ACROSS COUNTRY FROM AKUREYRI TO HUSAVIK
The next port at which we touched was Akureyri in Eyjafjord, the place
from which we had started several weeks before to cross the island.
We arrived at about nine in the morning, and the vessel was timed to
stay there two days before departing for Husavik. I had formed the plan
that if we reached Akureyri in good time, I would make a two days' trip
across country to Husavik, and there pick up the steamer again. Fortune
favoured me, for on going on deck to get a boat to take me ashore,
where I intended to hunt up a guide and ponies, I came face to face
with Sigurthur, one of our guides on the Akureyri-Reykjavik journey.
Sigurthur had just come aboard to look for old friends. As he was
disengaged as a guide, a few minutes sufficed to arrange with him to
act as conductor, and to supply ponies, etc., for the journey, and in a
few more he was rowing back to the shore to make arrangements.
After breakfast I went ashore to purchase some provisions, etc., and an
hour or so after mid-day, all being ready, we started from the Hotel
Akureyri with four ponies: two were for riding, one was for the packs,
and there was a spare animal. We proceeded south along the shore of the
fjord for about a mile, and then, as the tide was low, we struck off at
right angles straight through the water, by that means saving about an
hour and a half that would have been required to round the head of the
fjord. The distance across was something between a mile and a half and
two miles; the water was rather deep in the channels cut by the current
from the river, and in one the water reached to the saddle-flaps; but I
escaped a wetting by balancing myself on the saddle, with feet tucked
up.
[Illustration]
On the eastern side of Eyjafjord we ascended the steep side of
Vathlaheithi by a long gradually-sloping path to the top, whence we
looked down upon Oddeyri, the suburb of Akureyri, whose formation has
already been noted. A good view up the valley of the Eyjafjorthará
was also obtained, showing the deltaic formation of the river where
it enters the head of the fjord. From the top of Vathlaheithi there
is a sharp descent by a zigzag road to the valley of the Fjnoská, an
excellent specimen of a meandering river, on each side of which there
are fine river-terraces. After crossing the river and ascending the
terraces, we struck into Ljosavatnskarth. On the south side of this
valley I came across a good example of various forms due to erosion.
Below the upper lava flows there were some alluvial fans, and below
that, cones and river-terraces. Just beyond, we passed along the
northern shore of Ljosavatn, and proceeded to the farm-house of the
same name, about a mile farther on, where we put up for the night.
When coming along the valley I learned the cause of what had sometimes
struck me as strange. Towards evening I had often heard children
uttering peculiar cries away up valley slopes, and I had imagined
that they were calling to one another, but the real reason had never
suggested itself to me: by their cries they were directing the dogs to
"round up" and drive the milking-sheep to the farm-houses. Towards the
end of the summer the sheep recognise the cries, and congregate without
much rounding up by the dogs.
Next day was an interesting one, and we had fifteen hours in the
saddle. Starting at eight in the morning, we did not get through to
Husavik till eleven at night. The first point of interest on the
day's journey was the Gothafoss, a fine waterfall on the river
Skjalfandafljot, which we reached after proceeding a few miles across
some broken lava that was partially covered by a deposit of clayey
matter. The fall is split into two main divisions by a hard dyke, and
it is probable that the rock on each side of it has different degrees
of hardness also, for the water flows over at different levels. The
central mass itself has a depression in it, and a narrow stream of
water runs through it at much the same level as the higher of the two
big divisions. There is another fall a few hundred yards lower down
the river, but it is not so impressive, and the height is only about
one-fourth that of the other. Just below the second fall, the river
is spanned by a bridge--a light wood and iron structure supported on
strong pillars built up from the lava beneath. A few hundred yards
below the bridge there is a remarkably good example of river erosion:
the river has split at a hard dyke, which stands in the middle of the
stream resisting the rush of the water.
From the bridge we made the gradual ascent to Fljotsheithi, which
we crossed, and then descended into Reykjadalr to the farm-house
of Einarstathir. In a way, this day's journey was one of the most
annoying and tantalising of all I spent in Iceland. Gun I had not, nor
ammunition; but I could have counted grouse by the thousand, ducks by
hundreds, and golden plover by tens! I could almost have wept had there
been time. I did not say very much--if I had, the tears would have
been apparent in my voice; but--I thought just about as deeply as the
sailor's parrot did. Fljotsheithi, over which we had just come, had
been alive with grouse! Just think of it--thousands of grouse, and--no
gun! From Einarsthathir we followed down the river Reykjadalsá to
Helgastathir, crossed it just beyond, and continued down stream, past
a number of lakes, the chief of which is known as Vestmannsvatn. The
Reykjadalsá flows through these lakes; but from Vestmannsvatn to its
confluence with the Laxá it is known as Eyvindarlaekur.
Just beyond Muli, which we left on our right, we got upon lava again,
and came to the Laxá, which we crossed three times in the course of
the day. We made the first crossing at the spot where we first touched
it, and it proved to be the widest and deepest fording-place in all
the rivers I crossed in Iceland. It was nearly half a mile wide, and I
entered without thinking it was very deep; but soon I found otherwise,
for the water often reached nearly to the level of my knees. I was very
anxious to get across with dry feet, for it was comparatively early in
the day, and I knew that we had a long journey before us. I had once
suffered from the discomfort of getting my boots filled with water and
having to ride for a considerable distance without change, so did not
wish to repeat the experience. By tucking up my legs upon the saddle,
and balancing somehow, I did get over with dry feet, but my legs were
fearfully cramped on reaching the other side. My pony, however, did his
best to give me a complete cold bath, for he stumbled and went down on
his knees in one of the deepest spots; but I did not lose my balance,
and I succeeded in pulling him up without getting more than just a few
drops of water in one boot. On we went over lava beside the Laxá for
awhile, but the river had to be recrossed a short distance from Nes, a
farm-house at which we pulled up for lunch. Here we arranged for fresh
ponies to take us to a very fine lava-field a few miles to the north,
and induced the farmer to act as guide.
