Significant mudslide on Esja

A substantial mudslide descended upon a popular hiking trail in Iceland's Esja mountain on the evening of July 23, completely covering the path leading to Steinn. Hiker Birkir Orri Jóhannsson reported the event, estimating it occurred between 9:20 PM and 9:40 PM.

Jóhannsson, who was descending the mountain with a companion, stated that the mudslide was not present when his friend began their descent around a quarter past nine. However, upon his own descent approximately 45 minutes later, the path was impassable due to the mud and debris. He shared information and a photograph of the mudslide on Facebook.

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That is precisely the reason I have such a good timeframe for this. When he went down, around a quarter past nine, the slide hadn't happened yet. It had, however, happened when I came down after my friend.

The likely cause of the significant mudslide is attributed to exceptionally heavy rainfall. Jóhannsson observed that the streams and rivulets on the mountain had swollen considerably from the time they started their ascent until they were heading back down. He likened the water levels to those seen when snowmelt occurs at the end of winter.

While Jóhannsson did not witness the mudslide occurring, he noted that the entire hiking path was buried. He was unable to warn any hikers heading up the mountain as he reached the parking lot around half-past eleven at night. A video shared by Jóhannsson further illustrates the extent of the mudslide's impact on the trail.

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The water levels yesterday were absolutely incredible, from when we started up until we were on our way down again, all the streams and rivulets had swollen.