[Photos taken 25 – 31 May 2025, posted online 11 April 2026. Most of the snow is gone, the sun is high in the sky, and gosh-darn-it spring may be in the air?!]
I’d signed up for a spring hiking-group, but ended up missing a lot of hikes because a) my Achilles tendons were super sore and fragile, b) I’d already hiked the same place in much better weather. But, finally all the stars aligned, and I made it to a hike, and had a lovely time.
The week that followed included a photo session, matching my deadlift PR of 1×140 kg without injury, making sushi at home (and nobody got sick afterwards), dinner-and-a-walk meet-up with a cousin, seeing signs of spring/summer for real, playing the Blue Prince computer game, buying a new watch, lots of garden work, a junior college graduation party, and going sailing!
Sunday 25 May 2025
Standing up on a “high-point” with the capital area behind me.
The hiking group was a good sized one, and quite a few friendly faces. I drove to the end point, left my car, and got a ride to the starting point.
The Strava recording failed towards the end, but the photo-GPS-locations show the track. We walked from the top to the bottom.
First up was Helgufoss, the waterfall of Helga (female name). It is a little ways inland from Gljúfrasteinn.
Obligatory waterfall selfie.
It still blows my mind that by just putting one foot in front of another, one can go up something that looks ominously steep. However, I managed to tilt my backpack in such a way that a waterbottle fell all the way down, which explains the nice human down at the bottom, who darted to go fetch it for me.
We walked up along the Kaldakvísl river, passing some mini-waterfalls.
Yay, a bridge!
Then it was just up, and more up.
Looking down-ish.
Walking single file to protect the fragile plant-life.
A change in the ground-type as we approached the first “peak”.
It was the top of Grímannsfell (also known as Grímarsfell, or Grímansfell).
It was a rocky-outcropping of a peak.
Happy peakers.
We kept going, there were more “peaks” ahead.
Lots of options! But first… snack-time!
Snacky snack-time
Flowers! Just very tiny ones.
We kept going, over the relatively barren ground.
The capital area visible behind me.
Descending somewhat.
Unusual berries located.
New ground-type: Thick moss. Not my favorite, as you’re both terrified to damage it, and it’s draining, like walking on snow
Hurriedly putting on rain-coats as rain-clouds moved in overhead. This hike was the first one I’ve been on where the guides appeared to be in a huge hurry, and didn’t quite wait for everyone do be ready before setting off. As a result, some people felt they didn’t have time to put on rain-pants, and got seriously wet later on.
Approaching one of the handful of lakes/puddles that are hiding up there.
Clambering through a cap in a fence. Note the walking pole being used to hold up the barbed wire.
Crossing the stream by a defunct dam.
The ground got wetter, and more barren.
On the top of another “peak”, this time it was Þverfell.
The Þverfell peak sign.
Stairs over fences are amazing.
Muggy weather being muggy.
Found another lake/puddle.
Stopping to gather the group together. The little stream was surprisingly clear.
One of the guides showing a critter that he found in the stream.
The final descent towards Hafravatn, marked by all the lupines.
Everyone happy that the rain had stopped.
Lots of lupines! It took a lot longer to get down than I imagined.
Civilization reached, with a bridge and fancy paths!
Half the cars had been left by this old sheep-fence at the start of the day.
After stretching tired muscles, we drove everyone back to where we’d started off, and said our tired goodbyes.
Achievement unlocked! The second offspring of our good friends formally finished junior college! I happily took some photos to mark the day!
Monday 26 May 2025
Max-rep day at the gym. This is 3 x 130 kg deadlifts.
Since 3 x 130 kg had gone up without much of a fight, I decided 140 kg would be next.
Success! 140 kg went up, but I decided that was my limit for the day. It remains my PB to this day.
The animated gif of the 140 kg going up, slowly, but up they went! I also need to jerk less on the initial up movement. This past year has been choppy on the gym-front, and I’m just fighting to maintain capability at this point.
Picking Emma up from a class-room-gathering up by the outdoors-y area Guðmundarlundur.
Dinner was a long overdue home-made-sushi-session.
We invited some experts to help us out!
All sorts of experimentation happened.
I’m guilty of almost immediately eating what I made, but this was the combined haul. We didn’t quite manage to finish it!
Tuesday 27 May 2025
The weather kept being nice-ish, although the insane temps didn’t quite return.
A screen-shot from a cut-scene in the Blue Prince.
A cousin-meet-up!
Decadence on a plate.
Post-dinner lake-hike. This is at 20:30.
Well, aren’t we cute?!
The lake in question is a 15 minute-ish drive from home, I’d visited it before on an e-bike with a group.
Signs of spring.
More Blue Prince before I started hitting a progression wall for real.
Wednesday 28 May 2025
The view from my desk at work. Getting really green out there!
Fresh-fruit delivery!
My Fitbit died, so I went in to a store to buy a replacement, and this is what I came out with.
Thursday (Ascension Day) 29 May 2025
A lunch of champions!? This was public holiday (The Jesus-Goes-To-Heaven one).
After years of the outdoor planting boxes being flooded, I finally figured out why. The fake bottom plate was sagging so much that it was closing up the drain-holes on the true bottom.
Drill baby drill!
Emma being helpful.
Putting brown soap on some berry bushes, in the hopes that evil bugs stop eating the leaves.
All drilled, cleaned, and filled with earth. Ready for summer flowers!
We also finished lining the veggie-box-tops and they got installed.
Strawberry compromise, so that the flies could get at them.
To-do list magic.
Blue Prince progress!!
Friday 30 May 2025
It was great to end the week with the sewing club at a graduation party for one of the offspring that just finished junior college!
It was such a gorgeous day, perfect for a evening garden party!
Saturday 31 May 2025
We got an unexpected invitation to utilize the nice weather to go SAILING!?
This was the Strava recording of the path we took.
Finnur on steering duties, getting instructed how to sail past that buoy which marks safety on one side.
It was such a beautiful day!
Approaching land again.
After resting for a few hours, I was back out in the backyard to tackle the “waterless-pond” surroundings. The grass had grown all the way to the large rocks, making mowing impossible.
Starting is half the battle!
Wood-chipped!
Feeling accomplished!
I also finally managed to plant the plants I’d bought with the first batch of wood-chips.
Thwarted by Blue Prince! That marked the end of May 2025!
