Wild Adventures: Up close and personal to Eyjafjallajökull

Up until April 2010 Eyjafjallajökull was 'just another' one of Iceland's many volcanoes that are scattered over the entire island. However, that was all to change when Eyjafjallajökull awoke from her slumber from beneath an icy glacial blanket and became a house hold name (assuming you can pronounce it of course!). Soon Eyjafjallajökull became a news headline across the globe. However, her notoriety was not because of her explosive eruption deep in the middle of a cold April night, as indeed her eruption was not the most powerful on record. Her infamy was because this very eruption caused mayhem and widespread disruption across Western Europe, bringing airspace to its knees for days.

This was certainly not the first volcano in Iceland to have deposited ash on continental Europe. However, this eruption was very different and its consequences were far reaching due to a catalogue of circumstances that linked together. Leaving air traffic controllers, pilots and frustrated travellers totally helpless against the forces of nature as Eyjafjallajökull unleashed her mighty power. The jet stream that sat lower than normal carried the millions of tonnes of ash, mixed with particles of glacial ice and rock from the glacier across the main belt of European airspace, paralysing air travel for days for fear of serious damage to aircraft engines and flight safety.

Our plan for the day had been to take a guided hike with 'South Iceland Adventures' to the eruption site at Eyjafjallajökull. On the evening prior we had become a little concerned that the raging winds and incessant rains that had come back with a vengeance on Saturday evening would put a stop to our plans but fortunately a text from the adventure company confirmed we were all set to continue the next morning.

Our guide for the day, a really nice chap called Stefnir greeted us at our hotel in the morning in a Nissan Patrol. However, this was no ordinary Nissan, for it was kitted out to cater for the harsh Icelandic volcanic terrain with tyres so big you could barely get in it, making our Land Rover in Kenya look like a dinky toy! The tyres large enough to deal with the variety of conditions, much of it soft ash that these huge tyres were able to straddle without sinking.

Stefnir confirmed we would still be able to take a hike to Eyjafjallajökull, yet due to the high winds we would need to make a slight change of plan and approach from the west to the foot of the glacier and a few hundred feet below the site of the eruption and not right up to the crater as we had initially hoped. Given the weather was out of anyones control we were not going to let this be a disappointment.

We drove off road for around an hour or so through spectacular text book U-shaped valleys, carved out by glaciers over thousands of years. Tiny waterfalls streamed down the steep slopes of the valleys as we crossed mountain rivers and through soft layers of ash deposited by Eyjafjallajökull two years ago. The landscape started to resemble that of the moon and that of a desolate and hostile, yet utterly fascinating place. In some areas the land was recovering with a display of autumnal colours from small plants and flowers covering the harsh landscape.

Sure we had seen images and videos of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier before and the aftermath of the eruption but nothing really prepared us for our first sight of Eyjafjallajökull in real life. There she sat, majestically dominating the landscape and partially shrouded by grey clouds, which seemed to add to its mystery and power, The grey and black ash contrasted to the icy white and blue of the glacier. The size of the glacier was immense and it was not until we started to draw closer that we saw another vehicle not to far from the glacier which dwarfed in comparison, with many boulders larger than the 4wd.

In the distance we could just make out through the cloud another of Iceland's huge glaciers, called Myrdallsjokull. at least 5x the size of Eyjafjallajökull and underneath which sits the volcano known as Katla, whose next eruption could cause even more devastation when she to decides to unleash her immense power.

It was time to get out and explore, crossing icy cold glacial waters that flowed from above. Stefnir was both passionate and knowledgeable about the area and as we hiked he talked of how the ground we walked on used to be the site of a beautiful and large lake that had been swallowed up by the eruption, leaving behind a sea of ash and exposing large boulders and the lake bed. Large depressions were left where huge ice blocks once sat, but had been melted by the heat and power of the eruption. It was fascinating to hear how the eruption had changed this landscape forever.

The power of the glacier was revealed as massive rocks had been split in two under the force of pressure, revealing the power and sheer force of glacial movement.

It was a fascinating hike and as we stood at the base of the glacier and looked up with awe onto where the crater was, (just out of site). Here we really were 'up close and personal' with Eyjafjallajökull. Stefnir, Andy and I talked of what the initial blast must have been like, a force that would most likely be compared to an atomic blast! One thing was for sure that if she decided to blow again at this moment it would be 'vertu sæll' from all of us! Fortunately for now she once again sleeps until the next eruption. In which she will no doubt show her true force again to the world. Despite the fact that this area is closely monitored for activity by geologists only nature knows when it will unleash its powers once again, perhaps hours, days, weeks, months or maybe years away.

We spent at least 2 hours 'with Eyjafjallajökull and not before quenching our thirst from the pure glacial waters we moved onto another site that Stefnir was also keen to share with us.

Located not too far from Eyjafjallajökull we visited a spectacular canyon near Porsmork, where birds circled along the high ridges of the canyon sides. Here we hiked into a smaller and almost secret canyon where a high waterfall cascaded through a narrow gap and onto large boulders that we criss-crossed order to get deep into the canyon. Providing a perfect location for a short rest and also where we concluded our days activities in this area.

We had just one last stop to make and whilst Stefnir pumped air back into the tyres for road travel we took a stroll to another nearby waterfall, next to the one we had seen the day prior. Partially hidden and already a bit wet from the rain that had just started again we ventured close and took a real proper drenching! At this stage it really did not matter for now we were close to our hotel and within reach of dry clothes and a hairdryer!

It had been a fabulous hike and even though the weather had changed our plans slightly it had not dampened our enjoyment. A big thank you Stefnir and of course Eyjafjallajökull!

Although we had been dropped back off at our hotel the day was not quite over and with a couple of hours to spare we decided to jump in our car and made the 20 minute drive trip to yet another waterfall! (Its fair to say if you like waterfalls go to Iceland!!)

Although a similar height to Selanjlandfoss the waterfall at Skogar was twice as wide and once again an impressive site to behold for sure. The spray of the waterfall hitting you from quite some way back! Taking a few snaps we then had just enough time to get a better view of the Myrdallsjokull glacier and of course the obligatory 'been there shots' with the self timer!

We drove a little further and onto the tiny town of Vik until darkness began to fall, signalling to us that it was time to retreat back to our hotel. It had been long but great day in this part of Iceland before we moved onto our next port of call.

Our 'chariot' awaits