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WIZZ MAGAZINE
T
here’sagiant rumble in thedistance, fol-
lowedbyacrash. “Didyouhear that?” says
glacierwalkingguideOrrinWhalen. “Thatwas
the soundof abloody ice fall!”Luckily,we’re
safelyat thebaseof theSvínafellsjökull glacier
afterourhike.
On thisbreathtakingoutletof the
Vatnajökull glacier– thebiggest icecap in
Europe– local companyMountainGuides
takesdaringwalkersonto the tongueof the ice.
Thisparticular spot isanactivevolcano. “It
goesoff every400years,” saysWhalen, “creat-
inganawesomecombinationof fireand ice.”
Strappingoncrampons, ourgroupplods
overcrunchy ice that’sbeenconstructedand
compactedoverdecades. “Imagineaglacieras
a slow-moving river,”Whalen says. “An icecap
isakindofbowl; over time it fillsupwith ice,
andat certainpoints itoverflows.Walkingona
glacier is likewalkingonmetresandmetresof
glass, onlywitha fresh, crispycoating.”
Adding to the thrill factor,Whalenpoints
outdangersaswe scale the face. Forone thing,
therearemoulins–circular, thinlycovered
pocketsof ice that lead todeepvertical shafts,
droppingup to100m into theglacier. “You
don’twant to stepononeof those,”a fellow
hiker tellsme. “Itwouldbegameover.”These
fascinatinggeographical phenomenonsare
theglacier’s“internal plumbing systems”,
according toWhalen.Underneathour feet lie
intricatecaves, tunnels, and streamsof fresh
flowingglacialwater.Weambleover toan
open streamwhereWhalen introducesus toa
‘glacial facial’.Whiledoingapress-up, hedips
his face into the icycold stream.Thenwe fill
upourwaterbottlesandenjoynature’s fresh,
unfilteredwater.
mountainguides.is
“Walkingona
glacier is like
walkingon
metresand
metresofglass”
SOUTH
Dosanddon’tsonIceland’smagiccircle
Do:
MakeanoteofIceland’semergencynumber,112,beforeyousetoff,andforroadandweatherconditionsjot
down1777.Alsocheckyourcar’sinsurancepolicyasmostvehiclescomebacktotheshopwithgraveldamage.
Don’t:
Forgettocheckyourroute.Ifgoingoffrouteone,someofIceland’sroadsturnintogravelpaths.Visit
greenmotion.comforareliable4x4andcoveragainstgravelandsanddamage.
BEHINDTHE
WATERFALL
More than60mhigh,
gallons ofwater
dropdown from the
Seljalandsfosswaterfall
every second. Bring a
raincoat and you can
get an entirelydifferent
perspectivebywalking
behind it and feeling its
spray. It’s a stomach-
churning feeling as you
look up and realise you’re
under agiant rock holding
tonnes of H2O.
Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon
Skaftafell
Reykjavik
