Glaciers behind me, the ocean in front of me. What a dynamic landscape!
Svinafellsjokulsvegur
Driving up another gravel road toward another glacier. There’s a glacier toe to the right and to the left. Decisions, decisions!
Yet another amazing glacier in Iceland. If I had been standing where I was to take this picture 100 years ago, I would have been very much under a mountain of ice.
It is very difficult to get a sense of scale. This thing is HUGE.
Looking toward the ocean. The glacier used to extend much farther.
I’m loving these glaciers!
Check out the person in the foreground. The glacier behind is massive compared to him.
Falljokull
I drove up to a gravel pit near Falljokull in my little Toyota Yaris.
I then started hiking to the toe of the glacier. A few years ago, this glacier was much closer to the highway. Global climate change takes another victim.
Some of the gravel, ash, and rock being pumped out by the receding glacier.
One has to be careful crossing the moraine at the terminal face of the glacier. Hidden underneath are fast-melting pockets of ice that can leave void spaces for people to fall into. Since I was solo, I only walked where there were fresh footprints lest the ground give way underneath me and take me down into the depths of gravel and sand.
At the toe of the glacier. This is ice covered with dirt, dust, ash, and rock.
An up-close view. It is an extremely interesting melt surface.
I wish I had proper ice gear and a team to hike further up the glacier. Perhaps another time.
Panorama of the toe of the glacier.
One of the rickety bridges that a local guide service had placed across the melt water.
There was rope attached to the bridge and to a firm anchor. Evidently it is not a rare occurrence to have the bridge washed downstream.
A rainbow over the glacier.
Ice hiding under the gravel.
It is difficult to fathom how much ice is up above me in the mountains.
I was excited to be walking among the glaciers.
The sand and gravel right next to the edge of the ice was very soft.
Blocks of ice calving off the toe of the glacier.
A stream running down the top of the ice.
I heeded the warning and didn’t try a glacial traverse.
Another rickety bridge.
The glacier we see is just a tiny fraction of the volume of ice up above.