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Another day on the farm; another hardy breakfast. We have been told that today we will be moving a herd of horses to Thorsmork. At this point, I'm thinking they are going to have us take a few horses a mile down the road and then say there, now you are Icelandic cowboys. You know; the same typical tourist thing they do to tourists everywhere else. Well, was I wrong! It turns out we are moving about thirty to forty horses including some young unbroken horses from Skalakot to Thorsmork which is 32 miles away! The day starts out nice but cool. We decide it is best to wear our heavy coats just in case it stays cold.
I wore my North Face coat which is wind and rain proof and this proved to be an excellent decision and perhaps even then not enough protection. The weather took a turn and before we knew it, we are dealing with strong winds and heavy rain. Nobody thought it would rain so we didn’t bring the raingear they provide. A mistake not to be repeated!
We were given instructions on how to ride with the herd and assigned our positions. Some of us will ride in the front and the rest in the back. We were specifically told not to ride in the middle of the herd. This trek is fun but serious work. I had the great fortune of working the rear of the herd most of the time, which I think was the more exciting place to be. Part of the ride, we had the horses walking down the middle of the highway and traffic had to stop to let us through since the horses took up the highway and decided they had the right of way. You could tell the locals from tourists right away. The locals just sat in their cars waiting for us to get out of the way while the tourists got out and took tons of pictures. If you happen to be looking up Iceland on the Internet and find pictures of this goofy guy in a red coat smiling ear to ear, chances are that might be me! Check out the rest of the folks in the group and all you’ll see are huge smiles! Now I know what stars feel like with the paparazzi following them around taking pictures constantly.
We really did work because some horses wanted to take off in different directions and we would have to take off after them, head them off, and get them to rejoin the herd. This was all at a pretty fast pace that we rode. Along the way, we stopped four times to change horses so our horses could get a rest. This ground is tough going and very rocky. At our lunch stop we unsaddled the horses and let them loose to graze near us on the side of the highway while we enjoyed our lunch. We had to take a pink surveyors tape and stand around to make a human paddock while we changed horses and to let a group herding horses the opposite direction by. If we hadn’t, all our horses would have gotten mixed up and it would have been hard to get our groups straight again. It’s also necessary so the guides can get the horses we are going to ride. Arnold said his horses would have had no respect for a makeshift string paddock and would have just gone under it. I guess these horses are just extra mellow that way.
Along the way, we went past this awesome huge waterfall. Arnold told us they used to take the horses there and stop to see the waterfall. He said you can walk behind the waterfall if you want. Well, no more because now it has become a tourist attraction and the place is littered with cars and people that just make it too hard to do with horses. We are going to see even bigger waterfalls later so no big deal.
We had a few water crossings along the way and the horses just trudged across with no problem. The embankments we had to go down and up from were a little scary especially for a guy with my limited experience. Going down you have to lean back and make sure to lean forward before the horse starts up the other side or a back flipping you will go. One embankment we had to go across, my horse decided he would take a steeper route. Knowing this was trouble for me, I fought him to get him to turn back before we went down the embankment. This took a minute or two and I got left back a ways from the group. I chose a better crossing and made it to the other side. This of course afforded me the opportunity for a canter to catch up. That was fun so I decided that getting left behind was not a bad thing at all. One other embankment, I did not think through and was not prepared when my horse went down one side. I was not leaning back and before I knew it, I was wide eyed looking straight down at the ground over the horse’s head. I thought for sure I was going down but my horse immediately started up the other side and I recovered, barely!
After the third stop, we are pretty close to Thorsmork, thank God. We are beat from this ride and having to take off after horses that want to go elsewhere. We head across a deep river that we have no choice but to cross. The water is so deep, we get in and my horse starts going sideways trying to make it to the other side. I remember Arnold telling us that when in doubt; give the horse his way and he knows where to go and what to do. I put my trust in my horse and we made it across. At this point, we are all pretty wet because of the rain and the water in the river getting as high as our knees while sitting on the horses!
So, we are out of the deep river and one of the horses takes off on his own. About this time, I look at the horse wandering off and I am thinking what the heck, they can spare a horse. I am beat and in no mood to go after that horse. That’s when Dar rides up, huge smile on her face and asks the guide "You want me to go get him?" Talk about gung ho, this lady is nuts after what we have just been through and still eager to chase a horse down but off she went and sure enough she brings it back all smiles. I have been having trouble with one of my stirrups every ride. My boot keeps sliding so far into the stirrup that it gets stuck and every time we stop, someone has to pull it out before I can dismount. Everyone is quick to remind me how dangerous this is because if you fall, the horse will be spooked and take off with you dragged along until he decides to stop. At this point, I am so tired and wet; I think “hell, let him throw me. If he does, I’ll give him a good kick and let him drag me the rest of the way. He knows where he is going and I am sure someone will wake me up when we get there!”
We pull into Thorsmork and unsaddle our horses at the paddock. The horses are then allowed to roam Thorsmork as they please. This is a lodge we stay at for the next couple of days called the Volcano Huts with a few cabins, a restaurant, and tents everywhere. Hikers and other guests in tents come out to greet the horses and pet them. We are grateful to be off the horses and looking for some shelter as the last leg of the ride was very high wind and pelting rain.
