Rettarfall Trail (Suðurland, Iceland)

 

After completing the Laugavegur Trail over the last several days, you would think the group and I would be tired and ready to rest while we wait for the bus, but this beautiful land inspires one to explore. While we wait, we decide to head up the Rettarfall Trail, which ascends the small mountain overlooking the hut we stayed in last night. We only have a couple of hours, but that should be plenty of time.

As it has been most days, the sky is dropping a light drizzle on us and a cold wind pass through us as we ascend up through the forests and toward the side of the mountain. This is the steepest ascent we've had the entire time, but I suspect the views will be worth it. To cap off an amazing week on the trails of Iceland, a beautifully vibrant rainbow has decided to make an appearance overhead and just adds a cherry to the top of the ice cream sundae this trip has been.

With some elevation gained, we can look down on the river bed we had to cross yesterday and which we will cross again later in our tour bus (those tour bus drivers are a different breed here in Iceland). As we reach the highest point, the valleys stretch out before us even with the rain and wind pounding our faces. Luckily, we all wore rain gear for this last adventure.

After enjoying the view for a short time, we had back down and circle the neighboring hill for even more views of this incredible landscape. I can't say enough about the beauty of this land of fire and ice. I hope everyone will get a chance to visit someday.

With time getting short, we head back down the mountain to enjoy a quick lunch before boarding our bus and heading for Reykjavik. This little hike was only about 2.1 miles, but with the rainbow, it just crowned entire trip in my mind, and the minds of my new friends.