After chillaxing near scenic Djupavatn lake and replenishing some of the energy by eating food I had brought, It was time to start moving again. Daylight was stepping on my heels. I still had more than half of the hike to do and it was already almost 8 o'clock. If you haven't seen any posts in this Hiking in Icelandic wild series then you can find these here...
Part 1: Crossing the Alien Planet-like Mountain Range
Part 2: Crossing the Mossy Lava Field Valley
Part 3: Hidden Gem, Djupavatn Lake
To continue with my hike I was able to use a 4x4 road that lead me to the south along lava fields in the valley between mountains.
I noticed some sheep roaming around the area on a hillside.
The scenery was absolutely gorgeous with some smooth fields and hills. After taking this photo, I found a cent on the ground. It was one Icelandic Kronur and it was minted in 1994, the year I was born. I decided to keep it as a souvenir. Unfortunately, I lost it again later in the hike and I was bummed about it.
Again, happened to see a small herd of sheep next to the trail I was on. I want to take the time and tell you about the Icelandic sheep a bit.
The Sheep, why special?
Icelandic sheep are considered one of the purest sheep breeds in the world. It is forbidden to import other sheep into the country and there is no cross-breeding which also eliminates many diseases it brings. They also have really strong immune systems. Originally the sheep were brought to Iceland with Viking settlers and Iceland sheep are genetically unchanged for more than 1000 years already.
Sheep in Iceland are used for wool, milk and meat production. Their meat is one of the best in the world in terms of distinctive taste. I can confirm, it's great. Sheep are not fed any hormones, antibiotics or grains. Instead, they eat only grass in summer and hay or silage during winter.
In the spring they are let outside to roam freely for the whole duration of summer. This breed has grown to love peace and a quiet lifestyle. This is the reason why they are everywhere. Doesn't matter where you drive during the summertime, you can see the sheep everywhere at the side of the roads or just roaming the fields and mountains. This also means that sheep are the biggest road hazard in Iceland. If you don't pay attention then it's not very hard to run them over.
In September, the event period named Rettir happens. It means gathering of sheep when farmers all over the country are herding their sheep together from the wild and relatives come together to help them do it. These sheep don't survive the winter if left outside. I have see the gathering in person in 2021 September.
Interesting fact: There are much more sheep in Iceland than people.
Yep, Iceland has about 370 000 people in total and about 500 000 sheep, usually even more in the wintertime. Maybe Iceland should be called the land of sheep not the land of ice and fire😅
Also, this sheep breed has a gene that makes them much more probable to give birth to triplets.
I tried to get close to the sheep to get some shots even more close-up but they didn't seem too interested in that. When I got too close, they turned their asses to me and started to go in another direction.
Okay, enough about the sheep. I hope you found the information fascinating!
For me, it was time to start moving again. Noticed that I had lost the trail map again... and I had no internet connection to reload it. Well, it's time to navigate with just a GPS signal. If you have even just a bit of skill in navigating then it should not be a problem to know in what direction to go. I knew that I needed to go east now but I had no trail going east. A bit later I found something that resembled some trail a bit. leading me over the hardened lava field.
That path over the lava field ultimately merged with another path. Now I was next to the mountain range that I hiked in the first post of this series and I needed to do it again, so at some point to reach a place I started. Had a short break there sitting on a rock.
Sitting there, watching the map and deciding on my next move, I made a drastic decision. I decided to abandon the paths and going back on the same route I came over these mountains. I decided to go and start climbing the mountains from this location where there is not a single trail. Loved the idea of making my own route, it's interesting because I don't know what awaits and if is it even possible to cross the mountains where I intend to get up to.
Either way, I should finally reach to the same location where I started my hike if I'm not stupid and go in a totally false direction.
The first hill was steep and rocky straight away you can see in the photo above. The adventure continues in the fifth and final post of this series...
Stay tuned!
Happiest sheeps on earth.
They are🙂
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