Archives for 2016

I found it extremely interesting that the home of Volcano Katla, lies beneath Glacier Mýrdalsjökull! It’s such a strange juxtaposition in geography and nature to see Earth’s two extremes so closely related. I was amazed by how beautiful it is to be on top of a glacier. Arriving to Katla-Mýrdalsjökull, we all made sure we had our crampons locked onto our boots tightly for the hike. Hiking a glacier was a little more difficult than i thought it would be, stomping around just to make sure the spikes on the crampons actually gripped onto the ice was a workout on its own! We came across a small ice cave and even made sure we were blessed by the Vikings by putting volcanic ash on our faces! Old Icelandic folk tales say that the only way to make it down a glacier as successfully as you made it up the glacier, is to make sure volcanic ash is on your face! Being at the top of the glacier was truly beautiful experience, I felt like the world froze still for just a moment in time. After hiking Mýrdalsjökull, we stopped at a Rapeseed-Oil farm. It was truly awesome to see the same rape-seed oil used for cooking, be put into the same bus we were riding on as biofuel!! I was amazed by how efficient the process to excrete the biofuel/ cooking oil was!

Today we start packing up our tents and getting ready to head out of the Katla Valley site. After an hour or so of loading up the trucks we were on our way! Heading back towards civilization was super fun. Our group ambassador at the time, Helga, wanted to show us what a true Icelandic Super-Jeep experience was like. We drove through  rivers and streams and even helped 2 stranded folks get out of the mountains! Since the glacial streams are constantly changing, the rivers are also constantly shifting! From one minute to the next you can definitely find yourself stuck out there on foot. After some Super Jeep fun, we drive into a Volcanic Crater to see it for ourselves. Getting out of the Super Jeeps and stepping on to volcanic rocks and sediment was surreal. Not to mention black sand beaches and beautiful waterfalls afterwards!! I was really inspired by a small scale, homemade hydro-power plant at a farm we stopped at on our way towards our next hostel. I thought this was an amazing concept that could go a long way in the states if we began to establish homemade projects that can produce sustainable energy to the very farm that implements them. It’s a great way to squeeze a little extra energy out of the resources that surround us!!

I’ve never felt such a thrill. Being so high up on the mountains is surreal, the view that comes with being at a higher altitude is absolutely breath taking. This was the most memorable part of the trip for me personally. I had never felt so in tune with myself as a person walking on the edge of mountains and sliding down snow caps! Its amazing what adrenaline can do to a person. Walking as a group we managed to make the hike there and back within 5 hours. We had to pack our own lunch for the hike. Even though I couldn’t feel my hands or face, it was the best lunch experience EVER!! By the time we got back to the tents I was just about ready to collapse, but after a nice nap and some yoga, I felt like I could keep hiking for hours! We did some midnight hiking and exploring, it was pretty confusing yet really cool to be hiking at midnight whilst in broad daylight. There is only about 2/3 hours of “nighttime” during the summer in Iceland!

After packing up our gear and checking out of the hostel we were staying in, we transferred to an off-road bus and headed towards the Fimmvörðuháls mountain trails!! Before we arrived, we stopped at a beautiful waterfall, reminded me of a small Niagara Falls in Iceland!! We also stopped at a self sustained organic green house where we were able to eat fresh organic tomatoe soup from the tomatoes grown there. I find it extremely cool that most of the “employees” are bees for pollination!! I had a Happy Marry for the first time ever made with organic green tomatoes and cucumbers!! Everything was so fresh and delicious and local. After stopping for lunch at the green house, we continued on our journey to the campsite we were staying at for the next 2 nights. I remember getting there and realizing there was no warm water available in the mountains. It’s safe to say that none of us showered for 3 days because it was freeing cold, but it was well worth it!! I remember being amazed by the snow capped mountains and the rocky roads that were ahead of us. Setting up camp was super fun, we all got the chance to have some fun and enjoy ourselves that night before getting up for an 8 mile hike in the morning!