Andy Cahn
In August, I joined 11 other Mountaineers for a Global Adventure tour that included two, four-day wilderness treks in eastern Iceland. The first trek, the Viknaslóðir trail, traversed the eastern fjords. You can read more about Part 1 of the trip here.
To prepare for the second half of our Iceland trek, we returned to Egilsstadir and replenished our supplies. Then we headed to the lodge at Laugarfell.
From the lodge, a five mile trail takes you past ten waterfalls. The closest waterfall is just a few hundred feet from one of Laugarfell’s outbuildings. The snow-capped mountain disappearing in the fog is Snæffel Mountain, which means snow mountain in Icelandic. At 6,014 feet, Snæffel is the fourth tallest mountain in Iceland.
After enjoying our afternoon waterfall stroll, we relaxed in the lodge’s "hotpot" (the Icelandic term for natural hot springs) before dinner.
The next day, we started our second four-day trek; this one is called the Lónsöræfi trail. It skirts the eastern edge of the Vatnojökull icefield, the largest icefield in Western Europe. It is 3,000 square miles in size and covers 10% of the country.
We soon learned that the winds descending off the icefields are strong, cold, and dry. Here we are at the trailhead, hamming it up a bit while we hold on to prevent being blown away.
Notice that the terrain is very barren; few plants can survive the desiccating winds. 
Occasionally, we had to cross streams. We were assured that doing so builds character.
A view of the the edge of the icefield, with our hut on the left.
The winds were so strong that boulders are used to hold storage sheds, the hut, and the outhouse in place.
The huts are small, simple, and cozy. They have neither electricity nor running water, but they provide welcome relief from the wind, rain, and cold. Here’s a typical sleeping quarter.
All of the huts have small kitchens with a small propane stove. 
Despite the limitations of the kitchens, Arnaud always created impressive appetizers.
That night, a lenticular column blazed in the sunset.
On the second day, we hiked up to the edge of the icefield.
Like almost all glaciers worldwide, this icefield is shrinking rapidly. Walking past the towering rock cliffs scoured by the glaciers, we couldn't help but imagine how much more dramatic the scene looked when the ice was thousands of feet thicker, and how diminished the view will be in a few short years. 
On the third day, we descended down from the icefield along the edge of an extremely long, deep, and colorful canyon. Unfortunately, fog obscured much of the view. Nonetheless, these pictures capture a sense of how picturesque the hike was. 
In the afternoon, several of us hiked to a nearby waterfall.
At the end of the day, we needed to descend a steep slope. Fortunately, a series of fixed handlines kept us safe.
On our final day, we hiked down out of the mountains. 
Our first view of the sea, and the end of our amazing trek. 
We were met at the trailhead by two enormous super jeeps. We soon learned why the wheels were so large and the chassis so high.
In order to get back to the highway, we needed to ford a wide river. 
Our day, and our trip, ended with a wonderful farewell dinner. In addition to many new friendships, we toasted an 80th birthday, a 60th birthday, and a major work promotion. 
