The family’s fishing season got off to a late start this year, as we didn't wet a line until the tenth of June. At the time, we were staying at our summer cabin, Brautarlækur, at the top of Norðurárdalur. We have always wanted to walk along the eastern bank of Lake Langavatn, from the mountain hut Torfhvalabúð to the river Langavatnsá, which flows into the lake from the north. Saturday was the perfect day for this stroll, as the weather was pleasant—fairly bright with a northeasterly breeze.
After a thirty-kilometer drive down Norðurárdalur and a fifteen-kilometer drive up to the lake, we parked the car on the point where Guðrún hooked a char during a memorable trip over 22 years ago. There, we geared up with all the necessary equipment, and the man, woman, teenager, and dog set off. Knowing our limits, we maintained a steady, easy pace, and the walk in took us a full hour. The hike along the eastern bank is exceptionally pleasant, as there are no steep sections and a trail leads all the way to the end of the lake. The last-mentioned of our traveling companions, however, knew no such limits and dashed back and forth despite advice to the contrary. He would eventually have to face the consequences of that.
At the highest point stands a cairn, offering a beautiful view both north and south along the lake. To the north, the river Langavatnsá flows down Langavatnsdalur into the lake, forming a much larger estuary than we had expected. To the west of the lake is Langavatnsmúli, and to the east is Réttarmúlinn. The estuary looked promising for fishing, so we started there. We then fished here and there along the eastern bank until we made it back to the car. We thought we felt a few bites near the estuary and at the northernmost part of the lake, but we didn’t manage to land a single one.
When we got home, the dog was in a pitiful state, as he’s not used to such a trek. The poor thing was so sore after the hike that he moved around like a rheumatic old man. Now, as I write this on Sunday morning, he hasn’t budged from his bed. Actually, the same could be said for the teenager, though for entirely different reasons. For her, the hike along Langavatn had been a breeze.
