Iceland 2019--Day 8

Friday, July 26th
For our final full day in Iceland, we set out early in traditional "Lee Tour" fashion for Reykjadalur (Steam Valley). Our ultimate destination would be Hot River by way of a vigorous hike up in the mountains. This next string of pictures shows how Steam Valley is a very appropriate name for this area.

Hot River (Reykjadalur hot spring) is reachable only by foot--or horse. The beginning of the hiking trail is just beyond the parking lot outside of Hveragerdi, 40 minutes from Reykjavik. 

One way, the hike is 3km (1.9 miles) that ends at a natural bath hot spring.

This is where the trail began.

 

While inexperienced hikers can certainly do this trail, I would also say it is not for the faint of heart. Jared and I pulled ahead of my parents, though not by much, in the very steep beginning. They've done this several times before, but Dad's knee was bothering him. A lot. I worried about our foursome getting split up, that they wouldn't make it to the river and we wouldn't know, but they told me to go ahead. And I obeyed.

 On the way, I saw lots of hot pots.

 Up, up, up...beautiful colors and vistas around every corner.

 A little more level part of the trail as we wound back through the mountains.

I stopped several times to take pictures and take in the views. Jared (seen in the picture below) decided if he stopped hiking he might not get started again. Ever. So he just kept trudging.

 A valley.

Our sheep friends.

 An hidden waterfall called Djupagilsfoss.

 Another straightaway reprieve. :)

 Getting closer to the river...I can smell it! Haha!

 A sheep sauna. :)

 Caution! Stay on the path. These are *boiling* hot springs.

Jared and I reached the river in an hour and we were Houghin' and puffin' most the way. But it was an amazing hike with incredible views around every turn. Notice there are a couple of "changing dividers" in which two sides are blocked for you to change your clothes. These have since been added in recent days which was certainly better than nothing!

Hot River actually didn't smell like sulfur...only the area with the steam vents right before we got there near the sheep sauna. This destination was a welcome reward and also very appropriately named. Jared dipped his toe in to test the water temperature.

He declared it was most definitely hotter than the Secret Lagoon. The farther up river you go, the hotter it is. We got in just on the upper side of halfway.

 At 9am, there was hardly anyone else there! So beautiful and surreal!!

When what to my wondering eyes...there were my parents coming over the crest of the hill down to the walkway! Not much more than 12-15 minutes behind us! Wow! I was so impressed with my Dad's grit. I know his knee has been giving him a lot of grief in recent days. They were kind enough to take these pictures for us before coming in.

 Just look at how clear that water is!

When we were looking at the harbor seals the day before, my mom slipped on some of that slick-as-snot sea kelp and hit her thigh on a rock. She showed us her growing bruise. I took a picture of it only because it looks like the country of Iceland! Haha!

 Our fluffy friends who were snacking on grass up on the river bank.

 Mom and Dad joining our hot tub river experience. It was so relaxing and peaceful.

As much as I love, love, love hot water and showers and soaks the river temperature was even too much for me to endure for too long. I got up and out of the river a couple times.

We scooted around our area of the river and while we were on the opposite side across from where we got in, my mom felt a cool spring trickle in under the bridge. She shared the spot with me and then I took over. It was perfect! The hot water intermingled with spurts of cold water made it really refreshing.

After about 45 minutes to an hour, we decided it was probably time to get out. A lot more people were starting to arrive. Plus we still had an hour hike down the mountain. My dad was floating around on his back, taking a nap from the looks of it. He loves to just float around and relax in the water wherever we are. We had to jostle him awake a couple times to keep his face from rolling into the water. Silly Dad. My mom and Jared climbed out of the river to change first. I got out once Jared was dressed so he could hold his towel up for me giving me full privacy coverage, not just two sides of a divider. My dad was *super* relaxed. Mom called to him that it was time to get out...a couple of times. After I exited the river, I turned back and saw Dad still floating. Grabbing my phone, I snapped a quick picture.

