akureyri for a hot shower and dinner. I would be staying with my sister and brother at the Kjarnalundur hotel, and I was looking forward to getting there. In the evening, we would see a concert by the Icelandic rock band Dimma, and it would be great fun.

Hljóðaklettar on the map