Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.07.2010, Blaðsíða 46

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34
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2010
It was a sunny, Friday morning in Reykjavík.
The air was still and the sky was clear; the
perfect kind of day to drive out east and hike
up a big pile of ice. The plan for the day was
a short, five-hour drive to Skaftafell, followed
by a two-hour adventure on vatnajökull, and
finally a relaxing boat tour of jökulsárlón, the
Glacier Lagoon. I wasn't entirely sure what
to expect, but my bag was packed with some
warm clothes, a light snack and a lot of excite-
ment.
I showed up to the Iceland Excursions office on
Lækjargata at an early 7 a.m., meeting up with my
companion for the day who was equally excited and
curious about what was in store for us. The tour
we joined was called Vatnajökull Voyager, and the
brochure spoke of ancient ice, deep crevasses,
and...Icelandic waffles? My curiosity was certainly
peaked. A few minutes past 7:30, we boarded the
bus and were on our way to Europe’s biggest gla-
cier, and what would turn out to be an unforgettable
experience.
journey to the East
The drive seemed to fly by, stopping a few times on
the way to let us stretch our legs and maybe grab a
quick snack. It was still pretty early and quite a few
of us caught some Zzzs on the way to our destina-
tion. We arrived at Skaftafell National Park just in
time for a lunch of hearty mushroom soup and a
small sandwich, provided by the tour operators. Af-
ter filling up on lunch, I took the time to change into
my activity-appropriate clothing and hiking boots.
Fortunately, if I would have forgotten something,
the nice folks at Glacier Guides have warm jackets,
gloves, and other outdoorsy items to let, which is
really convenient.
Our glacier guides for the day, Óskar and Danni,
then helped fit each of us with a set of crampons,
metal spikes for the bottoms of shoes (to facilitate
walking up chunks of ice), and an ice pick. The two
rugged Icelanders assured us that the ice pick was
really just to help with walking, not to ward off any
polar bears or to climb our way out of any crevass-
es. I took their word for it as the difficulty level for
this trip was marked as a 1-2 out of possible 5.
After a quick bus ride, we were at the site of
Virkisjökull, one of the many outlets jutting off of
the Vatnajökull glacier. This is where we would put
our crampons and axes to use. Óskar and Danni
provided some helpful walking techniques on what
to expect up on the ice, then we were off. It was a
short walk to the glacier, past many growing moss-
es and lava formations. According to our guides,
the path we were taking had been covered by this
enormous glacier just fifteen years earlier.
Walk like a penguin
As we got closer to the giant beast that is Vat-
najökull, a light drizzle began to fall and huge piec-
es of ice started appearing alongside us. Before I
knew it, the dirt and rocks beneath my feet turned
to white, frosty ice and the realization hit that: I was
walking on a glacier. Talk about a wake-up call.
Most of the hike was uphill, but the crampons
really make you stick to the ice; it’s what I’d imagine
having bear claws is like. The adventure can be a
bit trying for those of us who don’t hike regularly,
but the trek stopped at many points along the way,
allowing us to catch our breath, take some stunning
pictures, and for our guides to point out some of the
interesting things about the glacier itself.
One of the unique features our guides pointed
out to us was the huge winding holes, seeming to
drill straight down into the ice. These swirling ice
slides of doom are called “moulins” after the French
word for windmill. Needless to say, don’t fall down
one and you’ll live to brag to everyone back home
that you walked on a glacier in Iceland.
Our guides also peppered our journey with
some history of Vatnajökull and facts about its cur-
rent state. Sad to report, this monstrous and beau-
tiful ice deposit is currently melting faster than it
can grow, receding about a metre each year. We
tried not to let that fact get us down and instead
savoured the amazing views and sipped at some of
the delicious glacier water flowing right by our feet.
Ice floats
Before we knew it, it was time to head back. What
had at first seemed a daunting task had become
amazingly enjoyable. I know many of us dragged
our crampon-clad feet as we hiked back down the
glacier. But, other sights awaited us, so back on the
bus it was. This time our destination was Jökulsár-
lón, the beautiful glacier lagoon.
The lagoon, home to Iceland’s deepest point at
almost 248 metres to the bottom, never looks the
same twice. The huge icebergs taking up residence
in the lagoon have broken off of Vatnajökull and
find themselves in a different position every day. It
really is a sight to behold: a lake full of white-ish
blue forms peacefully drifting. Besides ice, you can
also spot a few of the indigenous species of birds
that have homes around the lagoon as well as the
occasional seal.
Before we boarded one of the amphibious car-
boats to tour the lagoon, we stopped for a taste of
some genuine Icelandic baking, Icelandic waffles
with cream and rhubarb jam. While the rain had
stopped, the sky was still a bit overcast and there
was a slight chill in the air, but that’s nothing a hot,
fluffy waffle can’t cure.
After quickly munching on some waffles, we
donned some life vests and boarded the boat. Our
tour around the lagoon provided a neat view to this
beautiful, natural wonder. The guide explained that
the blue colour of the ice is a result of ice being
unable to absorb the colour blue. The less oxygen
in the ice and the more compressed it is, the bluer
it appears. We were also given a sample of ice that
was around 1000 years old, verified by carbon dat-
ing and its pure, crystal-clear appearance.
On beyond Reykjavík
Jökulsárlón having been properly explored, it was
time to make the trip back. We stopped off at the
Skaftafell National Park, returned our crampons
and borrowed clothing, bid adieu to the friendly
Glacier Guides and boarded the bus back to Reyk-
javík. It had been a long, enjoyable trip and it was
time to head home.
The bus trip back was fairly uneventful. Many
of us chatted about how spectacular the glacier
had been; a few were even planning on schedul-
ing more hikes during their stays. After a quick,
15-minute stop at the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, an im-
pressive gorge with a pleasant view of the Fjaðrá
river, we carried on to Vík where we stopped to buy
some dinner.
Sitting there at the small roadside grill in Vík,
looking out at the impressive black-sand beach,
my companion and I could not stop discussing the
beauty of Iceland. Reykjavík is a wonderful city,
perhaps even my favourite, but living there it can be
easy to forget that there’s a whole country outside
its limits. Iceland is an amazing place, with stagger-
ing mountains, exquisite waterfalls, some breath-
taking glaciers, and nature everywhere you look.
So, take some time off from the city, book a tour,
and get out there and see for yourself!
Travel | Glacier Hiking
Walking On Ice
A day spent exploring some of Iceland's glaciers
Trip provided by Glacier Guides.
Book trip: +354 571-2100 or info@glacierguides.is
Lift from Reykjavík to Skaftafell was provided by Iceland Excursions.
ALLISON SAvAGE
HENRIEKE MüLLER