Standing with our backs to the gusting wind, every so often we take a peek back at the massive blue glacier we’re about to climb. Sólheimajökull glacier tongue, the southwestern outlet of the Myrdalsjokull icecap, is about 8 kilometers long and 1-2 kilometers wide. And just 20 years ago, the glacier had covered the very spot we were now standing and shivering in the biting wind. Sadly, like most glaciers of our world, Sólheimajökull glacier is rapidly receding. So the fact that we were about to go glacier hiking on this massive piece of ice felt incredibly special.
Our guides from Icelandic Mountain Guides fitted us with crampons and gave us each an ice axe, which would be used as both a walking stick and to stop ourselves just in case anyone fell.
Katherine demonstrating various techniques using our crampons
Our small group of 10 then set out carrying our crampons threaded on our ice axes with our guide, Katherine, who smiled as she told us she had 20 years experience with glacier hiking. At the tip of the glacier tongue, we got a lesson on how to properly put on our crampons and some basic techniques.
A dangerous moulin
Glacier hiking is no walk in the park. It can be extremely dangerous since the ice is always moving and changing. Snow can cover thin ice and crevasses. Surface water flowing down the glacier can form moulins, shafts in the ice that can be hundreds of meters deep. Basically, you don’t want to fall because if you survived, you’d probably have some broken bones.
Katherine cautioned to use all our weight to dig the crampons into the ice as we walked. I heard the satisfying crunch as I stomped around on the ice like a pouting five year old.
Katherine demonstrating how to go down. You sort of “sit” and use the ice axe as a point of stability behind you.
Once we were all comfortable with the basic technique of applying pressure to dig our crampons in, we got a few more lessons and practiced how to climb a steep slope. Sometimes skirting around those moulins requires a technique called Frenching. We practiced walking with our left foot straight and our right foot at a 45 degree angle. And what goes up must come down, so we practiced a technique putting our ice axes behind us, bending our knees, and leaning back as we firmly stuck one foot after the other into the ice.
Up, up, up we went. The wind blew tiny pieces of ice across the glacier, our crunching punctuated by the tinkling sounds of ice dancing across ice. Finally we reached the summit of the glacier. What a view! We could see the mountains and the Myrdalsjokull icecap behind us and all the way to the sea and the Westman Islands in front of us. 
On our descent, we found an ice cave. Flowing melted glacier water sometimes creates caves like this and they can go quite deep. You can never be sure with the ice and the caves can be really narrow, so we did not go all the way inside the cave, but our guides thought the cave probably ran about 200 meters into the ice.
We had a fantastic day glacier hiking and can’t wait for our next opportunity to go glacier hiking again!
Know Before You Go
- Bring water! We didn’t and we were definitely regretting that decision.
- Bring a snack like a candy bar or a power bar for a quick boost of energy. It can be tiring glacier hiking up to the summit!
- The glacier hike takes about 3 hours on the glacier.
- Book with Icelandic Mountain Guides; the Sólheimajökull Exploration hike is 10,950 ISK per person.
- The meeting spot is Sólheimajökll Cafe, which is about a 2.5 – 3 hour drive from Reykjavik depending on the weather and road conditions.
Thank you to Iceland Mountain Guides for hosting us. All opinions are entirely our own.
Jennifer Dombrowski
Jennifer Dombrowski is a location independent globe trotter and bases herself in Prata di Pordenone, Italy. She works as a social media and innovation strategist in higher education and is a regular contributor on johnnyjet.com. Her website, jdombstravels.com, is the 2012 Destinology Travel Bloggy Best Newcomer award winner. Google+
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We’re Jennifer and Tim and we love traveling! We are just one ordinary couple who have found that travel brought us closer together, taught us patience, the art of compromise, and how to truly appreciate the diversity of this extraordinary world. So far, we've visited 37 countries, lived in the United States and Italy, and Tim has lived in Korea. And we do it all while both holding down full time jobs. 
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Marlene Dombrowski
January 2, 2013 at 12:01 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
great pictures from the smiles sure looks like you had fun.
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marlene
January 2, 2013 at 1:01 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
wow such great pictures. i am sure that was an incredible experience and since the glaciers are melting one that would be something not to miss doing at least once.
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cheap car hire Australia
January 3, 2013 at 7:00 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I would confess I couldn’t even pronounce the name of the place properly but the pictures got me all excited to experience glacier hiking!
Have a super 2013!
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
January 7th, 2013 at 3:22 pm
I’m pretty sure we can’t properly pronounce the name of the glacier either. That’s part of Iceland’s charm – the famously unpronounceable names!
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Ali
January 3, 2013 at 3:18 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Looks awesome! Glad you had a good time, and you got some great pictures!
Ali recently posted..6 Countries for New Travelers
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
January 7th, 2013 at 3:21 pm
It was a really great hike! And despite my talking about the dangers, Icelandic Mountain Guides really made sure we were always safe.
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Leigh
January 4, 2013 at 10:40 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Looks like a great day on the glacier though I bet you were ready for a hot drink at the end of it all.
Leigh recently posted..Lake Louise Cross Country Skiing: Fairview & Tramline Trails
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
January 7th, 2013 at 3:17 pm
We were definitely ready for some nice cold water after, Leigh! Despite the howling wind, it was surprisingly warm stomping around on the crampons. It was a great hike!
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Greg Prohl
January 12, 2013 at 4:12 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Lovely photos and looks like an absolutely awesome time was had by all. Sad to say despite living most of my life here in the Pacific N.W. and doing tons of hiking, I’ve never gone glacier hiking per se, but I think your article has just inspired me to change that!
Greg Prohl recently posted..The Pacific Northwest Coast of Washington and Oregon
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
January 13th, 2013 at 3:42 pm
That’s great, Greg! We hope you get out for some glacier hiking soon. It really is spectacular.
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Marc
January 16, 2013 at 3:05 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Nice article and pics. I’m glad you indicate that you went with a guide since it’s a dangerous activity unless one is intimate with the particular glacier. For glaciers that are NOT receding, travel to Chile and Argentina.
Marc recently posted..Pensacola Renaissance
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:09 pm
Thanks, Marc! I definitely think it’s important to go with a guide. The guides know the glacier and really ensure your safety while hiking on it.
We’d love to explore more glaciers in Chile and Argentina! Definitely on our bucket list.
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Derek Freal
March 20, 2013 at 5:53 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Your photos are impressive. Too bad you couldn’t crawl further into the ice cave…that thing looks neat! Plus hiking a glacier has long been on my bucket list, even before global warming became such a hot topic.
Glad y’all had the chance, looks like you had a blast!
Derek Freal recently posted..Words Of Wisdom From The Travel Freak
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
March 20th, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Definitely go glacier hiking if you get the chance, Derek! It is a lot of fun and there’s something so special about being on the moving ice. The cave was beautiful, though being in a cave made of ice atop a volcano that could erupt at any time does trigger some phobias…
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Five Spectacular Iceland Sunrises - Jdomb's Travels
January 17, 2013 at 4:02 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
[...] We stopped just off Highway 1 near Eyjafjallajökull as we were on our way to go glacier hiking on Sólheimajökull. The water was partially frozen and the sky looked like it was on fire as the sun set the clouds [...]