[Illustration: LAVA PILLARS NEAR NES.]
In the lava-field there were many examples of circular vents, through
which lava had spurted in times of volcanic activity. These vents were
rounded lava excrescences and circular pillars, all of which were
hollow inside. They were of somewhat similar formation to two I saw in
Vestri-Skarthsheithi on the western side of Iceland, of which I took
a photograph. The vegetation hereabouts is that common in decomposing
lava, and is chiefly birch scrub. There was an opening in the side
of one of the largest vents, through which I was able to crawl with
my camera; unfortunately, I misjudged the light, so the negative
was much under-exposed, and the view of the interior a complete
failure. The country about Nes is dotted over with cones covered with
cindery-looking scoria, and having small central depressions; there are
hundreds of them, and all around they stick up above the general level
of the country. All these cones threw up more or less lava or cindery
matter when volcanic activity was in progress.
[Illustration: UXAHVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.]
On our return to Nes we were met by the farmer's wife, who informed
us that during our absence _our_ ponies had got away and were then
missing! There was a pretty mess! What were we to do? Abandon them, and
go on with the farmer's ponies seemed to be our only resource! Time
was pressing and precious, for the light was failing, and to see the
Uxahver geysers was one of the objects of my expedition, and--we were
still two hours distant from the geysers! While we were discussing
the matter, we were overjoyed to see the ponies suddenly come up from
between some of the farm outbuildings, followed by the farmer's son,
who had been in search of them. We did not waste time then, but saddled
up and away; but in less than a quarter of a mile we were brought to
a standstill by the river Laxá, at a spot where we were to be ferried
over. Of course the ferry-boat was not _there_; it was some distance
up the river, and had to be sent for. On its arrival, however, there
was no further delay, for we crossed at once, and the ponies followed
by swimming the river. After saddling up again we set off for Uxahver,
taking with us the farmer's son to show the shortest and quickest way
to the geysers. We crossed Hvamsheithi and forded the Reykjavisl and
a smaller branch stream on the way to Reykir farm-house. On arrival
there we saw a quantity of steam rising from several places up the
valley, so we hastened towards the desired goal. A stream of hot water
runs down the valley from the geysers, which are continually ejecting
large volumes of it: the stream's course is indicated by the light
clouds of steam that rise from it. We reached the geysers at last, at
about seven o'clock, in a bad and failing light. I proceeded at once
to the chief of the geysers, Uxahver, and got to work with my camera.
Uxahver very obligingly made one or two of its best efforts, and I was
fortunate to snap once or twice at the right moment. I also took a shot
at it when quiescent, with good result. The next geyser of importance,
Bathstovukver, also gave an excellent display that I took advantage
of, and the resultant picture gives a better idea of a small geyser in
eruption than any of the others.
[Illustration: BATHSTOVUKVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.]
When I had finished my shots at the geysers, Sigurthur informed me
that we were then only about three hours distant from Husavik, where
I had to pick up the steamer the next morning. It was not quite eight
o'clock, and the ponies seemed to be comparatively fresh after their
rest in the middle of the day; so I thought it would be better, and
Sigurthur agreed, to push on to Husavik, instead of staying at Reykir
till the morning as we had originally intended when uncertain about
procuring change ponies for part of the day's work. This arrangement
would enable me to get on board without delay, if the weather should
prove bad enough in the morning to prevent the _Vesta_ from staying
to take in cargo. At Husavik there is an open roadstead, and in stormy
weather vessels do not remain long; sometimes they pass without calling
at all. We _did_ push on, and the farther we went the fresher the
ponies seemed to get, until during the last hour they raced along
at their best pace, evidently knowing their way and where they were
going. The night was dark--_I_ could not see the track, so I simply
sat tight and let my pony go, without attempting to steer, trusting
to him to make the best of the way; this he did at top speed without
a single stumble the whole way--a feat that he had not accomplished
in broad daylight. We arrived at the hotel at Husavik just at eleven
o'clock, after fifteen hours in the saddle. In the earlier part of the
day, Sigurthur had several times hinted that what I wanted to do could
not be done in the time at our disposal; but I intended to try. So it
happened that, with the aid of extra ponies and guides, and by dint of
impressing Sigurthur with my determination, he gradually came round to
the same view, and at last expressed agreement that it _might_ be done
if things went smoothly; from that time he made no further suggestion
as to the desirableness of "cutting" some part of the journey, and we
got through it all successfully.
I found the accommodation at the hotel quite good, and at breakfast
an excellent meal was served. One of the dishes was "whale"--a thick
gelatine kind of stuff, cut from the fin of the whale. I took a small
piece and found it almost tasteless.
I have omitted previously to note that _skyr_ is one of the articles
of food served at all the farm-houses. It is a kind of clotted cream,
eaten with powdered sugar, and milk or ordinary cream poured over it.
At the hotel at Husavik the _skyr_ was of the best quality, as indeed
it was at most of the farms, though sometimes it had a distinctly
peaty flavour that was due to the nature of the surrounding country.
Another article of food in general use, which we obtained from time to
time from the farm-houses, is a sort of flat pancake introduced by the
Danes. It is of a very leathery nature, and we used to tear off pieces
as we wanted it, though more often one took a piece of the stuff and
offering a corner to another the two would pull it apart. In spite of
its leathery qualities, when eaten with butter and jam, and with good
appetite as sauce, it is not so bad!