I watched over his shoulder as he squinted through the windshield of the Jeep. Nothing.
You could see nothing but pure white as the wind drove the snow straight into us. We had turned off of Route 1, the road that winds its way all around the perimeter of Iceland, and were now driving down a very small side road to our destination. Our guide, Börkur, was thankfully at the wheel and was watching his small GPS screen to make sure we stayed on the road. Every few seconds, he could sense that we were edging off and would ease us back up onto the narrow strip leading down to the volcanic black beach.
SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER - Börkur had picked us up at 8am - my wife, Ben, and I were all looking forward to being with someone that day who really knew their way around. We were going to see some of the wonderful places in southwest Iceland, just getting about 2 hours or so from the capitol, Reykjavik. I had already fallen in love with the country and the stark raw beauty that is Iceland.
Our first stop was one of the very iconic waterfall, Seljalandsfoss, pronounced Sell-you-lands-faus.
(Side note: You quickly learn, while in Iceland, that nothing is pronounced how it appears….I tried multiple times to learn how to say the name of the volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, and after multiple attempts, am still no closer.)
This waterfall is almost 200 feet high and drops from the top of a cliff. One of the most interesting features is that you can go behind it and shoot photos from a more interesting angle. We were not able to do that on this trip, as the entire area is covered in inches of ice and treacherous to walk on without the proper gear, but I was able to go behind on another winter trip, with crampons on my boots. We spent some time tromping around the snow and ice, taking photos and just loving the scenery. Then Börkur told us to follow him and we walked along the bottom of the cliff about 200 yards. He stopped at a very small river that led into a cave and motioned for us to follow him. We gingerly stepped from rock to rock, trying not to slip into the icy water - but the little trek was so worth it! We got about 10 yards into the cave and found ourselves staring up at another waterfall, hidden within this cave. The water cascaded down onto a large boulder in front of us and was breathtaking to see and feel the energy of it.
Seljalandsfoss waterfall
We finally packed ourselves back into the Jeep and enjoyed the warmth, while we continued on our journey down Route 1. Börkur stopped along the way for us to see some Icelandic horses up close (i.e. inside their enclosure). He knew the owner of the horses and knew that it was okay for us to get that close to them. Icelandic horses are very interesting in and of themselves - fiercely protected from the government, no other horse is permitted in the country to ensure that outside pathogens will not harm these magnificent beasts. They live outdoors all year round, their backs often crusted with snow and ice, but their double-thick coats keep them warm from the cold winters. We frolicked with these horses for a while, the horses following us in case we had any treats for them, and then continued on our way.
We made a stop or two along the way, including another iconic waterfall (Skogafoss) and then made our way to the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. We did not go onto the glacier itself this time because we were not properly geared, but stayed along the edges of it, keeping close to Börkur. He cautioned us against making our way onto the glacier because of the shifting nature and the dangers caused by that. But we were able to get up close and personal with the blue ice, which is really a wonderful thing to see. Blue ice is created when snow falls and then is compressed over time and becomes part of the glacier. Through that pressure over time, all air bubbles are squeezed completely out of the ice, which increases the ice’s density and causes it to appear blue (just like an ocean appears blue).
It was about this time, while we were at the glacier, that the wind and snow began to really pick up. We had had a white snow sky all day but now it began to come down. Being a snow lover, I was thrilled by this!
AND WE’RE BACK TO OUR ORIGINAL STORY! Now I found myself looking over Börkur’s shoulder as we edged down the strip of road towards the black beach. He was comfortable in the snow, having driven in it all of his life, and it was such a neat experience. We arrived at our destination, a volcanic beach called Sólheimasandur. It was on this beach, back in the 1970s, that a US Navy DC3 airplane ran out of fuel and crashed on the beach (the crew survived, thankfully!). The wreckage is still there and is a wonderful thing to see and photograph. We stopped and I looked out the ice-encrusted window to see the airplane. The wind was blowing the snow sideways. We had prepared for weather like this, since we were visiting Iceland in the wintertime.
I stepped out of the jeep and was enveloped in pure white. I walked a few feet away from the Jeep and the looked around - it was completely surreal, like a fantasy. All I could see was a red Jeep, a crashed airplane, and pure white - even the black rocks of the beach were not visible unless we scraped the snow away. It was marvelous, one of my very favorite travel experiences of all time. We began to walk around, photographing the airplane with the driving snow pelting us from every angle. I wish I had another word to describe it, but it was just magical. Some people may think about being in the cold and in a snowstorm and wonder if I’m crazy…but trust me…it was incredible.
We left the airplane and headed to Vik, Vik is a village that lies just south of Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Mýrdalsjökull sits atop a volcano called Katla, which many people is due to erupt at any time. If it should erupt, it would vaporize the glacier and produce a flash flood that could likely obliterate Vik, so the village often conducts evacuation drills, should that ever come to pass. Vik is the site of another volcanic black beach, a very famous one. We could not see out into the ocean, with the snow and ice driving into our eyes but it was wonderful. The ocean waves would sweep up onto the beach and retreat, leaving a black swath of sand behind. The snow was coming down hard enough to begin covering the beach again, when another wave would come up and clear it black again. The beach also has cliffs full of basaltic pillars formed by volcanic activity, and is very cool to see.
We finally began the drive home. That, in and of itself, is a story to tell but I’ll be brief. We drove the 2 hours back to Reykjavik, only to find that the mountain road back to town was closed due to the snow. We stopped for dinner at a nearby village, hoping the road would reopen. When it didn’t, Börkur tried a couple other options and finally had to settle for driving a good 1-2 hours out of the way around the mountain so that we could get home safely. We had started the day with him at 8am and when it was all said and done, detours and all, he dropped us off at midnight. He was an incredible guide - knowledgeable, patient, and very safe to be with in such volatile weather as that which Iceland boasts.
Travel tip - hire a guide sometimes. I’m not one to hire tour guides, I just like to do things at my own pace and time, not be beholden to the schedules of someone else. However, in a place like Iceland, it is well worth the time and money to hire a guide for the day. I’m not talking about a bus tour with a bunch of strangers but a personal guide. Very worth it, very interesting, and in a place like Iceland, much safer than perhaps being on your own without knowing how to navigate the weather.