Raving Ravens

Alert for Seismic Activity in Hekla Volcano

The police in Hvolsvöllur has issued an alert advicing hikers and travellers to stay off Hekla volcano because of unusual seismic activity. That does not have to mean a volcanic eruption, but it increases the changes of it. 

Volcanic eruptions in Hekla volcano are common and usually "tourist friendly" meaning they do not pose any danger to flights, travellers nor homes near the mountain. 

Here is the alert from the police:

The National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police (NCIP) and the Police commissioner at Hvolfsvöllur declare an uncertainty phace (lowest level of warning), because of seismic activity in mount Hekla.

The Icelandic Met Office has informed the Civil Protection and Emergency Management of NCIP about unusual seismic activity in mount Hekla. The Icelandic Met Office has raised the ICAO aviation color code to yellow concerning air traffic, which means that mount Hekla is showing an unusual activity.

Uncertainty phace means that supervision has been raised on that course of events that may threaten public health and safety, or that environment or inhabited area may be threatened. To declare an uncertainty phace is a part of work process in the setup of public safety to secure a formal communication between response teams and to secure dissemination of information.

In light of all of this the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police and the Police commissioner at Hvolfsvöllur would warn people from hiking on mount Hekla while this uncertainty phace is in force.

 

Hjörtur

Arnarfjörður - My Happy Place!

 This post is inspired by today's FriFotos theme on twitter, Happy Place.

 

Standing by a Viking grave overlooking the Arnarfjörður fjord in the west fjords of Iceland, my happy place!

The first years of my life I lived in less then optimal conditions in downtown Reykjavik with my mom. There was drug abuse and alcohol. When I was six years old, my mother was offered a summer job in fishing village in the Westfjords, in the town of Bildudalur located in the beautiful Arnarfjörður - Eagle fjord. 

It was a complete change in my life in many ways. Not only was it the change my mom needed to wake up and quit using drugs and alcohol, I was also entering a fascinating fjord with beautiful mountains and white beaches, charming old houses and tales of adventure, Vikings and sea monsters.

 

Enjoying a swim in a pool that just like pops up by the road, filled with warm water from a hot spring just a few meters away, with the midnight sun in the mouth of the fjord. The perfect way to end the day.

 

I loved growing up there with the freedom of exploring the fjord, riding my bicycle 20 km in fjord to be able to swim in a geothermal swimming pool that just is there for anyone to enjoy, or ride my bike 8 km in the other direction to run on the white sandy beach and swim in the freezing ocean. Every fall I would run the mountains herding sheep and even after I went away at the age of 15 I'd come back for the sheep.

 

 

The home of the free!

For a few years I didn't come back, I was busy with work, family and university in Reykjavik. After I moved to charming, but very flat Denmark I started to crave for the mountains, the smell of arctit timian and blueberries, the fresh sea breeze and the freedom of being in the middle of no-mans land. I tried to get to Iceland and hike in the Westfjords once every year.

After I moved back to Iceland I worked on started a hiking festival, offering a week of guided hikes mixed up with cultural events, plays, poetry, food and fairytales, all for free. It never became big, but very much appreciated by all those participated. And I got to know the environment in a new way digging deeper into the stories of Vikings, sea monsters, witch trials and strange people who had lived in the area.

The sand beach in Hvesta, Arnarfjörður.

 

For one thousand years there have been stories about the Vikings that lived there, fought there and died there. Stories of where they fought and where they were buried. Archeological finds have been confirming the stories that were thought to be myth and folklore. Research have even shown that the wildlife in the see in the fjord is unique, with species that are only found in the fjord. And a sea monster institute has been opened. Those stories aren't just fairytales...

 

Yes, this is a real sign by the road!

 

This is a place of amazing natural beauty, rich history and fascinating mythology. This is my happy place!

Hjörtur

 

ps. Someone wrote "Happiness is only real when shared", so I share. This summer I'm planning a 4 day Viking hike, sailing around the fjord in a Viking ship exploring the amazing stories of Vikings and sea monsters, magic and mythology. Wan't to know more? Stay tuned!

