So it begins

On the water in the Westfjords

Published Date : June 15, 2013

I had been dealing with a bit of a sore throat all day yesterday.  It’s not uncommon after breathing all the dry air while diving.  This morning I woke up with a stuffed nose as well.  Great.  It looks like I caught whatever the kid on the plane had been coughing up.

Not about to let a little cold stand in my way, I had another early start.  With 24 hours of daylight, I’m finding my sleep cycles are quite disturbed at the moment.  I wake up frequently throughout the night and struggle to fall back asleep.  I’ll usually be up for good by about 6:30-07:00.  Despite the lack of deep sleep, I usually wake feeling well-rested so that’s something I guess.

I needed to be in ĺsafjörður by 08:30, but I also needed some breakfast, so I was on the road by 07:30 to make the half-hour drive through the mountain.  I think I’m starting to get the hang of this crazy tunnel now.  I headed for Bræðraborg Café, the meeting point for my kayaking trip today.  I enjoyed a delicious smoked salmon sandwich and the best hot chocolate I have ever had while I waited for the rest of the group to arrive.

I love kayaking, but it has been almost a year since I was last on the water.  I had originally planned on doing only a half-day trip, but the only one running was a full-day expedition.  Although, I was a bit concerned about my lack of fitness, I decided to go for it.  There was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to kayak in the Westfjords.

Haukur, our guide from Borea Adventures, was the first to arrive.  As he set about loading up the truck with gear, I finished my breakfast.  Mike and Kellun, a retired couple from Colorado, arrived a few minutes later.  It was to be only the three of us on the trip today.  Excellent!

We had about a half hour to drive to our starting point in Seyðisfjörður.  Along the way we all chatted and got to know one another.  Haukur explained to us that his name is Icelandic for Hawk.  Apparently it’s quite common for people in Iceland to be named for animals.  He was also born and raised in the area, so knew plenty of the history.

Reaching the water, we geared up and headed out to sea.  Dealing with both wind and the incoming tide, our paddle out of Seyðisfjörður was far more challenging than any of us had anticipated. It was a hard slog at first and my shoulders were screaming within seconds of being on the water.  After about 15 minutes I had warmed up though and fell into a comfortable rhythm.

Even Haukur was surprised by the challenge of the paddle, so we decided to stop for lunch early and wait for the tide to turn.  We pulled ashore in the shadow of a small church.  We were provided with a nice lunch of veggie sandwiches on home-baked bread rolls, tea, home-made granola bars and a blueberry muffin.  Haukur told us that there is only one wheat farm on Iceland, so all of the grain for bread comes from the same place.  The bread was baked locally in ĺsafjörður – the town is actually lucky enough to have two bakeries.  Most small communities have none and must have their bread trucked in from Reykjavik!

Haukur also told us about the nearby church.  His great-grandmother had been buried there after dying at the age of 104.  When she went to hospital at the end of her life, the staff were upset that they seemed to have lost her medical records.  The family had to explain to them that she had never seen a doctor before so had no records in the first place.

Bellies full, the tide turned, and the wind subsided, we hopped back into our boats to continue our journey.  The waters were now calm and the paddling much easier as we made our way past a couple of inactive cod farms with majestic snow-covered peaks in the background.  Rounding the tip of Hestur, we paused to enjoy the views and contemplate our next move.  The island of Vigur, a popular destination for birders, was 2km away.  Mike and Kellun were originally quite interested in visiting the island, but after a morning of tough paddling, we all decided against it.  The wind was picking up again in the open water and it would have been far from an easy journey.

Leaving Seyðisfjörður behind, we turned into Hestfjörður and began making our way back inland.  We stopped again for a rest and a snack near the ruins of an old farming village.  Haukur told us that his grandfather had grown up there on the windswept plateau.  One of 15 children (including 6 sets of twins!) they would have had a tough life in such a remote place.  Eventually, the comforts of life in town began pulling people away from the old farms.  We later learned that several of his grandfather’s siblings still have summer cottages in the area.

Back on the water one last time, we were faced with our most challenging paddle yet.  Fighting against the tide once more, the wind was now also kicking up swells of up to a metre.  Battling to keep our kayaks straight, Kellun started to run out of steam.  She had done incredibly well for a 66-year old woman who hadn’t really kayaked much before!  Haukur towed her through the worst of it, while Mike and I battled through the heavy swells.  Deeper in the fjord, the winds died down at last and the conditions greatly improved, although it was still far from easy.

Finally in calm waters, Mike and I enjoyed the antics of a curious seal while we waited for Haukur and Kellun to catch up.  After seeing nothing by jellyfish and puffin all morning, seeing the seal was a nice treat.

Our total paddling distance for the day was about 20km.  While the sea conditions were not ideal, it was sunny, warm and a beautiful day to be out on the water.

My arms started to ache on the drive back to ĺsafjörður, but I wasn’t at all surprised.  I had pushed myself well beyond my fitness levels for this trip.  I’m so glad I did though.

Back in town, we said our farewells.  I stopped to fill the gas tank in my car and picked up some more food for the next few days.  Then it was through the mountain once more and back to Korpudalur.  I was delighted to find I had the dorm room to myself again.

I chatted with a group of birders from Holland over dinner, then retreated to my room for a much needed rest.  I don’t think I’m going to be able to move tomorrow!