To call it a hike would be sort of an overstatement. Its just a walk, up a small mountain. Autumn colors are in full force here, and with no sheep around, shrubs and a few stunted trees have had their day in the Sun.
The hail carrying clouds are now parked over the Ice cap.
Its not just any icecap. Its the largest in Iceland by area, and largest in Europe by volume of ice. The famous glacier lagoon, and the long arms of Svina and Skata are all children of this ice cap. To its north sits the Fiery Bardarbunga spewing hot lava. To the south lie the black sands of south Iceland.
You can see the entire floodplains to the ocean from here. From far away the turbulent Atlantic seems so tranquil
Time is short, and we make haste as it starts to rain again. A slippery track leads down to the famous Svartifoss or the black waterfall. Its quite a landmark, and it is said that the basalt columns here are the inspiration for a lot of Icelandic architecture.
Its really tough keeping the lens free of water. No matter how hard you try you always get water somewhere. Rain is slowly turning to hail again
A wet shot
And a drier one
Its almost two, so can't linger here for much longer, so we make our way back. But not before a parting shot
Near the parking lot I spot a fearless bird, and even with just 70mm in my hands, its quite a close up
We head back to the main road. This is the shadow of Vatnajokull. The majestic Skaftafellsjökull ambles down right to highway one.
Its not the only one. Every few kms majestic glacier tongues cascade down the mountain. This is a glacial paradise unparalleled.
Just ahead of Skatafellsjokull is Svinafellsjokul, another long arm. A bumpy gravel road goes right till its mouth. Though not as big as "The lagoon", the glacial lake is quite impressive, and at this time of the year, mostly devoid of crowds
The water is incredibly muddy for a glacial lake. Wonder why!
However, the glacier itself is blue and white ice, with hardly any debris
Icebergs float on the small lake. How we wish for a kayak here.
Another view
Norway too has a lot of glaciers. So do the Alps. But the most majestic ones of those require quite a bit of hiking or gondola rides. In the Himalayas it usually means a gruelling trek, or a bumpy 12 hour bone jarring ride. But in iceland, these giants fall right on the road. You just stop and stare.
But an even greater wonder awaits, and we are on the highway again
Stopping every now and then to capture some glacier, falling down the mountain, right by the road
Time is short, but we have to stop again. Cause we spot a really rare thing. A tree. Trees in Iceland, esp ones not recently planted in the "Lets make Iceland a forest movement" are very rare. But here stands one.
It has quite an ancestry. Its born of fire. The ancestors of this one were consumed by fire and fury. But like Kal El, this one survived, to become all powerful on a strange planet.
In black and white it looks even more dark superhero
Its not just a tree. Its also a memorial, to those who perished. Iceland may be a beautiful land, but when its angry nothing can stand in natures path. But like the phoenix, it rises again
Towards our west, dark clouds gather
But towards the west, the sky has parted, and we will see the lagoon, in all its sunny glory! As the ice-world unfurls in front of us, I have a hard time maintaining 90. The Lagoon is waiting!
![Iceland: A song of Ice and Fire-dsc00598xl.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/travelogues/1311933d1691301211t-iceland-song-ice-fire-dsc00598xl.jpg)