Experience 16: Goodbye Glacier
John Muir once said "the natural inherited wilderness in our blood ran true on its glorious course as invincible and unstoppable as stars". I think about that sentence often - it's meaning continually changes with each environment. The entirety of Iceland seems to be wilderness, even developed areas cannot conceal looming mountains and turbulent sea. "As invincible and unstoppable as stars" - but what are stars to Icelanders? The bright nights have made stars absent during our stay in Iceland, and during this time I have realized my fortune in presiding under the clear and continuous stars of the south. I am wondrously curious what the stars look like in Iceland once they reemerge during wintertime darkness. It already feels like the sky and earth threaten to merge with each new fog. I imagine winter stars in Iceland are so close they frame the mountain tops. On Day 16 we had one last lengthy hike into the natural inherited wilderness. Instead of walking beside the glacial outflow, we would be looking down upon Vatanjökull. Since we were still suffering slight post trauma from the whipping winds of Glacier Lagoon, our geologic group went to great lengths of layering. We arose early to eat breakfast, put on about 3 pairs of pants, and load up the Golden Goose for a full day of exploration. Our hike began at the base of Vatnajökullspjodgardur National Park. To great relief, the wind had subsided and we were left with the cool air of increased elevation. For the first time in Iceland, we had actually grown too warm for our layers, and collectively began stripping them until most of us were in short sleeves when we reached our first destination. We stopped for a packed lunch at Svartifoss Waterfall, a waterfall completely encircled by columnar jointing (oddly the top of the columns ran horizontally!?). Our stay was pleasant, but just as we were comfortable in our decreased clothing typical Iceland struck and it began raining. Once again layered, we set out for the Vatanjökull overlook. The continuous drizzle summoned a white fog, which spread silently over the mountains until our group was encircled in a ethereal landscape. CHEERS TO THE FOG. Seriously I have never experienced fog in this manner and I find it mysteriously beautiful. Once at the overlook (i.e. cliff edge), the fog had obscured the glacier and valley bottom, giving the impression that we were floating in security. However, the fog began to dissipate and with it I realized we were practically in the sky and below sprawled out just a portion of the mighty Vatanjökull. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen in my LIFE. The glacier was ridden with enormous cracks. When we were silent, we could hear the rush of water, both from underneath the glacier and the feeding waterfalls, reverberating through the valley. With the cliff crumbly, I was hesitant to step closer but I could not stray away from the overwhelming beauty. Eventually, we had to leave. Our hike down, now clear of fog, put into perspective the elevation we had reached. In this region, the glacier pours itself between and over mountains, spilling out into our realm (ground level). Driving back to the hostel, I had a new perspective on the glacier outflows. My vision was no longer limited to ground level observance. I am now aware of an entirely different world that exists when one stands over the glacier.
In the fog
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