I managed to tuck my phone away under a bag before hearing my mom use a loud, authoritative voice, "Al! Al! Wake up!" Jared and Mom were already dressed, but I was still dripping wet in my swimsuit. I hustled to the ledge where they were standing and realized with a start that my dad was not just relaxed. He was not conscious! I jumped in the water and at the same time a woman, with a thick German accent nearby, who told us she is a nurse, hustled over with me. We got his head out of the water, but he was dead weight. We wanted to get him out of the hot water as soon as possible, but the ledge where Jared and Mom were standing was over halfway up his back. Somehow, between me and the German woman in the water, hoisting him from below, under his legs, with Mom and Jared pulling under his arms from above on the platform, we managed to get Dad out and set him up in a slumped sitting position, with his back leaned up against Jared's legs. We tried to find cold water to pour over his head to cool him off and to get some in his mouth. Mom kept trying to talk to him, but he wouldn't respond. My thoughts raced as things around me went in s-l-o-w motion. What if he needs medical attention? We don't have any means of communication. How on earth are we going to get him off this mountain?? I remember the German lady leaving to get some more water, all the while my mom was talking calmly, but firmly, to my dad, "Al, wake up. Can you hear me?" Jared, likewise, was calmly trying to rouse my dad by nudging him and talking to him as well. Still no response.  I remember thinking I was actually really impressed with how calm my mom was, considering her husband was unconscious at the top of a remote mountain in Iceland. She could have been a 911 operator. I looked up at Jared. Not knowing what else to do, all I could manage to say was, "Will you give him a blessing?" Jared nodded and right there he slipped his hands carefully from my dad's shoulders to his head, doing his best to keep him propped up and by the power of the priesthood that he held, he commanded my dad to wake up and be well. Right after Jared began, I could hear the German lady crossing the river back to us and calling out that she had more water, not realizing, of course, we were in the middle of a blessing. But it was short and Jared had barely uttered "Amen" when my dad opened his eyes and lifted up his head. He was a bit groggy and didn't know what happened or how long he'd been out, but he was back. Another party down the river saw the commotion and brought over a water bottle for us to use, for which we were very grateful. We tried cooling him down with that and gave him our water bottle to drink small sips. Dad recognized all of us, he knew where he was, and what date it was. He was just moving a little slow. I had some dehydrated fruit in my backpack and some jerky so I grabbed that when Jared suggested Dad needed to eat a little something. Between the three of us, we helped him up and onto a nearby bench. We got his pull-over on and figured he'd be fine just staying in his swim trunks. We babied him for a little bit until he said he was okay and was feeling better. He might have been conscious, but we were definitely going to be taking the trek down the mountain slowly once he was strong enough to walk.

When I felt I could pull myself away from the group, I changed into my dry clothes and gathered up our bags all while my mind reeled back and forth between what could have been and what just happened. Earlier that morning my dad had taken some pain killers that he had been prescribed for his knee. But between the pain meds and the extreme water temperature, he got too relaxed and passed out. Who knows how long he would have been unconscious if he hadn't received the blessing from Jared.

We witnessed a miracle. Plain and simple. My dad was unresponsive until the very moment Jared used the priesthood power to bless him to wake up. The power of the priesthood is real. I'm so grateful Jared is worthy to bear it and was able to use it to, quite literally, bless my dad to rise up and walk that day at Hot River. When we returned home to Texas, we shared that experience with our kids and Jared emphasized to our boys that you never know when you will be called upon to use your priesthood to bless another. Sanctify yourselves. Be ready always.

The four of us walked down the mountain together. And we insisted that Dad be on the inside of the trail at all times and that Jared and I be in front.

Apparently, you can take a horse riding tour most of the way up to Hot River. We passed the corral that was now full with Icelandic horses waiting for the tourists to finish at the river before riding back down the mountain. I'm not sure how safe I'd feel on a horse on the hiking trail. It was pretty narrow at times with a lot of loose rocks in several parts. I'll just stick to my own two feet, thanks. This horse was rolling around in the dirt.

 Haha!

 These horses are like hippies. How do they even see through all of that hair?!

Making our way down...not huffing and puffing quite as much this time around.

 We made room for the guided horse tours.

Giving us time for more selfies! So grateful we were all descending the mountain together.

 Where we've been.

 Where we're going.

 Jared with the backpack and Dad in his red swim trunks.

