"Phantasmagorical Hornstrandir"

Part 4/5

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I climbed the mountain towards the cliffs accompanied by Haukur and JunPyo .

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The first level is reached, I take a little advance while Haukur explains the territory to JunPyo .

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As we move up the sky whitens. The morning clearings are evaporating and the sky is cloudy.

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We are soon at bird’s height and float in the clouds.

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Here it is finally that is revealed. The Mt. Kálfatindar and its peaks rise to 520 m above the sea. The clouds slide on it at a crazy speed.

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We are progressing eastward and fall on this box perched on a rock…

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… he soon joins his brother, playing hide-and-seek in lush vegetation…

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… climb on the rocks, never ceasing to play…

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… to sometimes suddenly freeze to watch me. I know I should not be here, disturb them. I am on their territory. I am their guest.

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We reach these vertiginous cliffs. We use ropes to reach the summits.
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Haukur does not seem to be suffering from any vertigo on his playground.

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Where I am, we can see the sea several hundred meters below. The birds pass a meter from me. It is very impressive.
I stay here for hours, savoring every second. I meet the Arctic Fox Center girl doing surveys in this area. She advises me to be extremely careful.

“Are you alone? Be very careful. These cliffs are dangerous because it rained a lot. Pieces of rocks can collapse. If you fall, no one will find your body “.

I thank her for these recommendations.

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I take these moments to review the Mt. Kálfatindar . The clouds are sometimes faded to let it appear in all its majesty. I gave him a nickname: King of Cliffs.

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I did well to wait. On the ridge I see two foxes watching me. Maybe those all-in-the-hour?

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Their immobility does not last: silhouettes move…

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I quickly understand their excitement: they caught a bird.

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It is 8:30 pm when I decide to go down to the camp.

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Arrived at the lake I discovered a mirror on which a couple of swans peacefully and their little one.

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It’s 21:53. Like every night I enjoy the horizon that takes its turn at the end of the fjord. With for once, a little color.

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"Phantasmagorical Hornstrandir"

Part 3/5

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It’s my 3rd day here.

I get up, the sky is gray but brighter than the other days. I burn to go explore the bottom of the fjord, the beach, enlarge my space. I think about it since the first hour but there is a problem: the incessant rain has inflated the torrent that runs along our camp. It forms a difficult border to cross. Although I explore upstream, downstream, I see nowhere to go on the rocks dry foot and I’m afraid of falling into the water with all my camera equipment.

Tobias encourages me to do it: go! You’ll find a fox burrow on the beach (without telling me exactly where, it’s up to me to find it and I appreciate this idea of treasure hunt). I do not want it any more, Tobias tries to help me to cross on dry foot, but as expected I fall into the water.

Nothing serious, I have water up to the thigh, but that’s it, I finally went to the other side!

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In the floc floc of my shoes full of water I advance with excitement towards this new universe.
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Above me like an overhead rail, thousands of birds fly in the same direction, silent but so many that I hear the movement of air on their wings.

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I see the waterfall but before I get there I take advantage of new shapes, materials and colors like mossy rocks fluorescent green, I who have known so far only gray gray pebbles.

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Arrived on the sand the environment seems prehistoric. I have the feeling of an original territory, many millions of years old. I remain on my guard: at any time a pterodactyl can dive on the beach.

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Everywhere this lush and wild vegetation, difficult to cross, these gigantic flowers and wood, so rare in Iceland, found here in quantity. Party of Siberia it is carried by the currents of the Arctic Ocean .

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The many waterfalls down the terrain have dug a groove that winds through the sand to the sea.

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The sand is black but a thin layer of blond sand scales the shore. The whole is of a breathtaking beauty.

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I notice at the bottom a silhouette. A kitten is alone on the beach, searching with his nose the sand he seems hungry and desperately looking for something to eat.

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The colors of this landscape are fascinating. I guess it’s the reward for all my efforts to get here. And that bad weather – if it’s hard to live – is actually a godsend.

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It is not easy to describe what I feel here, feeling of exaltation increased tenfold by loneliness.
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Fresh traces. Tobias was right, there must be a burrow somewhere on the beach.

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I see on the opposite side another kit, so tiny at the foot of the cliffs.

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The most incredible thing is that the burrow was right behind me. Hidden by a dune I did not see him. A mother is with her child. Filled with gaiety and insuscience he does not stop playing with it, jumping on it, nibbling it constantly. She, suspicious, pierces my eyes.

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Sudden attack of the little coyote. This liveliness in reality will depend on its survival. It is necessary to catch birds, their main food.

