Final Days in Iceland

Today we all got to try something new: glacier travel! We hiked on ice and even climbed an ice wall on a huge glacier. We departed Reykjavik with two professional guides who took us to one of Iceland’s famous glaciers. A short hike led to the toe of the glacier, where we gawked at giant-sized ice blocks floating in a meltwater lake. The valley above the lake was filled in with an unfathomable mass of ice. This was the glacier, which we casually hiked onto after fitting crampons to our boots. We hiked higher up, stopping to look at large holes and fissures in the ice that stream with fresh meltwater. When we came to the climbing spot, the guides demonstrated how to ice climb using our crampons and ice axes. They secured us to ropes and we all got to try ice climbing!

On the way back toward Reykjavik we stopped at one of Iceland’s most famous and impressive waterfalls, Skogarfoss. We admired it from below, getting drenched in the spray. Back in town, we had a little time for shopping, then enjoyed a delicious final dinner in a restaurant by the harbor. To end the evening we recounted all the activities and people we’ve encountered on our program. It was kind of hard going through it all because we’ve done so much in these two short weeks! Though the days may run together, the experiences stand out and will surely stick with us for a long time.

Tomorrow we fly back to our homes, excited to share more with family and friends about our cultural exploration in Iceland!

— Ansley & Jesse

Gearing up to go on the glacier.
Hiking on the glacier.
Ice climbing!
Natalie in the spray of Skogarfoss.