 

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The Adventures of 2011

It has been an adventurous year. It's been a tough year fighting the consquences of the recession, illness and a death in the family, but it has also included many exciting trips and projects. This year I have travelled to the north, west and east of Iceland, and to the south and west coast of Greenland. I have even travelled to a fictive world beyond the Wall. That is one journey I can not tell you about. Not yet at least. 

Here are a few pictures from my adventures in 2011:

Akureyri theater in the snow.

The first trip of the year was to Akureyri where I was running a course in the use of social media for the travel industry. To my luck, I got a blizzard and the heaviest snow day for years in Akureyri. What a beautiful, beautiful town.

Akureyri harbour in the blizzard. Seen from Hof culture center over to Akureyri church in the distance.

 

Greenland - Vikings

In the spring I went to the Viking trails in Greenland organized by Greenland Sagalands. Exploring some of the remains like these church ruins in Hvalsey. The last thing heard from the Vikings in Greenland is a wedding that took place in this church September 14th 1408. Since then, noone has heard anything from the thousands of people that lived in Greenland, and noone knows what happened to them. 

There are no roads in Greenland. It is a huge country with just steep cliffs and glaciers, so it's no place for roads. To travel you have to use boats, dog slegdes or helicopters. Above is an iceberg with a giant polar bear and her cub that I saw while sailing from Narsaq to Qaqortoq in Greenland. 

This is the world's oldest operating Sikorsky helicopter which was my transport from Qaqortoq to Narsarsuaq.

Greenland - Nuuk

My explorations in Greenland continued and next destination was Nuuk, the capital of this amazing country. Though it is only a town of about 15.000 people, this is where you find most service in Greenland, including the only swimmingpool, the only cinema etc. 

And I highly recommend a trip to the National museum where you can look at 600 year old mummies found buried in the tundra in North Greenland, and some interesting clothing like this seal skin thong below. 

The Westfjords

 The Westfjords are a must every summer. Chosen one of the top areas to visit by Lonely Planet last year it is a truly authentic place with mountains, fjords and small fishing villages. The picture above is from the main square in Isafjordur, the biggest town in the Westfjords.

On the fjords you can find interesting things, like this Viking ship in Dyrafjordur (above) and sea monsters in Arnarfjordur (below). 

In Greenland I met a Canadian film maker and we've now started a new adventure. The quest for the first Viking grave in America. The plan is to make a documentary about the search if we manage to get it financed. We started some demo shots and the picture above is from such shootings in Arnarfjordur, over looking the fjord from a legendary Viking grave at the top of a mountain there. Who knows where this adventure may lead in the new year :)

In the summer 2012 I plan to offer Viking trips around the legendary Viking locations in Arnarfjordur in the West fjords. So stayed tuned for more info on that.

A truly unique opportunity came in November when I got offered a role as an extra in HBO's TV series Game of Thrones, which was partly shot in Iceland. It ended up being shooting for almost three weeks in various locations in the mountains and glaciers of Iceland, creating the legendary land beyond the wall. I'm not allowed to give any details or show any pictures from this adventure, so you'll just have to watch the show when it airs in April and see if you recognize me ;)

Cold Wind Tease

 

I thank everyone who made my adventures possibly in 2011 and look forward to some more amazing adventures in 2012.

Happy adventurous 2012!

Hjörtur

 

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Made in Iceland - A young girl exploring the wilderness of Iceland

Klara Harden has posted a fascinating video on Vimeo where she gives us a glimpse in her wanderings around the wilderness of Iceland. Hiking on her own in the magnificent Icelandic landscape she documents it with her video camera, both the good moments and the bad. 

 

It's worth watching till the end! Thank you Klara for sharing your adventure in Iceland with us.

Hjörtur

You can see more from Klara on Facebook, Flickr and Vimeo.

