Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.05.2008, Page 26

26 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 05 2008 | Article
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“Please be extremely careful when crossing the crevasses. They can
be 20 metres deep. If you fall down I’ll have troubles getting you up
again,” our guide, an experienced mountaineer, warned the group
before leading us to the margin of Sólheimajökull glacier. Sólheima-
jökull is an outlet glacier, extending from Mýrdalsjökull ice-cap on
the south coast of Iceland. It’s eight kilometres long but like most
glaciers, Sólheimajökull is retreating and the movement creates cre-
vasses and ice-caves, beautiful but a little dangerous to explore.
The glacier is a popular destination for first-timers as examining its
surface is usually an easy hike. We left Reykjavík in a calm weather
but typical with Iceland’s unpredictability, the breeze had changed
into a storm after the two-hour drive. All geared up with crampons
on our feet and ice axes in our hands, we walked slowly up the ice-
tongue with the wind beating us harshly. The storm grew with each
step until it became almost impossible to stand still. I asked the guide
if they ever took groups up in worse weather. “No, the limit is 16m/s”
he replied. By now, it was more than 20m/s in the worst blows. Need-
less to say, we had a hard time standing on two feet. The wind literal-
ly lifted one girl only minutes after her mother had stepped one foot
through a thin snow-bridge covering a crevasse. Luckily she didn’t
fall down but both were pretty shaken after the incidents.
For me, battling Mother Nature while exploring ice-crystals and
sculptures shaped by the moving glacier, made the hike much more
fun. The storm had calmed down when we stopped near our starting
point to admire an ice-cave, carved by the water melting from the gla-
cier. The ice looked like shining marble and I asked if it was possible
to go down and take a closer look. “Of course not”, was the answer I
was expecting but not hoping for. The ice could easily collapse, the
guide explained, leading to a certain disaster.
A group of tourists had now arrived on a bus, photographing the gla-
cier and the cave. Little did they know about the troubles we’d been
through for the past three hours. Although a bit exhausting, it was
though definitely a much richer experience.
Tour provided by Reykjavík Excursions:
BSI Bus Terminal
101 Reykjavík
Tel.: +354 562 1011
www.re.is
Stumbling Around
Glaciers