Our group is allotted three 5-person cabins. These cabins can’t be much more than ten feet by twelve feet in size and that includes a tiny kitchen and dining area. The sleeping quarters consist of two sets of bunk beds. Tim and Dar get the bunk beds at the back wall of the cabin; Tammy and I get the bunk beds on the side. This place is so small, all our bunk beds meet at the corner. I lucked out and got the biggest bunk in the cabin, which was greatly appreciated because I roll around in my sleep pretty often. We catch a quick bath in the communal bath house/restroom and off to dinner at the lodge. The food is excellent and the place is crowded with hikers. Hikers are nuts! This is serious territory not to fool around with. They even have a massage guy here who I seriously considered getting a massage from but hanging out with our group was more fun. Helicopters come and go from this place picking up folks for aerial tours. I think we have the better vantage point from the horses since these horses will go anywhere and we go as slow or fast as we want.
Sometime in this whole getting off the horses, getting our cabins, taking a shower, and getting to dinner, I have found that I got a couple of nasty blisters on two fingers since I rode part of the way without my gloves on. That was a big mistake, as now I have to deal with the blisters. Well, here comes my Mr. Planning to the rescue or so I thought. I brought with me something called second skin for just such an occasion. I have Tammy put some on one of the blisters and darn near go into convulsions jumping around from the liquid fire that this stuff turned out to be. I guess I should have read the instructions that say not to use it on an open wound! Either way, after much blowing on the finger and laughter from my roommates Tim and Dar, I decide I might as well use it on the other busted blister. Round two and everybody thinks it’s just as funny the second time around!
We had a great dinner at the restaurant and feel refreshed, at least some of us do. Arnold, Tim, Dar, Tammy and I hung out late and decided to sample the liquor they offer here. I found that of the two beers they sell, Brio and Viking, I liked Brio best. Tammy and Dar decided they would like to sample an interesting looking liqueur they have on the counter. It is Birch liqueur made right here in Iceland and it tastes great! Of course this meant we had to have several which led to taste testing the Birch schnapps as well. That was a bust so we stuck to the Birch liqueur, beer, and wine. We got Arnold to accept a glass of wine from us but he wouldn’t bite on another glass since he had already had one or two before.
Some of us, who shall remain nameless, indulged a bit much and the rest of the night was a blur. We hung up our riding gear in the sauna room to dry overnight and off to bed!
Details on the photos:
Pic 1 - Breakfast
Good coffee with a ham and cheese sandwich. Fortified with apple and orange slices and I am ready to rode!
Pic 2 - Waiting on the horses
From the left: Dar, Lee, Elaine, Geri, Arnold, Tammy, and Tim.
Pic 3 - By the Hour
They even do rides for one to three hours here.
Pic 4 - Sheep Paddock
We used this sheep paddock at our first stop to switch horses.
Pic 5 - At the Sheep Paddock
Everywhere you look, it's amazing!
Pic 6 - At the Sheep Paddock
Grazing
Pic 7 - At the Sheep Paddock
Time to ride again!
Pic 8 -Waterfall
From the sheep paddock looking at a big waterfall we will go by with the herd.
Pic 9 - The Nearest Place
Pic 10 - Saddle Up
They only use English saddles here!
Pic 11 - Let's Go
Anxious to hit the trail!
Pic 12 - Show Off
When you have hair like this, you let the wind blow as hard as it wants!
Pic 13 - Along the Trail
Pic 14 - Lunch
Stop two and time for food. On the way out, we all packed ourselves a lunch to go.
Pic 15 - Their turn to Wait
Pic 16 - Getting the horses together
Pic 17 - The Human Paddock
We had to use pink surveyor tape to make a paddock to get the horses bunched together to pick our rides!
Pic 18 - Horses, Horses, Horses
They are out enjoying the green grass.
Pic 19 - View at Lunch Stop
Pic 20 - Strangers in the ......Day
This is a group going the opposite way on the trail.
Pic 21 - Tammy ......freckles?
Look close! Those aren't freckles! This here herding work gets you pretty dusty.
Pic 22 - Fancy
Pic 23 - Windy
Pic 24 - Smile
Pic 25 - The Last Leg
Pic 26 - Rivers to Cross
Pic 27 - Arriving at Thorsmork and the Volcano Hut
Pic 28 - Massage Tent
Funny stories about our guides and this tent to follow!
Pic 29 - Thorsmork
From the grounds of the lodge at Thorsmork.
Pic 30 - Thorsmork
Pic 31 - The Lodge at Thorsmork
This is actually the restaurant and bath/rest rooms.
Pic 32 - Cold One
Good and well deserved cold Brio beer. Better tan Viking beer!
Pic 33 - Buffet Time
Pic 34 - Dinner
Great tasting fish, potatoes, salad, and bread.
Pic 35 - Elves Welcome Here
Yes, that's my finger. What do you expect after a hard day out riding! Half the folks in Iceland seriously believe in elves.
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