Day 7: Narrated by Alaina

Today was expected to be one of the longest days on our trip, but sadly, Mike had been fighting something and it all caught up to him the moment we arrived in Iceland.

We had already pre-paid for a glacier hike, so we decided Mike would stay back and relax at the house while I left and did the hike. The major issue was that it was a 2 1/2 hour drive so I was out by 6 a.m. driving to the eastern side of the country to Skaftafell where the largest glacier in Europe resides. The morning was foggy and I wasn’t able to see much outside of what appeared to be a vast area of moss covered lava fields. Slightly eerie but also very cool.

I arrived to the Glacier Guides headquarters and was immediately greeted by our fun and energetic guide, Aaron. I informed the team that I would be a single and not a duo (tear) and they got me geared up. We had a group of seven which was perfect for the excursion, we got in the bus and were taken to the drop spot.

This was my first glacier hike, and I learned so much in just those few hours. Glaciers are so big and strong, nothing get’s in their way. In addition, the team was busily putting up a bridge for the summer thaw as the base area changes on a daily basis. We couldn’t really see much of the glacier when we started due to fog, but I had a feeling it would eventually burn off.

After learning about shoe claws, removing one layer of my coat (it was getting toasty), we began our ascent. Knowing we were on a mammoth sheet of ice, that was moving, was adrenaline pumping. Aaron was awesome and claimed me as his co-guide, being the only single in the group, and taught us about the glacier as we went along.

Higher and higher we went, until we made it to the headwall of ice. Non of my pictures can truly explain how massive this glacier was, but along with being very cautious where we walked, we heard a large rumble and a part of the ice broke off nearby and fell. How cool is that! It was also a lesson of “don’t wander off”.

There was so much exploring, lots of laughs and this was our amazing crew:

We had representation from Taiwan, France and England. Not a bad group!

We drank from glacial springs, did Viking push ups, I may have almost fallen on my face (typical Alaina), and what I had wished most was that Mike had been there to experience something so cool.

 

When we got back down, we had all taken off numerous layers as it was so toasty. I may have quite a red face from the sun reflecting off the ice. Whoops!

Next stop: Jökulsárlón aka Glacier Bay

This was one of my top “must do things in Iceland” so I immediately started driving and now that the fog had burned off? Woah, was it gorgeous. You could see the massive glacier everywhere, the snow capped mountains, the sea. It was all stunning. Glacier Bay was about 30 more minutes east and when I arrived, it lived up to my expectations:

The fog was pretty thick, but after about 10 minutes, it lifted and I could see the bigger portions of the glacier. These chunks fall off and slowly make their way to the outlet to the sea. These pieces were massive and the blue colors that were being displayed,unforgettable. In addition, two seals decided to pop up and say hello.

I had fun watching the pieces slowly move down and couldn’t take enough pictures (although I forgot my big camera and was really angry at myself for doing so).

I then crossed the road and went to explore diamond beach. What is diamond beach you ask? When the glacier pieces finally get through the outlet, the ocean is so strong that it pushes the pieces onto a shore nearby. With the black sand and the bright ice pieces, it looks like a beach filled with, you guessed it, diamonds!

It was here that I most missed Mike because he would have absolutely loved it. Walking through the ice chunks, there was an array of sizes:

The air was misty and the waves crashing:

It was just one of those perfect moments that wasn’t perfect because Mike wasn’t with me. With a sigh, I headed back to the car to go check one final thing off my list.

I began driving back towards our house but with a stop in mind: Fjadrárgljúfur Canyon. With the long days (sunset is around 10 p.m.), I was able to cram a lot in!

This canyon was something out of a fairy tale with its rounded edges and moss covered ledges. I arrived and it was definitely getting darker but considering I was in the safest country, wasn’t really worried. I started the mini walk up and at the first lookout, struck up a conversation with a guy that was also by himself. Funny enough, he was from the states… but not just any state… Maine! Connor grew up in Portland and is now living in Charleston.

We ended up being canyon buddies, taking each other’s pictures and it was awesome. The Canyon was a lot of fun, with its scary parts:

 

Connor is doing the ring road in a camper van, and I am not going to lie, I was a little jealous! He also was the one that took this picture after I climbed over the safety rope. Oops! ?

It was a great ending to the day, but it was time to get home to Mikey. Hopped back in the car and passed through farm land, moss covered lava fields, ash fields, what looked like could be a hobbit town, and everything in-between. I guess that is what everyone was talking about when they said Iceland has a million different landscapes. I will take it.