The Ice of Iceland (Finally!)

I've been trying to figure out what I wanted to post on today, I still have so much to cover about Iceland; it truly was an amazing experience to go there! And then I realized.... I've been talking about Iceland so much, and never even about the ice there. 

Sorry, there's no more ice in Iceland. Global Warming. Oops. Bye. 

Just kidding! For me, viewing the glaciers here in Iceland was one of the greatest experiences that I can remember; although I've been to Alaska when I was young, I really can't recall anything this fantastic about the glaciers. The one glacier I saw in Canada was nothing in comparison to these glaciers. The only thing I remember about the glacier I saw in India was just the hike up there; the hike was long (14 hours, I'm not kidding!) and tiring. So even if you don't go to Iceland, thats okay because there are still many other glaciers around the world! If you ever get a chance go and see one!

Quick tip for all those people who don't speak Icelandic: jökull actually means glacier, so the next time any complicated name has jökull as an ending, you'll now know its a glacier!

I never really typed in the name; my first view of Myrdalsjokull

This was one of my first views of any glacier up-close. We'd picked up some hitchhikers on the way, and they were about to go glacier trekking, so we decided to go and see this glacier.  I remember thinking when we got there, "Finally, we actually see a glacier. This must be where all the ice is!"And I also remember falling down quite a bit, because lets face it, this path looks a bit rocky. Near this glacier was a pool of murky brown water, with glacier fragments floating around in it. (Oh no, it's melting!) We got pretty close to the beginning of the glacier, and then we decided we'd come back tomorrow to do some glacier trekking.

The rock-filled sediment water!

While we were setting up for the glacier trekking, we were being taught some information about the equipment that we would use to hike up the glaciers. Since glaciers are pretty icy and really hard when you fall (trust me, personal experience) you need special attachments to shoes, known as crampons. They're like pointy little metal traps that you step in and tie into your shoe. Although they're definitely useful for staying in place on the glacier, they're actually pretty difficult to walk in. Through the journey, several people ripped their pant legs, because while walking normally the crampons come to close to the legs of our pants, and they're very pointy, so the pant legs tend to rip when they come in contact with them. Just in case we ever fall and we need some grip to remain stable, we're also given these walking sticks, which look almost like adjustable ski poles. And to top it all off, just like with any other dangerous sport, we're given helmets to at least protect our heads if we fall!

I think this was one of my favorite moments on the trip; although I was worried that I was completely destroying something that had been there for thousands of years. (To top it all off, the tour guide was telling us about how badly recent changes have been affecting the glacier and how much it has receded in the past couple of years... I wasn't sure if it was our fault for walking on the glacier, or whether the change in temperature over recent years had affected the glacier that drastically.) And I'm pretty proud of myself, for hiking around a large glacier that had been there for many years and actually not falling for once!

The lovely scenery.... oh and me!

While trekking and enjoying the scenery, I was also really worried, because I wondered how much dirt each tourist's crampons contained, and the effect that it would have on the glacier.  I began to consider if a lot of this dirt already present on the glacier was due to other tourists; but it's actually something called moraine. This glacier is in the process of forming a valley, and so when the glacier rubs against the mountains on the surrounding sides, the mountain begins to crumble, and the dirt remaining is left on the glacier. So I guess it's not really all my fault!

I was actually really scared of falling into a crevasse when I was hiking...

Even though there's moraine just about everywhere on the glacier, the water is still fresh and pure; it's one of the reasons my dad and I both love Icelandic water! (Icelandic water is taken directly from the glaciers) So we actually got to drink the water thats been solidified in a glacier for thousands of years! And can I just say the water is really good!

Remember when I said that my family and I got lost somewhere in Skaftafell National park? Well, I guess you could say we first got lost in this view, because this part of the Vatnajökull is so breathtaking! Although it's shrouded by some clouds in this picture, this should just give you a glimpse of how big the entire glacier would be if this is just a little part of the entire glacier!

Just a bit closer to Vatnajökull

Even better than the entire glacier trekking experience however, was actually floating around in a lagoon with the glaciers; the boat trip in the Glacier Lagoon. This beautiful lagoon was actually partially created by global warming! It's hard to believe that something so beautiful can be formed by something that's actually destroying the glacier bit by bit. This is actually the deepest body of water in Iceland! (I believe it's actually a large lake, but I actually don't remember) Seeing the full glacier itself was an amazing experience, along with walking on it, but coming close to the icebergs broken off from the glacier was something that's unforgettable! The cute little seals floating around in the water, the beautiful chunks of glacier bits that were icy white and blue all made this experience amazing! (I'm not even kidding, the seals were just swimming around the entire lake; they were so adorable!)

The boat we were on was called an "amphibian boat" because it could work on both land and water, a mechanical amphibian. When I first heard the name, I thought we were going to ride a giant mechanical frog, and I don't even have the excuse that I'm 4 years old. I guess there isn't an age limit on using your imagination!

My mom, the master photographer, and the child who's wearing her mother's shoes. Shoe models? I think so.

What I loved about this view especially was the lovely shade of blue on the ice. What happens is that a lot of these icebergs that have broken off from the main glacier are actually mostly submerged under the water, and so when they tip over and tilt under their own weight, the newer parts of the icebergs are actually more blue to the eye. Or if you don't really understand, just remember "blue is new" and "icebergs are pretty" and you should be okay.

Right above, you'll see a picture of me eating Icelandic ice. But it's not just any ice, it's 800 year old ice, that was about to melt! And if you can believe it, it tastes better than the tap water, and the fridge water!

If you decide to count the number of exclamation marks I've used throughout this entire post, you'll realize how excited I was writing this! The glacier adventures were some of my favorite parts of this entire Icelandic adventure. And the best part is, this beautiful lake and parts of glaciers, can actually be spotted directly from the freeway! So if you're running short on time, it's really easy to just take a couple of pictures and be on your way!

You should keep an eye out for my next blog post about the animals I saw on my travels in Iceland!