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I spend hours watching them lie in the sand so as not to frighten them.
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Two foxes join them now. I am living an extraordinary moment. As a photographer of landscapes, I had never experienced the unique sensation of watching a wild animal in its natural environment.
We feel an intense emotion, loneliness reinforces the idea of communion with the animal and the wilderness around us.

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The little ones finally disappear and the mother falls asleep peacefully. I decided to return to the camp, crazy for happiness to have lived this moment.

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I go back to the waterfall under a ray of sunshine unpublished since my arrival.
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Back to the pebble beach. We see the houses at the bottom.

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When I arrive at the camp, Tobias is in big discussion with two hikers.

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Let’s make the presentations:
Left JunPyo Hong aliases JP , he is a doctor in Seoul in South Korea. Photographer, he travels to the most beautiful countries in the world to make beautiful images.

In the middle Haukur Sigurðsson , the man in the purple hat (even if he does not wear it on this image). Haukur lives in Isafjordur, he is a child of the country. He knows Westfjords like his pocket and seldom leaves this region, except to travel around the world.
JP hired Haukur to guide him in Hornstrandir.

Right: of course you’ll have recognized it, it’s my friend Tobias!

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Quick debriefing around the map. Haukur and JP take advantage of this beautiful day to hike, we decide to go together on the cliffs of Hornbjarg.

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My fox friend passes not far from us. For once the light is not too bad and I look forward to this atmosphere on this spring image.

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"Phantasmagorical Hornstrandir"

Part 2/5

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The day is rising on a sky of end of the world. The rain sometimes breaks down to give way to a thick drizzle. In front of me the landscape is ghostly.

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I’m walking around. The soil is waterlogged, the trail very muddy. The vegetation seems to come from another world. It is dense, very well supplied. It is difficult to move off the path that runs along the pebble beach.

I observe these large flowers in the shape of a sphere, a small bird, simple sparrow arises in front of me, in this universe of large sea birds it is quite amazing.

Many things are oversized here, starting with these insects, these huge flies and these fine spiders that disgust me since I found one in my tent.

UNEXPECTED MEETING

Around noon, I see the young director of the Arctic Fox Center had veered the day before from my location) chatting with my only neighbor (the Israelis left).

I approach and greet them:

– “Good afternoon. I’m Michael, photographer.”
– “Nice to meet you, Michael. My name’s Tobias and I’m a wildlife filmmaker.”
– “Have you been here a long time?”
– “Yes, nearly two months now.”
– “Two months here on your own?! What are you working on?”
– “I’m making a film about Arctic foxes for German television. I’m used to it, you know. I already spent two months here last year! And what about you? What brings you here?”
– “I’ve come to take photographs, of course, but also to do research for my map of Iceland.”
– “Michael, was it you who produced this map of Iceland for photographers? Everyone who comes here has a copy with them!”
– “Yes, that’s me!” (as surprised as I was flattered)
– “That’s great! Sit down. Would you like a tea or a coffee?”

There followed five days of exchanges, of chatting about Iceland and the numerous places we had both visited, including Siberia. I must admit I was happy to have Tobias to keep me company, and indeed it was reciprocal since one thing is for sure: this is a rainy part of the world, where clouds hug the fjords and the fog never seems to clear away. Over the five days of my adventure, it rained for four, with zero visibility. I can see why Tobias had to stay there so long! You have to learn to be patient.

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It’s almost 18h when the unthinkable happens. The same fox I saw the day before suddenly appears on the ridge.

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He hides himself without hiding. Attentive, he observes.

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He evolves by shaving the grass very furtively but does not seem afraid of my presence.

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I let you imagine my amazement to see him evolve so close to me. From time to time he utters very peculiar yelps. Like a lament. Then he disappeared.

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It’s 7 pm and I decide to go see these houses more closely.

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I’m walking along the beach. It is dotted with driftwood, I find a whalebone, a buoy …

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The landscape that faces me fascinates me. These are just shades of silver gray.

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I reach both houses. Tobias told me that they belong to families from here. According to my research they were inhabited until 1945. I like to imagine what could be life here at the time for these families totally isolated from the world. If we spent 3 hours with a powerful motorboat, what an adventure it must have been to reach Isafjordur a century ago!

It is impossible today to build a house because the area is a protected natural park. The value of these houses is therefore invaluable. Yet, they are empty, in full summer. Damn it, but why do not the many descendants take advantage of it ?!

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I approach the window. Everything is there: the flag, the old stove, the map, the canvas, the picture of the ancestors. A CB radio, the only way to communicate here.

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Facing it, a portico with two buoys attached.

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What hides the shed below? The whole world of the sailor: a canoe, rope, life jackets.

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From the house we see the horn of the fjord that we grazed yesterday by boat.