Crossing Iceland by Foot and Raft

This is an inspiring video from two adventurers, Alastair Humphreys and Christopher Herwig, who crossed Iceland in the summer of 2010 by foot and raft. Starting in Akureyri, the capital of North Iceland they walked from north to south crossing deserts, glaciers, hot pools and ice cold rivers - and the infamous Eyjafjallajokull volcano. 

 

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Here's their 25 day adventure in a 10 minute video:

Iceland Crossing (10 mins) from Christopher Herwig on Vimeo.

 

Hjörtur Smárason

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The Westfjords on Lonely Planet's top 10 list of regions to visit

 

Lonely Planet just announced the publication of their book Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2011. In the book they high light the most attractive places to visit in the year 2011 ranking the top 10 in three categories, top 10 countries, top 10 regions and top 10 cities. 

The Westfjords peninsula in Iceland made it to the Lonely Planet list for the top 10 regions to visit, something which makes me very happy to see as I am raised there and always feel at home when I get to the great unspoiled Westfjords. Here's how Lonely Planet describes the Westfjords in their book:

"Anyone lucky enough to visit Iceland comes back goggle-eyed and open-jawed with tales of an untamed island of volcanoes (yes, including that volcano), waterfalls and unrivalled natural scenery. Unsurprisingly, routes out of Reykjavík and the circuit of the island are well-trodden, especially in summer months. But there is another Iceland:a quiet whisper about a secret and overlooked corner of the country is becoming a clamour that this year might be too hard to ignore. The place is the Westfjords, that oddly shaped peninsula only just connected to the rest of Iceland by a narrow isthmus of land. It’s as isolated as it is spectacular."

(you can read their whole top 10 list of regions to visit in 2011 here)

If you're wondering which part of Iceland the Westfjords are, it is the head if you look at Iceland as a lying dog - or maybe rather lying sheep ;). The Westfjords are a must for me to visit every year and for the last 5 years I've been organizing a hiking festival in the area which includes a mixture of hikes and outdoor cultural events. I grew up in Bildudalur in Arnarfjordur and in Patreksfjordur so the south part of the Westfjords region is my home region and has been the scenery for Svartfuglinn (The Black Bird), the hiking festival. Below you can see some images from the fantastic isolated hiking routes we take with eagles and falcons, puffins and sea birds, the Latrabjarg bird cliff, Selardalur's deserted art museum, lonely outdoor pools in the wild and stunning nature. Enjoy the show :o)

 

If you'd like to explore this area yourself you can contact me or my friends at Umfar for organizing and guided tours. 

Hjörtur Smárason

 

ps. You can find more articles about the Westfjords under the Westfjords category, including articles about the Látrabjarg bird cliff, route 66 in Iceland, and more.

Remember to like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter for new updates, pictures and stories from the North :o)

Live Every Day as an Adventure

Live every day as an adventure - Light your torch - Enter the cave - And fight the dragon
The beautiful princess is awaiting 

I try to live every day as an adventure, taking on the challenges of the day, fighting dragons and searching for priceless moments. Some fights I get to pick, others I have to fight whether I like it or not. This winter has been hard with many battles to fight, tough economy, ending in hospital four times, twice with a punctured lung, once with kidney stones and once with a broken collar bone. Those were dragons I didn't pick but had to fight anyway - and it's no fun and takes its toll on my energy and enthusiasm. But they are all part of the adventure we call life!

Then there are other challenges I chose to take on, challenges I know I can beat and enjoy fighting. Challenges that actually reload my batteries and fill me with joy and enthusiasm. Some are work related, others are more personal. 

 

My favorite adventures of choice are my travels. Most often with my wife and 5 kids but also on my own. One of those adventures has been Svartfuglinn, a hiking festival I started in 2006 in the area where I grew up, in the Westfjords. For four years I've gone back "home" and organized a 4-5 day hiking festival with guided hikes, outdoor theaters, story telling, poetry and local food - all for free! This has been a lot of fun with great people participating and a lot of people helping make this happen.

