Day 10, June 25, 2005: Glacial fun at Jöklasel
So much for the great weather. There's a slight drizzle outside and we have a feeling we might not see the sun again
for a couple of days. It's dampened the air but not our spirits
as we're heading up the Vatnajökull glacier at Jöklasel this morning.
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We were supposed to meet the Glacier Tours people at a turn in the main road near Smyrlabjorg, about 40 minutes drive
away from our guest house at Arnarnes. On the drive there, See Ming said some of the sheep looked funny.
I stepped on the brakes, brought the car to a grinding halt and said, "Those aren't sheep. Those are reindeer."
The car behind us came to a complete stop as well and I was half expecting him to come over and yell at me, but he
just poked his camera out the window and started snapping pictures too. We sang Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer the
rest of the way.
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One of the many tongues of the great Vatnajökull - the largest glacier in Europe. If you look at any physical maps
of Iceland, there will be a blotch of white towards the southeast almost too big not to be a misprint - that will
be Vatnajökull.
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The side of the mountain where we waited. I think that little stream is fed by the melting snow.
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This Superjeep (4WD with big tires and raised suspensions) was to take us up and down the mountain.
The second person from the left was our very capable driver, who managed to stick to the narrow trail despite
the fog and the rain. (Visibility was so low on the way down, there were a few occasions when I expected her to
turn one way and she turned another. Fortunately for everyone, I never got to drive the vehicle,
so we got back down safely).
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The rough surface of the ice.
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The winding trail.
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When we got up to the glacier restaurant at Jöklasel, there is the option of continuing to the top on the
Superjeep or on snow scooters. The Superjeep tires had to be deflated somewhat to get a better grip on the
ice and snow.
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No prizes for guessing which option we took
All geared up and ready to go. Looks like somebody got the kids' version of the overalls.
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This mountain man was our guide, Borka. He was to lead the way and we'd form a straight line and follow his tracks
to keep from falling through thin ice into crevices. We actually drove over some small crevices. They were only a
few inches wide, but I don't know how deep they were.
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All smiles before the ride up to the peak. These things aren't built for people my size. It took a lot of effort
just to steer them. At quite a few places, the slope of the mountain pulled me off to the wrong side and I
found it just close to impossible to stick with the pack. I started leaning further off to the sides to steer
the scooter, which stuck my face out from the windshield and into the blistering cold breeze. At one point, the
slope got so bad, I had to stop the scooter for fear of sliding further down the mountain and Borka came to around
steer it back uphill. Yes, it was a little embarassing.
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At the top, everyone was peering over the cliff.
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This is what they saw.
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Yay me. I was trying to catch the wind and stay standing balanced on my heels. Haven't you ever done that?
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Two little mushroomheads at the peak.
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We rode up to another peak which had these weird shapes in the distance.
We weren't to go near them. They were large crevices.
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My wife having a go at the scooter
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Back safely at Jöklasel. Hey, a reward!
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We had a quick coffee and came back down the mountain through the thick fog.
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The weather was not encouraging for more outdoor activities, so we spent the rest of the afternoon at Höfn.
We had a sandwich and a doughnut at the supermarket and met a friendly Canadian couple, Sandra and Vern.
(Sandra's ancestors were from Akureyri and their family migrated to Canada when they were driven out by a
volcanic eruption. It was a historical visit for them as she's the first person from her family to return
to Iceland and retrace their roots).
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