Hut or no hut. That is the question here.

The nightly shivering interruption in the sleeping bag was successfully resolved by an additional layer of clothing. We wake up comfortably in the tent in the morning. Relieved that it has only rained a little and we are still dry. It's 7 o'clock on the clock, so our bodies are still following their own routine.

Today, we are planning to work on the blog. But after visiting the washhouse, we are full of energy. It's unthinkable to lie back in the tent now. Especially because the Dane tells us about a good restaurant, well, a restaurant in Alfavatn.

So, we quickly dismantle the wet tent and happily head towards the breakfast stage; it's supposed to be 3.8 km. Easy, we think. But our bodies think differently. With beer for dinner and an energy bar for breakfast, they are not yet fully awake, and this first stretch is quite tough.

Lost in thought, we encounter many people in one spot. Bam, surprised by another stream. We skillfully change into our colorful sandals. And Anne also puts on shorts. Because her hiking pants can't be moved more than an inch.

We cross the river like pros. And if our perception doesn't deceive us, it is significantly warmer, lower, and narrower than that icy story from the previous evening. Easy!

The refreshing break also boosts our physical energy, and we continue our journey in silence. After the next fork, we catch a glimpse of the lake of Alfavatn and the little red houses. Yes! Burgers, coffee, sweets... we have many dreams and march on, motivated by what awaits us in the restaurant.

Too bad. Burgers are only available in the evening and they're always sold out. But that's okay. The little restaurant surprises us with typical Icelandic rules: backpacks wait outside, shoes stay in the entrance area. For us, we enter the small room overlooking the lake.

We have soup, bread, and hot cocoa. OMG. The best in the world. We sit there for two hours (again, without internet) and meet other Germans. A second course with coffee, sandwiches, and chocolate follows. Everyone is in a hurry, but we don't let ourselves be influenced, except by the panic of not having gloves. Everyone has them, except us.

As the last ones, we set off. The rain that was pouring in the meantime has stopped, and we start in dry conditions. Our last attempt to get gloves at the information center was unsuccessful. So, it has to be like this.

We are a little awestruck by the many meters in altitude we have to conquer today. Our bodies reward us with a brisk pace after a sufficient meal and a break. So it shouldn't be a problem!

One last stream is waiting for us. Just before, we meet a hiker who talks about ropes and currents. Crossing streams is THE thing on this hike, and people often talk about the difficulty and depth of the water. "How is the big one?", we are asked repeatedly and we can give a good report from the previous day. The worries about the unpredictable river at Porsmork are therefore ever-present.

We take advantage of the water break to take a short break and collect small black stones (what others carefully put in their pockets, can't be bad for us either). That was unconsciously clever because after that, we face a steep ascent of 300 meters in altitude. We climb higher step by step. We are relieved and almost emotional when we have conquered this mountain climb. And our reward is the colorful mountains.

Wow. What a view! It can't be described or captured in pictures.

We continue, and our sense of smell detects the sulfur that creates the colorful colors here. This smell of rotten eggs accompanies us for a long stretch and reminds us not to linger too long there. Today, there are no showers, just a brief thought. In the end, everyone is in the same stinky boat.

At the next entry point, we get a shock. Jule's knee has been bothering her since day one, and now a sudden pain prevents her from putting weight on it. There are still 5 kilometers to go to the destination.

We meet two girls who tell us about the strong wind at the hut. Now we are considering adding the descent to our hike. We would be dry down below and could simply spend tomorrow in the hot pot.

Unfortunately, time is against us here, and we postpone the decision until we reach the hut. An IBU for Jule should keep all options open for now.

In this final section, we are enchanted by the colorful mountains and fascinating terrain. And we can see our hut! We have had it in sight for the last kilometers and climb over the terrain.

It's laborious, beautiful, exciting, and also nerve-wracking when it comes to crossing the snow patches. We are grateful for the tracks left by other hikers, which mark a safe path through the meltwater.

We reach our hut at half past 7. It's super windy, the girls weren't exaggerating. The decision to continue hiking has already been made due to the time constraints. We ask for a bed in the hut and get a yes. We weren't prepared for that and have a beer first. Pringles complete the snack. After all the sweet energy bars, the savory snack is a delight!

We explore the area and meet the Germans from the morning. Today, we successfully exchange food and get cheese sandwiches (totally wrong to bring such things up here, our hiking women would say from day 1) and noodles with pesto to cook in the hut.

Cold, we claim our spots in the hut. How wonderful simplicity can be.