We drove west for 11KM between the escarpment and the sea on the narrow coastal plane and turned North off the Ring Road on to a dirt road that led into narrow short valley ringed by scraggly snow topped peaks, the snow giving way two-thirds of the way down to the bright green grass of the lower slopes and small waterfalls tumbling over black rock. There was a river exiting the valley as we drove into it and parked in a gravelly lot next to a building.
Colleen thought the SEJAVALLALA pool was near the lot but I told her it was a short hike up the valley. “How long a hike?” groaned Jakobi. Not long I told her. Colleen gathered our swimmies and towels and she and Ambiana started walking. I wondered how many people we would see here. There was one other car in the lot. The valley was stunning. Short with steep walls and snow covered peaks at the back, the green of the valley rising up to meet them among black cliffs and rocks.
The trail which had started off wide narrowed and made its way along the steep grassy talus slopes below the black cliffs of the valley wall with the river off to our right and the opposite valley wall rising beyond topped by more snow covered peaks.
We came to a small creek coming off the cliff and had to rock hop across it. The valley narrowed here and after crossing the creek we were down on the glacial river bed all black sand and stones along the waters edge. We still could not see the pool as the head of the valley was all nooks and crannies and the river took a bend behind a bluff up ahead moving out of site along with the trail.
When we came around the small bluff we could see the pool and bathhouse a couple hundred meters ahead on the left built against the side of the cliff. We also passed some pipes and valves sunk into the earth presumably to capture the hot water and send it somewhere. Closer to the pool were more pipes and valves and this assemblage was clearly piped over the edge ad into the pool’s southwest corner. The hot spot. There were half a dozen people in and around the pool in various stages of coming, swimming and going and we headed to the changing rooms which were simple affairs but dingy and dark and someone had taken a crap on the floor of one so we stayed out in the fresh air and sunshine and got into our swimmies on the deck. Like Vermont, it is OK to be naked in Iceland though I haven’t seen anyone else naked yet except us now as we changed.
The above ground pool was 30M x 6M with three concrete walls built against the cliff which served as the fourth wall. Done changing I slipped in, again the water was warm, not hot but it felt good and the scenery was out of this world; mountains, black rock, cliffs, green grass, snow, waterfalls, blue sky scrubbed with sunshine, a glacial river and other people in bathing suits in and around the pool. As we watched a man jumped out over the edge of the pool and ran to the river and lay down in the frigid water then ran back. I should probably do it too, Wim Hof it but the water is not hot enough to make me want to. Instead I swam the length of the pool and found the hot spot where the pipe let in the hot water and relaxed there for a bit.
A couple of women taking pictures on the ledge of the pool with the headwall of the valley magnificently in the background pointed out a mossy wet spot on the cliff side of the pool where hot water also entered and I swam over there and placed myself against the cliff in such a way as to get as much hot water washingover me as possible. Ambiana joined me. She really liked the cliff side of the pool.
Colleen & Jakobi had by now found the other hot spot and were huddled together in the corner of the pool; the valley opening up and spreading out beyond them. I swam back to our stuff and got the camera and took pictures. Jakobi did flippies in the water. Ambiana looked blissful laid back against the hot mossy cliff. We shot a dancevideo segment with Colleen in the middle of the pool.
Floating in the warm geothermal water, soaking in the beautiful valley; the enchanting mountains all snow covered and spring green at the same time. It looked so delicious I wanted to eat it. And I could! In my pack was my breakfast which really is as delicious as all that. I got out toweled off and dressed and wandering down to the riverbank, found a nice rock beside the river to sit on, took out the yogurt container containing my breakfast and ate it all in.
We all wandered the riverbank at our own pace for awhile enjoying the warmth of the sun and the beauty all around us before gathering back on the trail and hiking the short distance out of the valley and back to our car.