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It is 21:20, I decide to return. In the darkness I see my friend fox galloping in the moor.

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I take a last look at the horizon. It is 9:40 pm .

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"Phantasmagorical Hornstrandir"

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WHY THE HORNSTRANDIR ?

For my 8th Icelandic adventure I wanted to offer myself a distant land, inaccessible and phantasmagorical: The Hornstrandir . I had caressed the horizons of the look at my various passages in the Westfjords but had never taken the plunge.

My attraction to expanses of white and northern lights means that I tend to choose the winter season to visit Iceland, but this Nature Reserve is only accessible from mid-June to mid-August (and only by boat), making summer the sole option. My ticket was taken for July 23.

The crucial thing about heading “into the wild” is that you should be entirely autonomous: no resupply of food or other essentials, no electricity, no internet or telephone connection. You have to plan your expedition down to the tiniest detail, especially if you are going solo.

I had everything checked as professionally as possible. Mounted, disassembled several times my new tent in the living room of my Paris apartment (yes).
 
Purchased freeze-dried food for 5 days , portions that astronauts take on a mission. My checklist was extremely effective: I had even planned a dictaphone to record my feelings in real time. My son Andy (5 years old at the time) was quick to requisition the small device fun, having fun to leave me full of messages. I did not know it yet, but I’ll be glad to hear them once up there.

It all starts at Isafjordur , the northernmost city in Iceland that has been reached since Reykjavik by plane, bus or car. I chose this last option thanks to the support of my friends Lagoon car rental (thanks for the perfect 4×4 Subaru Forester!), It will take between 5 and 6 hours driving from the capital. The advantage of the car is that you can combine this expedition with a roadtrip in the sublime Westfjords that I never tire of browsing.

The boat that leads into Hornstrandir drops you off at various locations, from Hesteyri to Hornvik at the edge, it will take 3 hours of navigation to reach this end of the world and it is this place that I chose.

This vast nature reserve (580 km2) is a fabulous adventure playground for hikers, they leave with big backpacks and walking sticks but I realize that it will be impossible for me to transport all my photo material through the mountains and valleys (about 30 kilos with the tent, food etc). So I chose to bivouac at Hornvik and explore the “star” area from my camp.

Regarding the timing: It is possible to make the round trip Isafjordur – Hornvik in the day which saves you any camping chore (count 3h boat in the morning then again 3h for the return to 16h) but leave you very little time on site, you can also spend a night in a tent with a group, some agencies organize everything for you.

I made a different choice, I wanted to take the time to immerse myself in nature alone and far from everything: it is as much a photographic adventure as personal that I wanted to live there. If this challenge Robinson Crusoe tempts you nothing more simple, take a ticket “unaccompanied” by not omitting this small detail: the boat passes only every 5 days. In other words, do not miss the return!
 

MISSION HORNSTRANDIR

I gave myself 4 missions during this stay:
1. Survive this adventure in order to be able to tell you my story.
2. Photograph Arctic foxes, since Hornstrandir is a place of choice to observe them.
3. Bring back some images of Hornbjarg and Mt. Kálfatindar , the most majestic cliff in the country.
4. Visit Latravik lighthouse, a little further south. Lighthouses have always excited me, and I couldn’t imagine leaving without having admired it.

So did I meet my goals?
 

CHECKLIST FOR HORNSTRANDIR

In the photo bag

– 2 Canon 5DSR Cases
– 100-400 II
– 70-200 F4 IS
– 24-70 f2.8
– 17-40 f4
– Batteries x4
– 5 128GB Memory Cards
– Rain bags
– Rain sleeve
– Tripod (not used)

electronics

– Mackbook pro 13 ‘
– 2 external hard drives
– Dictaphone
– iPhone (for video)
– External charger
– small batteries
– Cables

Clothes

– 2 x FjallRaven pants
– 5 x boxer shorts + socks
– Woolpower / polar underlay
– hat
– light gloves
– Rain gear (Goretex + Cape)

Food

– Heater + gas
– Small dinette Plate, cup, cutlery
– food
– gourd
– small sponge + flask washing up liquid
– Plastic Bags & amp; Big Bags Trash for dirty clothes and shoes, rubbish

site

– Vaude Taurus 2p Tent
– Sleeping bag + meat bag
– Ground sheet
– towel
– Assietes, cup, cutlery
– Leatherman knife
– Washing line
– Aluminum paper
– Sopalin + PT
– Carabiners
– Torch charged
– Front loaded
– Touring watch

Food

– Sachets of liopylated food
– A Basque cheese (for morale)
– A ham ass
– Flask of whiskey
– salt + pepper + sugar
– Instant coffee

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