Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.05.2008, Síða 27

Destination | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 06 2008 | 27
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The change in landscape is dramatic: the colours
and shapes of birch trees, shrubs and other vege-
tation replace the largely mono-colour lava fields,
pastures and glaciers which make up much of
the views along the 340 km drive along Route 1
from Reykjavík along the south coast to Skaftafell
– a national park in the south-east of the country
which encompasses parts of Europe’s largest gla-
cier Vatnajökull.
Though the tourist season hadn’t yet
launched into full swing when we visited one Sat-
urday afternoon in mid-May, it nonetheless came
as a surprise to see the park all but deserted. Par-
ticularly considering Skaftafell is often referred
to, by guidebooks and locals alike, as being a
favourite destination for camping and hiking. But
while 160,000 visitors a year can’t be wrong, the
notoriously good weather, a result of Skaftafell’s
location sheltered by mountains and glaciers, was
yet to kick in leaving us to share the hiking trails
with just a handful of others.
As we were cutting it a little short to attempt
the six hour planned hike, we opted for the com-
fortable one hour paved track from the carpark to
Skaftajökull glacier. To be honest, our guidebook’s
description of the walk as being the most popular
and the glacier as being “ugly” was a little off-put-
ting. But as we made our way along the empty trail
past the green covered mountain slopes and vari-
ous mosses and wildflowers, which form a myriad
of colours on the rocky ground, neither of these
rang true. The park’s landscape – a rare combina-
tion of green forest, waterfalls, sands, mountains,
and glaciers – was formed by thousands of years
of volcanic eruptions and the movements of gla-
ciers.
As we approached the edge of the glacier,
jagged rocks and boulders, several small lakes
and the glacier itself came into view. Here we sat
in awe at the mighty glacier as we listened to the
trickle of the melting ice. The glacier is like a series
of ever-changing sculptures, with its black sands
and protruding sediments. Apparently, the glacier
can recede by up to one meter a day and has in
the past 50 years lost around 1 km in length.
After a brief introduction to the magnifi-
cence and diversity of the scenery of Skaftafell,
we aim to return later in the summer to explore
the extensive network of other hiking trails.
Text and photo by Zoë Robert
Skaftafell