ICELAND 2016 † HORNSTRANDIR 5
"Phantasmagorical Hornstrandir"
Part 5/5
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4th and 5th day (the last).
I gathered these two days on the same page because the first is summarized in some images. The weather was gloomy and I let the rain crackle on Tobias’s tent as the hours passed peacefully under his awakening.
Sometimes it’s good to go with no purpose, to be satisfied with a simple fellowship: a friend, coffee, chatting.
What a strange character that Tobias remains here alone for months. The image quest is also a path to oneself. I think I understood his need to isolate himself from the world and live in peace in this wilderness. I admit that I would also try the experience of an extended stay.
Every day spent here is worth a thousand.
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But do we really need to move when the spectacle that is before you is so beautiful?
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It’s 22pm. I’m about to go to sleep when suddenly… The vixen appears …
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… soon followed by his little …
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… I have the feeling that she got used to my presence? She sits on the rock in front of me …
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… and watch me in the darkness. I realize that she came to greet me almost every night …
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… as if to accompany my dreams.
LAST DAY
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It’s 9:00 am. A ray of sunlight breaks through the fjord, letting me glimpse the other side for the first time. How beautiful ! A huge bowl is right in front of me…
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… and for the first time, colors appear on the cliffs.
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I see Hornvik’s caretaker’s house who is in charge of this area in summer. It is about an hour’s walk away, there is a campsite next door named Höfn , more popular and more comfortable than the one I live with Tobias ( Horn ) because he is on the beach in a more unobstructed area.
We are more isolated with Tobias but also more in contact with the nature and cliffs of Honrbjarg .
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You see the tiny orange dot to the right of the house? It is an emergency shelter as found in Westfjords . You will find a shelter and a radio to launch an SOS.
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Birds like me like this ray of light. They are millions to cheer the sky.
HIKING TO LATRAVIK LIGHTHOUSE
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It’s 10:30 when I head south from my camp. In front of me a totally unknown valley that climbs towards cliffs. I have not been to this area before. Tobias told me it was simple: I was going to find a path that would take me to the lighthouse. The hike is given for 3 hours. The boat will pick me up at 4pm. No time to lose!
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The fog thickens quickly and I can not find any path, I walk through a thick moor and waterlogged. There are huge puddles hidden by the bushes and the progression is not easy. Arrived on the heights I see to my surprise a silhouette sitting on a rock. This is a young volunteer from Arctic Fox Center . I salute him from a distance.
He launches me:
“Did you make the map of Iceland?”
He probably heard about my presence here.
I aquiesce. He gives me a thumbs up sign of approval.
I leave immediately for the lighthouse.
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I reach the steep cliffs and run south. I have to be very careful because I do not know anything about this area and visibility is low.
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The landscape is spooky, a Ghost Ship scenery.
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It’s almost noon when the sky is a little clearer and allows me to see, in the distance, the ultimate goal of this trip: Látravík Lighthouse.
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I approach but can not go further for lack of time. As you can see, a house was built next to it. It is possible to be hosted there.
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I enjoy a moment of the great spectacle that surrounds me. Some beautiful shades of blue appear.
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I dream by observing these cliffs facing east, a wild area where man rarely ventures.
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12.30 pm It’s time to return to the camp. The absence of rain and wind made the insects come out and I have to face a cloud of giant flies. I have to cover my head with my hands so that they do not enter my mouth and my ears. Anguish!
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Finally I found the valley to the camp and the flies disappeared with the mist.
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I take advantage of the little time I have left to make some pictures of this particular vegetation.
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3:17 p.m.. It’s so much to join my meeting point. Tobias, a faithful companion, helps me carry my belongings to the boarding area, in front of the two houses.
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4:25 pm The Zodiac arrives to recover me. Long are the minutes before I find the strength to speak. I did not make the same mistake as when I went: I went to the shelter, inside the boat. Beside me a pretty photographer seems alone. She’s American, and her name is Laura .
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