Glacier Hike, Iceland
With only 2 full days in Iceland, and a half day with a quick stop at the Blue Lagoon we had to maximise our time in the Island’s capital Reykjavik and see some of the majestic sites. We decided on a full day ‘Golden Circle‘ tour, seeing the great Geysir area, Gullfoss waterfall and Þingvellir national park, scene of the separating tectonic plates, along with a full day glacier hike.
Our glacier hike involved attaching ‘cramp ons’ to your shoes, grabbing some spikes/sticks/poles and walking up the frozen glacial tongue that is the Sólheimajökull Glacier on Iceland’s South Coast.
We had a small group, approximately 8-10 people and a very informed guide (who we were trusting to rescue us should we fall in a crevasse. Or crevice). After some quick instructions we were on the ice, heading somewhere upwards towards the Mt Hekla Volcano. This was 2007, two years before it erupted. “Oh we expect it to erupt any day now, we’ve been waiting,” the locals told me nonchalantly. Consequently I spent the next few hours looking over my shoulder expecting to see lava flowing down the glacier tongue and sweeping us out to sea. Dramatic? Me?
Despite the lack of volcanic explosions we thoroughly enjoyed our glacier hike and no one was lost inside a giant crack in the ice, swirling down below, Ice Age style. If you only have a few days in Iceland, a glacier hike is definitely a recommendation!
