Iceland Log Day 2: Glacier Hike

Hiking in Mordor with the fellowship of tourists

Day 2: Morning coffee as per usual, a glacier hike tour led by our jokester hiker, finishing with a coffee fit for a Danish King in his old home.

The glacier stretched before us like the spine of a slumbering titan, creaking and groaning beneath the weight of ages. Jagged crevasses yawned like the mouths of stone trolls, daring the unwary to wander too close. Every few steps, the ice shifted with a low, thunderous rumble, as if whispering reminders that it was very much alive. (Don't worry it only cracked once!)

Our tale began as most tales do... in the quiet dark and early hours of the morning in our trusty red dart steed a.k.a. the rental car!

Now, if Middle‑earth had a vacation spot, I’m convinced it would be Iceland. The land already looks like it was sketched by an over‑caffeinated cartographer who couldn’t decide between “ethereal beauty” and “mild danger,” so naturally my little sister and I decided it was the perfect place for a glacier hike, just as all the Instagram inspired posts had told us.

We set out that morning bundled in enough layers to make even a hobbit reconsider it's choice to go on an adventure out of its cozy hotel room above the grocery store.

Mind you we missed the turn the first time and had to loop back around on a lost gravel stone road.

Once all tourists had gathered, Our guide cheerfully announced that the glacier ahead of us was “perfectly safe,” which, as any fan of epic quests knows, is exactly what someone says right before the ground rumbles or a mysterious shadow passes overhead. After a short instruction, and safety hiking etiquette we began our walk towards the natural wall of ice.

The Ice Hike with a bit of Education

As we strapped on our crampons, we felt unstoppable. Heroes. Champions. My little sister and I were now two mildly coordinated adventurers ready to conquer the frozen wilds. Each step made a satisfying crunch, like we were stomping across the world’s largest snow‑covered pastry.

Our guide Thomas was incredibly informative. In truth, glaciers are living archives of Earth’s climate history. In Iceland the glacier looks so brilliantly blue because the ice inside them is incredibly old, dense, and tightly packed—so much so that it squeezes out nearly all the air bubbles. With no bubbles to scatter light, the ice absorbs the warmer colors of the spectrum and reflects only the deepest, purest blues.

Though over the years because of global warming the glacier has receded immensely, leaving the baren grey and black mountain side of volcanic rocks.

We got a few moments to ourselves on top of the glacier. It was beautiful and quiet. Which left me to my thoughts as I stared at the white and blue landscape around me. Writing this now I am not sure what I was thinking anymore.

But if I don't remember it probably wasn't that important. Instead, it was the memories I got to make with my little sister...