Iceland's Laugavegur part 1: Hiking Landmannalaugar 54km to Torsmork

Half a chance the rain will stop - the national forecast. The highest terrain with the strongest wind, the most snow cover, and the lowest fog greeted us as we hiked the Laugavegur south and climbed 500 meters up out of Landmannalaugar. The 54km walk was broken into 4 days with stops at huts located at the far end of several 4x4 roads. On our second morning, as we dropped below the densest fog, our tortoise pace was all the more emphasized by the 300 plus mountain marathon runners running the whole 54kms in a morning - 4;07 hours for the top finisher. We enjoyed the company of the athletes and thought of our sons who would have done well having run several such races in the Alps and the Rocky Mountains. The final two days, while longer in mileage, had better weather - good weather is now defined as light wind and any precipitation that one can see through. The volcanoes are actively spewing gasses that sink to the low areas accosting your nose like a blend of battery acid and sulfuric acid. Stream crossings were many but none over knee deep this week - as long as one searches the best route. At 5.5 minutes, this video is a bit long but hang in there.