I would like to tell you the highlights of my 8th day in this beautiful land of Iceland. I woke up at 8:30, which is a bit late for this trip. I’ve been able to sleep easier because I pull my wool hat over my eyes before I fall asleep. I got dressed in a hurry because I wanted to go on the glacier hike today, and it began at 9:00 AM. I packed some stuff in my pack and then went up to the information center and got some snacks for the hike. I got a cup of tea and then paid for the five hour glacier adventure. Joana, the girl I met last night was joining us. There were only about six of us altogether. When I was in New Zealand at Fox Glacier, there were like 18 or 20 people up on the glacier. Our guide’s name is Doddi, and he showed us how to put on the crampons and the harness. Afterward, we were off to the glacier. We all piled into the jeep and we were there after about a 10 minute drive. The first few minutes of the hike were up and over the moraines, and then we put our crampons on and climbed up on to the glacier. This glacier is much larger than Fox Glacier. At the glacier terminal, it was very dirty. As we started to ascend higher, the glacier was much cleaner and the view even better. At one point, everyone stopped to fill their water bottles with clean glacier water. I didn’t have a water bottle, so I ate some glacier ice that I broke up with my ice axe. Another thing about today is that it was sunny out. When I was glacier hiking in New Zealand, it was very cloudy and depressing. Doddi cut out stairs in some places there were steep. In one place, I used all of my might to climb part of the glacier. I’ve done this before, so I have experience! In some places we had to turn and take another route because the shape of the glacier had changed from the previous days. The hike up was exciting and exhilarating with many impressive photo opportunities. This is another place that kind of looks like Antarctica. Doddi pointed out a glacial cauldron, which is a hole in the glacier filled with flowing water. The reason we had to wear a harness is in case we fell into a crevasse or cauldron, but the cauldron would be more dangerous to fall into. On the third quarter of the hike, we were at the most difficult stage. The glacier was a bit steeper and the crevasses were horizontal rather than vertical. I want to tell you one thing about glaciers: there are so many different geological words involved with them. Glaciers all shape the land in so many different ways. The final quarter of the hike was the easiest. The ice was pure white with few crevasses. We then continued up for about 1 km more before reaching out highest point. It was so beautiful; the perfect setting for pictures. I sat down with the group and ate my snack. Yesterday I got some of these Icelandic pastries that are like a donut. The air was very fresh, and I was admiring this incredible opportunity. I felt like I could have climbed even higher for a moment. I have now climbed glaciers in two different countries: New Zealand and Iceland. I’ve also climbed glaciers in both hemispheres. As we were relaxing, Doddi got a radio call from the group leader at the peak of Hvannadalshnúkur. We spent about 20 minutes resting before beginning the long descent. The route down was a bit difficult in some parts. We stopped for breaks every so often and I stopped for a photo or two. Toward the end of the descent, Doddi showed us an ice cave. I got a photo of me inside of it. We then hiked over the dirty part of the glacier again. I fell at one point and hurt my leg a little because I didn’t realize I was still on ice. Shortly after, we took off our crampons and the next group showed up. We handed our ice axes off to them and then we started driving back to the campground. At the campground, I thanked Doddi and I gave Joana a big hug and she gave me her email. I went into the shop and got a Diet Coke to celebrate a great day! I’ve had two good days of hiking here in Skaftafell National Park. I was hungry and I got a cup and noodles to eat, and I then just sat at the table and relaxed for about an hour. I was talking to some people from the U.K., and they even say Iceland is expensive. The U.K. is very expensive to Americans. I was thinking earlier that I could possibly hitchhike back to Reykjavik because the bus costs almost the equivalent of $100 and it’s the exact same route. I’m going to have a lot to pay on my credit card when I get back home. I then went on the Internet (which is about $5 for 20 minutes), and emailed everyone telling them about Skaftafell. Chrissy wrote to me wishing she was here with me and I also told everyone how expensive this place is. I then got some pretzels and a carton of milk, and then hung around outside the information center. I asked a few people if they were headed back to Reykjavik, but no one was. I talked to this couple with their young son that were headed to Seyðisfjörður to catch an automobile ferry to mainland Europe, and I was thinking maybe I could join them and I could catch a flight to Reykjavik from Egilsstaðir, but I couldn’t be sure if the flights were full or not. I’m a bit upset that I didn’t prepare for how expensive this place is. I mean, I’ve spent more here in one week than I did one month in Australia. At 8:00, I went back to my tent. I haven’t had a shower in three days because there is no hot water. However, I may have to take a cold shower at some point in my travels. I’m still not sure where my next trip will be, but I’m thinking of someplace cheap like Thailand or Central America. I shouldn’t complain about the costs, because it’s more about the experience. I’m going to miss this beautiful country a lot when I leave, but I’ve made my mark here! I have another busy day tomorrow and I need to rest. See you soon.
