A year of opportunities: Waterfalls, Glaciers and Icebergs

I got ahead of myself yesterday and titled the post Day 3 & 4 and then only talked about Day 3 so today I will try to catch up. The challenge is that our days are long - not only in the amount of daylight but also in the things we are doing. Yesterday - Day 4 of our Iceland adventure was not only our busiest but also our most physical so far. First thing we headed to Skaftafell Park part of Vatnajokull Park. Vatnajokull glacier is the largest glacier in Europe and the park covers 12000 sq km - 10 percent of Iceland's surface. We climbed upstream to Swartifoss (which means black falls) - just a short walk, just under 2 km each way.

Swartifoss

Lesley on the trail

the view - halfway up

We then went on a 3 hour glacier hike on a small finger of the Vatnajokull Glacier with Jons, our guide for the hike, 6 young ladies from South American and 3 well travelled Americans. After a quick lesson on how to put on the cramp-ons and a check that we have them on properly we were off.

a crevice in the glacier

just testing the waters - yes it is cold!

Barb and Lesley on the glacier - we made it up and down without falling down...

the glacier looks quite dirty - there is dirt plus ash from the 2011 volcano eruption

Jons with a moss covered rock - these rocks are on the glacier and picks up bits of dirt and the moss grows on them even as they rock moves slowly down the glacier - so the saying 'a rolling stone carrys no moss' is not true on this glacier...

After a quick lunch that included a tub of Skyr - a very yummy thick yogurt, we were off to Jokulsarlon and the promise of icebergs. Travelling the #1 highway is quite easy but we have learned that if several cars are pulled off either at a look-out or at the side of the road that we should too. So just before our targeted destination, Lesley noticed several cars pulled off the road. We pulled over and on foot headed up a steep hill and as we crested the top - the view took our breath away - we saw a lagoon full of icebergs - there must have been hundreds - white, blue and some that looked like vanilla ice cream with chocolate ripples.

you can see the Breioarmerkurjokull glacier in the background

Jokulsarlon is the glacier lagoon of the Breioarmerkurjokull. 50 years ago the glacier reached the shore but the glacier recedes approximately 100 metres per year gouging out a depression that is filled with melted water and icebergs. Across the highway from the lagoon is the shore where chunks of ice play in the surf.