We had a foggy rainy hike on our way to Ketillaugarfjall. Lori climbed the peak, but since I was coming down with a cold, I opted to trade the rain for a hot shower. The spectacular views of the massive Vatnajökull glacier were not forthcoming.
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View Ketillaugarfjall, Iceland, 2013 in a larger map |
A circular sheep pen (check out the satellite view) |
Hikers in the mist |
The hikers descend the scree |
An interesting wall created by magma forcing its way
through a fissure |
Lori descends the scree slope |
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Wall detail |
A nearby stream with very thick moss |
These walls, which formed a cross, are still buried |
Bill scrambles up the scree |
Please tell me what this is! |
Colorful lichens adorn the rocks |
There are a lot of waterfuls in Iceland |
While half the team ascended the peak in the rain, we descended in the rain |
Please tell me what this is! |
Gunnar told us that the Icelanders do not have to carry much water since there is so much water on the trail, and it's safe to drink! |
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Please tell me what this is! |
The final descent through the hexagonal boulders from the basalt columns |
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We stopped for a quick glimpse of the Hoffellsjökull glacier from the moraine left from glacial retreat around 1900. There was a cold, driving rain so we traded the hike there for hot coffee and a visit at a museum to learn about a local author. Apparently, Iceland has the highest per-capita number of writers.
Our first glacier: the Hoffellsjökull |
We took a boat tour on the Jökulsárlón Lagoon (in the rain) to view more icebergs. The films Die Another Day and Tomb Raider were both filmed here. The river to the ocean was temporarily dammed off from the sea so that the lagoon would freeze over to provide the set that they wanted.
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View Jökulsárlón Lagoon, Iceland, 2013 in a larger map |
Viewing glaciers in the Jökulsárlón Lagoon (in the rain) |
Blue icebergs have been recently calved |
Black stripes are from ash from volcanic eruptions |
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Lunch in a quonset hut in the middle of nowhere (but at least out of the rain) |
Finally, we ended our day by strapping on crampons and walking across a glacier. It stopped raining!
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View Svinafellsjökull, Iceland, 2013 in a larger map |
Donning crampons for a little walk on the ice |
Hiking across the ice |
The ice is more transparent in a protected fissure |
Ice detail |
Bill ponders the massive pile of ice |
Looking into the sun, it seems that this is a black and white photo (but it's not) |
Lor and I having fun walking across the ice |
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An icy wall |
Formidable footwear |
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Photo by Dan Heller |
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Copyright © 2013 Bill Wohler Last modified: Sun Oct 20 14:22:27 PDT 2013 About photos |
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