Sólheimajökull Glacier, Iceland
It did not stop raining all day long. Wearing a base layer, top, jumper and waterproof trousers and coat did not stop me being soaked to the core. But it was worth it.
Approaching Sólheimajökull glacier on Iceland’s south coast is mesmerising. You can see it rise up from the far side of the lake like an impenetrable fortress, tiny ant-like people are scaling its walls with ropes and icepicks, and the grey sky sits upon this huge frozen kingdom. We don lethal looking crampons and clasp at our icepicks as we cross over huge islands of ice, gradually rising to the top of the glacier.
There are sink holes dotted over the surface of the glacier that you definitely do not want to get too close to, less you fall in and eventually we swept out to sea. The colours of the ice are many and ribbons of black volcanic sand stripe through the frozen landscape. There are times when it might cross you mind that you are stood on something that is not altogether stable as you see rivers of water flowing underneath the surface you are walking upon, and also when you step over deep and dark cracks in the blue ice.
Top tip for glacier walking: Aside from ensuring you go with a qualified guide with the proper equipment, I would recommend taking a change of clothes (vest, jumper, scarf) and keep a small towel in your day pack. If you are out all day in Iceland, at some point it is likely to rain and I am glad that we had enough dry layers between us to re-dress and get warm after our Iceland glacier adventure.
More on Iceland here.
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Thanks for a great blog, I have nominated you for the “The Versatile Blogger’s Award”
You can read more about it here: http://ynnej1976.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/the-recognition-of-other-bloggers-passing-it-on/
Thank you for the nomination for the Versatile Blogger award! I will post about it soon and enjoy keeping up with your blog and checking out the other nominees.
Those are great tips for keeping dry – and safe! Beautiful picture too
Amazing photos Sara! I cannot wait to visit Iceland! Bookmarking your post for future reference!
Thanks! Come back and visit my blog again soon; more posts on Iceland to come! When are you planning your trip to Iceland?
Unfortunately not anytime soon … But within the year – I hope!
What a beautiful land. I would love to visit Iceland some day.
The geography and geology of Iceland is so varied; there is something for everyone. If you do plan a visit let me know if you need any tips or have a qustion to ask and I will do my best to help if I can. Happy travels!
I just returned from my trip to Iceland and just did my glacier hike here! Have you seen Chasing Ice? SÓLHEIMAJÖKULL is featured in it!
Hope you had better weather than I did! Not jear of Chasing Ice; do you have a link so I can check it out?
http://www.chasingice.com/
Make sure to check it out! An amazing film especially if you’ve been to Iceland. Inspiring!
This looks really interesting; I will be watching this soon!
Stunning view of the glacier!
Beautiful photo of the glacier. Thanks for stopping by and liking my Dolomite wildflower photos.
No problem – you have some beautiful photographs on your blog. Will be back for more soon!
I have never seen a glacier and that is why I find this post very interesting.