The scenery in those trips is fantastic including untouched fjords, magnificent waterfalls, historical ruins and Europes largest bird cliff Látrabjarg. After a long hike there's not much that beats ending the day with a relaxing night in one of the open outdoor pools that can be found in the middle of nowhere, lit up by the midnight sun (my background image on twitter is from one of those - at midnight).

I created a video made from some of the pictures I have taken during these four festivals:

 

 

Today I'm heading on one of those adventures, starting with the drive from Reykjavik to Patreksfjordur. I'm planning to make one detour on the way, exploring the Icelandic route 66. It's a little bit different then the legendary one crossing America, as you may have imagined :)

Tomorrow I'm challenging myself. One of my favorite hikes has been from Talknafjordur over to Selardalur in Arnarfjordur. Selárdalur is a magical place with stories of magic and witchcraft, seamonsters and amazing characters. You may recognize this place Selárdalur from SigurRós's movie Heima:

 

 

In the 17th century Selárdalur was ruled by a powerful priest who laid a road for his cows over the mountian. That road is the best ancient road I have come across in Iceland and tomorrow I'm going to be the first one to go that route on a mountain bike. It will be a challenge and may take a while, but I really look forward to it. If it will be a successful trip, I'm thinking about offering guided mountain bike tours following this route. On Tuesday I'll be taking "passengers" and guide a hike over the mountain.

This time, it is not a part of the Svartfuglinn hiking festival which isn't until the last weekend in July. This year me and a few other guides from the area started a new adventure - a company offering guided hikes in the area all summer long - but sorry, we can not do it for free anymore. This is the first summer we attempt that and hopefully that will be something we can continue for years to come. 

I'll be telling you more about these adventures in the coming days :)

Cheers
Hjörtur

ps. Oh, and on another adventure. We're on a treasure hunt, trying to win 365 hotel nights from Radisson Blu worldwide so that we can take our 5 little elves on a real road trip. You can help us get there by voting for us. Out of more than 5.000 contestants, we're in 15th place. You can vote here: http://bit.ly/5elves and you can join our support group on Facebook here: bit.ly/aRa5nG  Thanks :)

Iceland Welcomes Aliens

Iceland has been running a campaign called inspired by Iceland to encourage people to keep on coming to Iceland, showing them there's nothing to fear. A lot of people have been giving a hand in the campaign including some world famous actors like Viggo Mortensen and Eli Roth: 

Eli Roth is inspired by Iceland from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.

And that's not all. A group of artists has organized a gathering at the magical Snæfellsjokull volcano next Friday night to help promote Iceland and attract new visitors. There target group is however somewhat more ambitious than of the official inspired by iceland campaign. They are sending a message to outer space trying to attract ... yes, you guessed it ... aliens!

 On June 18th the group led by artist Rosa Sigrun Jonsdottir, who will be the main communicator of the welcome committee, will place transmitters on "scientifically" chosen spots to broadcast the signal. 

"The message we will be sending out to space will be peaceful and we just hope the aliens aren't hostile, because then we'll be worse off than if we'd just have stayed home." says Rosa Sigrun. 

No weapons will be brought to Snæfellsjokull but the aliens will be greeted with Icelandic hospitality. 

"Hikers are encouraged to pack excessive lunch so they can feed the aliens, but I think Icelandic hospitality will be the best way to go if they show up." says Rosa Sigrun.

If they'll be successful, it will be interesting to see if the next tourist boom in Iceland will be from outer space. Hopefully the aliens are big spenders and will be inspired by Iceland. We'll keep you posted.

For those who want to participate in the summer solstice hike and enjoy the spectacular view and the midnight sun from the top, departure will be from Mörkin in Reykjavik at 5pm, Friday June 18th.

Sunset over Snaefellsjokull by sigurjons

Hjörtur

(via Pressan)

The Birds in Látrabjarg

Látrabjarg seen from Ölduskarð, across Rauðisandur.

