I decided I would spend a few nights at the campground as I was way ahead of schedule and it was the cheapest place so far. Plus, there were numerous trails I could explore.
I went out on a hike to summit Súlur Mountain. I started quite later than intended. The trek began with views of green meadows and a slippery mud path beneath me. Within an hour, I would be experiencing a full blown white out. Even from the first appearance of snowfall, I felt inspired to keep going. I enjoyed feeling the snowflakes melt as they landed on my lips paired with the crisp scent of winter rushing in.
The snowflakes grew plump and my vision was becoming unmanageable, especially since I wore glasses. To my surprise, I started to see foot tracks going up the mountain. Eventually, I came across some Icelandic locals!
“Looks like I’m not the only crazy person who decided to hike this,” I said.
They laughed and asked if I was visiting.
“Yup! Hitchhiking and camping out around the country.”
Then came the same response I’ve been hearing from all of the locals the past week. “Hitchhiking?! Camping out?! In Iceland? In September?!”
“Okay, now I know!” I said. “Sometimes shit like this happens when I don’t do my research.”
They thought I was nuts. I walked with them for some time, the feeling of their presence giving me some peace of mind as the snow came in with more intensity. The clouds were now turning thick gray yet we continued forward wearing nothing but our ‘day-hiking’ attire.
“I could see how tourists die here,” I said.
“Yeah, we call them Chinese takeaways when they visit the black sand beach,” she said. “They are warned constantly that the waves here are treacherous and to not go anywhere near them, but a lot of them refuse to listen. They get too close and get swept away.”
I liked her dark sense of humor. We were already laughing and naturally clicking. Her husband reminded me a lot of Žydrūnas. He had the same build and ‘mountain man’ personality. He spoke of his dream to visit Alaska and catch his own food, how it was meant to be in the natural world.
Their names were Lilja and Jökull. I could tell they took interest in me and I could also sense they were worried for my safety even though I felt totally fine. They started speaking in Icelandic amongst themselves.
Then, she turned to me and said, “We have a guest room. Would you like to come spend the night at our place? We live right in town.”
“Really?! Yes! I would love that.”
I realized I already had booked another night in the loft, but figured my lover boy could just move that paid night for me to a different day.
“Would you like to join us for dinner tonight?” she asked.
“I would love that more than anything,” I said.
We took down each other’s information. I continued on to the summit while they stopped a bit before it. The clouds were dense and I began post-holing through blankets and waves of fresh white snow. I was cold but my internal drive pushed me forward. I followed the mile markers as best I could even though they were starting to lose visibility.
To me, it felt like the most perfect day, to experience the elements in such a way. Once it turned to a complete white out and I couldn’t make out where the snow ended and the sky started, I turned around and went back down. I ran back into them just before the parking lot as Lilja was picking some fresh blueberries and crowberries.
They offered to drive me to the campground to pick my stuff up. Jökull dropped Lilja off at Bónus to get some groceries, then we continued on to Hamrar. While he drove, he told me the story of how they met.
“She was 16 when we first met and over the years we became really good friends. We were both finally single at the same time so we figured why not give it a shot.”
He was born in Akureyri then moved to Reykjavik for 24 years. He moved back here 2 months ago while she moved back 2 years ago, specifically into the house he grew up in. They both had kids from past relationships but made it work.
The security guy was working so I waved and he returned the gesture. I figured I would give him a kiss after I got my stuff together. He ended up coming upstairs to the loft as I was packing. I was all smiley telling him about my adventures of the day. I could tell it was not what he wanted to talk about.
“You wanna see me again?” I flirted.
“Yes, I would love to spend more time with you,” he said.
“I’ll come back in a couple of days,” I said as I shoved my sleeping bag into the pack liner. “I just really would love a warm bed and a place to shower and do laundry.”
He completely understood. I kissed his cheek goodbye.
They took me to their home and to my surprise I walked into a house full of people! Their entire family was there—sons, grandma, daughter in law who was pregnant. I smiled at everyone and introduced myself. Then, Lilja took me upstairs to my own personal room so I could drop my stuff.
“This is luxury,” I said, “thank you so much.”
I went into the kitchen, Grandma came up to me and asked, “You cold?”
“Very much,” I said, my rain gear no longer insulating me.