The sun came out and the clouds burned off. The sky was blue. It was gorgeous and dare I say it was...hot.

Mom brought her mosquito net which was SO smart!! The bugs flying around us on the way down were just awful!

We made it back to the beginning! It took us an hour and twenty-three minutes to descend the mountain. We were taking it slow for Dad's benefit, though he wasn't exactly holding us back. We did have to step aside and wait three or four times for horse riding tours, though. As has been the key for the entire trip, it was brilliant to be there first thing in the morning. Best travel tip ever!

On our way back to town, Dad pulled over so we could see the big pipeline that harnesses all the steam.

Like an idiot, I went up and put my hand on the pipe to lean on it and was immediately burned because duh! It was "piping hot"!! A picture of us for size reference.

Back on the road again. Reykjavik on the left horizon.

The outside of my parents' flat.

Their windows are the ones on the third floor. Their indoor garage, which is an extravagance for sure!

Another beautiful view of the harbor and a cruise ship.

One of the baby buggies parked in the apartment foyer.

An example of an intersection. They do drive on the right side of the road in this country like we do. The roads are kept pretty clear during a relatively small snowfall, but the heated roads do help some in that regard. There are lots of round-abouts (some are two-lanes) in Reykjavik. Interestingly enough, they don't have stop signs to speak of. The traffic lights always flash two colors at a time to let you know a change is coming. So if it's green about to turn yellow, it'll flash the green and yellow light together. Or if it's yellow about to turn red, it'll flash the yellow and red light together. Kind of cool, once you know what it means!

After we got home and changed and packed up for the most part, we went into Reykjavik to see more of the city. I'm always a sucker for lighthouses!

A cool viking ship sculpture.

It was super windy downtown.

A cool building that serves much like a civic center. The design also makes it look lopsided.

Some of the many different ships in the harbor.

A destroyer.

A big ship in dry dock.

A picture with Hallsgrimkirkja poking up in the middle of the horizon.

This one looks like it might be the Coast Guard.

A beautiful seaside view of Reykjavik.

We unexpectedly came upon this large mound covered in grass right smack in the industrial center of the city with what looked like a porta-potty perched at the very top. There was a very narrow path that wound around it leading to the top, so we gave it a whirl. But we made Mom try it first. Haha!

Once she deemed it safe, we joined her. There were a couple people coming down and trying to pass them was super tricky. A very delicate operation.You all but hugged the other party, stepping around them in order to get to the other side. 

We can now say we climbed the great grassy hill in downtown Reykjavik, which I have since learned is called "Thufa." In Google it says it's, "A spiral pathway that leads visitors up a small hill to this outdoor installation by artist Olof Norda." This view below is of me at the top, taking a picture looking down at the first part of the path that takes you to the bottom. 

This is the view of Reykjavik from the top of the hill. Not super different from the ground, but fun to see, nonetheless.

One of Jared's panoramic pictures.

When my mom reached the summit first, she called down to us, laughing, and said we were never going to believe what was in the wooden box. She asked us to guess and told us it's something nautical. The three of us waged our guesses (an anchor, a boat's wheel, a compass, etc.) but she was right. No one ever predicted or expected a rack of dead, dried up fish! Haha!! Thank goodness there was no stench! Of all things to memorialize in Reykjavik...

After we climbed down the hill, we set off for dinner. Hiking up a familiar road.

Passing a familiar water closet.

We all had a hankering for the unprecedented Fish and Chips at Uppsalir!! We had come full circle!! And the meal was even more heavenly and divine than on the first day we arrived. If that's even possible.

After dinner, we went for a drive, got some ice cream and then took the extra scenic route home including some off-roading courtesy of my mom. :) 

Simply gorgeous.

These people right here are ROCK STARS!! They gave me and Jared the trip of a lifetime! While we did all the things tourists do, we did *more* than any visitors could do with a tour group and guide and were blessed to experience many things only natives get to. I told my parents they should live in Iceland and become tour guides for small groups. They'd do a spectacular job! This week was truly unforgettable as my parents helped us make the most out of every minute. We love them to pieces and are so grateful for their immense generosity and hospitality.

10:56pm. Farewell, incredible Iceland--Land of Fire and Ice.