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Location: Sólheimajökull
After a relaxing night in Solheimar, we kick-started our day at 7:30 by finishing packing our bags for the road. After everyone was finished, we went down to the cafeteria for the last time, to eat our breakfast. We proceeded to get on the bus at 9:20 and quickly discussed what we were going to do for the day. Keeley told us that we were going to be walking on a glacier. Everyone was very hyped and curious because none of us had done it before.
As we started driving, we stopped at some waterfalls, as usual. All of us got amazing pictures, but we knew we could not waste all of our energy there, so we got back on the bus. Once we got back on the road, everyone fell asleep on the bus, and it was very relaxing. On the other hand, I was almost smacked in the face with a bag because we went over a giant pothole. Luckily Josh was right next to me and somehow stopped the bag before it hit my face.
When we finally got to the glacier, none of us knew what to expect. As we got out of the bus, we quickly ate lunch, which was leftover pizza from last night. Then our tour guide had us put on rain pants, crampons, and helmets. He also gave us ice axes, which I thought were awesome. After everyone was geared up, we started the approach. Once we got close to the glacier, we had to put on our crampons and get ready to walk our way up. When we were walking up, our guide told us many interesting things about the glacier. The most interesting thing he told us was that rainbows are formed in glaciers. He proceeded to cut a chunk of ice out and handed it to us. Inside it was a mini rainbow.
As we proceeded to go up the glacier, there were so many amazing views and delicious glacier water. When we got to the top, many of us were tired, but we wanted to soak it all in. We took many pictures, did glacial facials by smearing mud on our faces, and got some time to explore the giant piece of ice. Then it was time for the descent, so we headed down and climbed into the bus. We all slept on the one-and-a-half-hour bus ride back to Reykjavik. When we got back to the apartment, a few us pitched in to cook dinner, and we all got our phones back. Keeley then told us we have some free time before bed. It was a fun, adventurous day and every time I see a rainbow, I’ll be thinking about the glacier and our adventures and volunteer work in Iceland. Continue reading our Iceland travel blog for more great stories and photos!