May 26th, 2016

Remember how I said that the hike in Grundarfjörður was one of the hardest in my life? Well after today I feel the need to  retract that statement. 

Today we a went to Breidamerkurjökull, a glacial lagoon that serves as the outlet to the largest glacier in Iceland, Vatanajökull. The Jökulsa river is what brings the icebergs, melt water and sediment into the ocean not too far away. 

To say that it was windy would be the understatement of the century. As we arrived we saw hundreds of Arctic terns both on the grounds and futilely trying to fly. The bus stopped and the wind rocked the bus back and forth. I lost balance as soon as I stepped off the bus due to the force of the wind. We walked with the wind to our back down to the lagoon. 

The lagoon was filled with large, blue icebergs calving off of the glacier.  I have seen many images and movies of calving glaciers, but I never expected to see them for myself. The ice that made it ashore was crystal clear and was just like an ice sculpture. The wind and the rocks made them uniquely textured. We walked along the rocky shore for about two hours looking at the icebergs. We reached the end of the beach and reconvened on top of a moraine. At this point my feet were really hurting. The loose rocks and sand on the shore of the lagoon made walking very difficult and stressful on your body. Group pictures happened and then it was time to turn back.

The wind was just an inconvenience on the way down, but it was flat out challenging on the wall back to the bus. I have experienced some strong winds in my life, but never anything like this. Each step felt like there was someone trying to push you back. The intense wind plus the loose footholds made the trek back painful. It was an hour of pushing through the pain and wiping dust out of your eyes. My legs were on fire, and I couldn't feel my right foot by the end. Stopping would just make it worse, so we pushed forward until we reached the entrance.

I sat down on the bus in extreme relief. Then I felt my hair. I now have a single dreadlock instead of hair. 

Although it was painful and I thought I was going to die from a 6 mile hike, it was incredible. I feel very lucky to be able to see what I saw today. The extreme conditions just made it much more memorable.