From Patreksfjordur, a town I lived in as a teenager, lies a winding, bumpy gravel road, dug into steep hills and cliffs demanding 100% attention from the driver - or you might be dead. At the end of this rough rural road is a magnificent place - Europe's most western point, a cliff 14 kilometer long and rising up to 441 meter straight from the sea - Látrabjarg!

A horrific accident happened there last Wednesday when a German tourist who was photographing birds in Latrabjarg fell 140 meters to his death. An accident like that has been waiting to happen as this is a popular destination, specially for bird watchers and photographers, but it's an unprotected cliff. There are no fences or closed areas, it's just untouched nature with all the wonders and dangers that follow. There is no staff and there are not even warning signs. Not that it shouldn't be obvious that it is a dangerous place. Watching the wonderful birds through a camera can make you lose sense for the dangers around you. I don't know exactly how the accident happened last Wednesday, except I know he was photographing the birds. I send my condolences to the family of the man who died.

The Birds
So, what is it that is so fascinating that it draws people all this way - to the end of the world? Are the birds any different there? 

A friendly puffin at Látrabjarg 

"Látrabjarg is claimed to be the best place in the world to photograph puffins! I have no idea if that statement is true since I have never visited a puffin colony outside Iceland. It is a statement made by a tour leader, and expert nature photographer, whom I met at Látrabjarg a few summers ago. He told me he had been to all the best puffin colonies in the world and this one (Látrabjarg) was simply the best." (Daniel Bergmann - National Geographic)

The puffin is an iconic bird for Iceland, known for its colourful nose and friendly attitude, which makes it the perfect photo model. It even has fan clubs around the world. There are not many places where you can get as close to the puffin as in Látrabjarg, but if you're not careful, you might even step on them, they are that unafraid of the humans. 

Razorbill sitting on a rock in Látrabjarg.

Razorbill (Alca torda) is another species that can be found in Látrabjarg. The razorbill is the last living bird of the prehistoric Alca family and almost every other razorbill bird that exists in the world nests in Látrabjarg. It's a beautiful bird with a "sporty design".

A group of Thick-billed Murre in Látrabjarg.

The Brünnich Guillemot (Thick-billed Murre) is another of the iconic black birds in the Latrabjarg bird cliff. This is an arctic bird and Látrabjarg is one of the most southern point it nests in and makes Látrabjarg therefore a must for any serious bird watcher. Though the road is bad, there are not many other places with roads at all, where you can find the Brünnich Guillemot. 

Among other birds that you can find at Látrabjarg or in the neighbourhood are:

An arctic tern attacks as a man looks at the off-spring. Near Látrabjarg.

The Arctic Tern - an amazing little bird with great flying skills. It's fantastic to watch it fly, stand still in mid air and dive for attacks. This tiny little bird crosses the world twice a year, flying longer distances than any other bird. 

A white tailed eagle who flew up just a few feet away from us in Ölduskarð, just east of Látrabjarg.

The nearly extinct White-tailed Eagle nests in Breidafjordur, the wide fjord between Látrabjarg and Snæfellsnes. It is generally not seen on the bird cliff it self, but can be seen on the way there or in the area. The picture above is taken just minutes after the top picture, but as we came to the edge of the cliff it suddenly flew up - and man, it was huge! I wasn't ready with the camera so it got this far before I got a shot of it. I did get some fantastic close ups of the white tailed eagle in South-Greenland last summer though and will post them later. 

You will also be able to find a number of seagulls, ravens and other common Icelandic birds in and around Látrabjarg. The Látrabjarg bird cliff is a must-stop for bird watchers coming to Iceland along with places like the amazing Mývatn for some unique bird watching opportunities. 

Látrabjarg is on my home territory but I grew up in the area. My mom even got married standing on the edge of the cliff. I've been running a hiking festival in the area for the last four years and now me and a few other guides are running a company offering guided hikes to Látrabjarg as well as several ancient routes in the area all summer long. The pictures above are all mine and taken on those trips.

Hjörtur

ps. if there's anything you'd like to know about Látrabjarg or the birds there, feel free to post your question in the comments below.