She smiled as she put her hand on my shoulder.
Lilja said, “Why don’t you hop in the shower and hand us the clothes you would like to be washed. We’ll do your laundry!”
I tried so hard not to scream from happiness at the feeling of hopping into a hot shower. After I was done, I threw on my rain gear as those were the only items that didn’t smell. When she saw me she said “no,” then walked me into her room and handed me her comfiest clothing to wear. My heart warmed.
I joined everyone in the living room. They gathered at the table while Lilja made hot chocolate which was then poured in grandma’s specially handmade ceramic cups. It had a design that had a draw to the eye, scattered with neutral earth tones.
“You are very talented,” I said.
We enjoyed slices of grandma’s freshly made chocolate cake that had a slight hint of coffee to it. It was divine. Nearly everyone took two slices.
I loved hearing them speak their native language. I knew nothing of what they were saying but it was playful and there was a lot of bantering. At first when I walked in, I thought they were having some sort of family party, but it turned out this was quite a regular day for them. There was so much laughter and healing energy, a true sense of family and connection. And then there was me, a random chick they took home. Although the situation might have seemed quite odd, I actually felt as if I slipped perfectly into their scene.
Suddenly, they began laughing about something in Icelandic and I joined them in smiling without understanding what was being said.
Lilja goes, “My son called Jökull’s son and said, ‘Mom and Dad met a girl on the mountain and brought her home because she was cold. She’s now sleeping in your bed.’”
I laughed so hard. “Oh man,” I said catching my breath, “not everyday it happens I guess.”
Their son was also an artist, specializing in a clothing brand with his art designs.
What a gifted family, I thought.
It seems like this trip I got to show a lot of young fellow artists that it is entirely possible to follow your dream of making art your living. It’s not necessary to spend thousands of dollars off of advertisements and other website related stuff. I guess it also depends on how one chooses to live and spend their money. I saved a lot through my apparent lifestyle choice.
After everyone left, I started walking to my room to get some rest. Before I closed my door, Lilja yelled, “Goda!”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not a fucking vegan are you?”
“God no,” I said, laughing. “I love meat.”
I got some rest, then later came down for dinner. Music was on, all of the candles around the room were lit—feminine touch at its finest. Lilja and Jökull were both in the kitchen. She was finishing up the entree while he had a drill in his hand and a screw in his mouth, working on getting a light set up in the ceiling.
“Do you guys need help with anything?” I asked.
“No,” she said, “this is just what ADHD looks like.”
“And I forgot to take my medication today,” he said as he pressed the button for the power drill.
Their dog greeted me hello then I ate more of grandma’s cake before the actual meal came out. I looked around the room and noticed a heaping amount of plants.
“I love the flowers,” I said.
“You know, funny story with the flowers,” Lilja said as she brought out the meal and set it in the center of the table. “Each one came with a boyfriend. And there’s about 30 flowers here.”
“Not surprised,” I said. Lilja had a very sensual/feminine energy. It was clear men would fall easily for her.
She called her son to come eat then we all gathered at the table.
In an attempt to introduce us, she said, “Alvar, this is Goda. She camps in her tent.”
“In Iceland?” he asked.
I laughed. “I would’ve been fine if I took my 0° bag.” I did find it humorous how it was the coldest place I’ve ever camped yet it was the one time I didn’t bring my mountaineering sleeping bag.
We ate pan-fried chicken with lemon sauce and mushrooms with a side of potatoes, followed by more dessert.
“This is so delicious!” I said.
“Yeah,” Alvar agreed, “sometimes my mom threatens to not make food when she’s upset with me.”
He was only about 13 and appeared to be very hyperactive. I found it entertaining. He stood up and asked, “Can I show you something?!”
“Yes!” I said, “please do.”
He stood in front of us as if to put on a show then got on his tip toes and leaned his weight over them causing them to crack loudly.
“Oo!” we all yelled as we scrunched our faces, cringing from the sound.
Lilja joked, “Have kids, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.”
I collected everyone’s plates after dinner then thanked them greatly for the meal and warm space. I looked outside at the gloomy sky, the rain pitter pattering on the gutters. I could feel the chill of the air just by looking through the window.
I went upstairs, hopped into my bed and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” as I stuffed my face into the pillow, the mattress swallowing me whole in its warmth.
