In the lava desert. Again.

Askja, Caldera, Öskjuvatn, Ódáðahraun, Vatnajökullnationalpark — Öskjuvatn under a blanket of fog during blue hours in early August 2022. Seen from the western caldera rim.

Three years passed by and I finally made it again to the little lava desert in the northeast of Iceland. While Germany was in its, now usual, draught and heat wave, we had to endure unusual amounts of precipitation and a lot of wind instead. But good it was! We walked from a secluded side valley of Bárðardalur to Askja and ended in Svartárkot.

Some first impressions are in the gallery below. More may come later...

Special thanks to KIP!

Start in a secluded side valley of Bárðardalur.

We waited four days at the foot of Fjallsendi for clearing weather.

Trölladyngja. Actually, we wanted to spend a few days up there. It turned out differently because of the weather.

A short and violent storm surprised us in Askja.

Searching and finding different ways to leave Askja. Here: Tanni.

PS: Uplift at Ólafsgígar is now above 350mm...

Update October 2021:

Three new galleries from an extended walk on Öskjuvegur in the year of 2016:

ÖSKJUVEGUR

Askja, uplifting

Askja, Caldera, Ódáðahraun, Öskjuvatn — View towards Askja from Erkesfell.

Alas, again I have no new images from Ódáðahraun this year... Nevertheless, it is time for some news from the heart of Ódáðahraun. An uplift of now (middle of October) almost 150mm is being measured amidst Askja since middle of August. It could be magma accumulation a few kilometres below the surface. For many years there has been deflation in the area, so this is an important change in the volcanos' behaviour. The landrise currently occurs below the areas called Ólafsgígar, Mývetningahraun and below Öskjuvatn. Let's see what happens next.... At least it is a good opportunity to publish some yet unpublished panoramas here.

Daily Vedur.is GPS Measurements around Askja: Link (-> Ólafsgígar OLAC)

https://www.almannavarnir.is/frettir/ovissustig-vegna-landriss-i-oskju/

July 2013: Standing on crevassed Mývetningahraun where it plunges into Öskjuvatn.

Uplift, Askja, Eruption, Earthquake, òlafsgígar, mývetningahraun, myvetningahraun, Iceland — Unbelievable light situation at the southwestern edge of Öskjuvatn. You can see the lavafield Mývetningahraun disappear into the lake on the left hand side. Ólafsgígar are located behind ar the northeastern shore.

Askja, Öskjuvegur, Caldera, Uplift, Landrise, Ólafsgígar, Mývetningahraun, Öskjuvatn, Dyngjufjöll — Askja seen from the Austurfjöll in the wintery summer of 2015.

Of course you are welcome to visit my dedicated ÓDÁÐAHRAUN galleries, though

many photos from recent trips are still missing...

Eckerstausee, 2020

Something for the time being...

Venus (long time exposure / Langzeitbelichtung)

Venus and the Pleiades / Venus im Sternbild der Plejaden

Ódáðahraun, August 2019

In the last years I spent well over 100 days hiking in the lava field of evil deeds. But painful feet of eternal hikes over sharp-edged lava are quickly forgotten in such moments as this distant view to the queen of all mountains. More than 50 km away from my position at the western edge of the Ódáðahraun she towers over the hostile lava shield of Kollóttadyngja. And when a group of Icelandic horses joins in at the right moment: