Glymur, Jun 18th

This hike was near the top of my to-do list for a good reason and it didn’t disappoint. If for nothing else, Glymur is the second tallest waterfall in Iceland dropping its waters 650 feet into a deep narrow canyon. The hike starts traversing some flat land heading out into a canyon you can barely see in the distance. It almost makes you think twice if you are in the right place and how tall this waterfall really is. The trail doesn’t disappoint though. Right from the start you pass fields of Lupine up to where the eye can see. Not only the filed was covered in them but they were just enormous.

After a short climb and passing a small ridge, the views of the canyon finally open in front of you and a tiny waterfall appears far in the distance. From this vantage point it was hard to even guess where the trail might be

A short descend ends up at the entrance of a cave that make you feel you are passing into another dimension. The cave itself is not too big but from the entrance you can’t see the other end as it’s below and the angle doesn’t let you until you step in. Inside, the cave splits even though both routes go out to a staircase that finally brings you down to river level.

Then the fun begins. A painted rock indicates the route to Glymur… across the river where a wire hangs tight and a log only covers half of it. Here you have the choice of getting your shoes wet or just taking them off to cross. Since I believe that the best waterproofing for your shoes is not to get them in the water in the first place, I opted for the second choice. Two words: cold water!

From there, the trail pretty much skirts the canyon all the way to the top of the waterfall. In some places you feel safe and some others not so much. This trail is not for those afraid of heights or loose footing. Along the route, there are several rock outcroppings that let you peak into the canyon and the waterfall ahead which you can never see in full. Aside from the mist and spray that covers the bottom of the canyon, hundreds of birds fly from side to side giving you a better idea of how narrow and deep the canyon is.

Towards the top, the canyon gets so narrow and vertical that the trail must go behind to avoid the cliffs. From that angle you finally realize there’s a main waterfall which you see for almost the entire hike and two other smaller drops on the side.

After a short while you finally hit the highest point at a rock outcrop above the top of the waterfall. From there, you can only see the first few feet before the water just disappears into the canyon. Far down, a little blue line only hints at how high the canyon is. The whole area is wet with spray which makes it slippery and hard to navigate, especially when you know there quite the drop on one side.

Once there, I got presented two options to return. One was following my steps back the way I came and the other was going down on a trail on the other side of the canyon. I wanted the second option as it would give me a different perspective and it was a different trail altogether. Besides, I do prefer loop hikes that out and back routes. The only caveat was I needed to get to the other side of the river. Again. The trail takes you to the crossing point where the river is wide and shallow. The thing is you must be committed as the water if really cold and you can lose sense on your toes quickly. So, shoes came out again and off I went across. Did I mention cold water?

From the other side, you first get a view of the top of the waterfall but nothing else. It was quite impressive to se the cliffs and little people standing on the top

The trail then descends quickly and away from the canyon as the walls on this side are not vertical. Getting closer to the edge could mean sliding and tumbling down below the edge down to the canyon. Still, I found one stop with a view of the trail I used to go up on the other side.

Finally, I got back to the lupine fields and the cave that would take me back to the real world I guess

You can see the rest of the pictures here