Svartifoss in Skaftafell National Park

After our wonderful two hour glacier walk, we planned on hiking to Svartifoss. Little did I know, it was a four mile round trip. Once our hike was over on the glacier and we sat down to eat, I knew there was no way we could do that. So we planned to return in the morning before our Jokusarlon boat tour.

When we returned in the morning, I double checked our maps and the description of the hike. It said the hike should take us about two to two and a half hours and be about 7 km round trip. That's what were planning on. What we didn't plan on was our GPS taking us on a secret route that would cut our time in half.



There's this road a little bit further up and a parking area down at the bottom of the hill but our GPS man told us to keep going up and the warning sign said the road was only monitored June 1 through September 1. So we kept going. We didn't see anyone and no one tried to stop us.



After an extremely steep drive up and making it to the top, we kind of looked around trying to find out where we were. There were these cute little houses built into the mountain on one side and cliffs with stretches of land on the otherside. There was a spot big enough to park two cars, so we parked ours and got out to look around. We found a hiking trail that said Svartifoss and we began our two and a half hour trek up.



Five minutes after hiking straight up a mountain, we saw a sign that said Svartifoss was only .5 km away from where we were. Uhh... What?!? The hiking guide and all other signs said it would be a 3.5 km hike!! Some how, we had significantly decreased our walking time and mileage by taking that turn at the other parking lot. I'm still not even sure if we were allowed up there but we hastened our pace after that sign. The clouds were not looking promising. The last part of the hike was down hill and made it easy but it is some what difficult if you have knee problems.



Svartifoss is not as big as the pictures make it look but worth a visit. If you take the hike you're supposed to take, you get views of one of the glacier tongues near by along with another waterfall and nature life.

Glacier Walk in Skaftafell National Park

After our shockingly late wake-up and beautiful visit to the town of Vik, it was time for our glacier walk! I had no idea what to expect and just knew that it would take anwhere from 2 to 3 hours to do.

The glacier we walked on, Skeidararjokull, is located in Skaftafell National Park, which is part of the larger Vatnajokull National Park. Skaftafell was named a national park on August 23, 1968. The park has amazing views of Iceland's highest mountains and the area has the biggest valley glacier. When Skaftafell was first established as a national park, it was 500 square km. In 2004, it was extended to 4800 square km!



On June 7, 2008, the entire Vatnajokull ice cap became a national park in Iceland. Discussions about making the ice cap a park had been going on for some time and it finally became a reality. Skaftafell National Park is now apart of Vatnajokull National Park which takes up 13% of Iceland and is that largest national park in Europe.



Our walk began with a lesson on how to put on crampons. I had never heard of these things but they are to fit around your shoe and tied on tightly to help walk on top of the glacier. We had to be taught how to walk in them as well so we didn't fall or slip. When you walk up a hill, you have to walk hard and penguin like, making you look silly. And going down, you point your toes straight down. Easy peasy.



The guide took us all up and down and around this beautiful glacier, showing us all of the different views. There were small and large crevices in the glacier due to the melting of the glacier and the need for the water to find a way out. Some of the crevices were quite large and nerve-wracking to walk close to.



Glaciers are formed by snow build up over an extremely long period of time. Snow falls one year and doesn't melt all the way and then the next year the same thing happens and so on. After so many years of that happening, a glacier is born. It is natural for them to begin receeding, especially now but they are receeding very quickly, which causes concern.



We came to a small flow of water in the glacier and the guide informed us that all of the water in Iceland is some of the purest water in the world to drink. I couldn't resist asking if I could have a small sip from the water flow and I'm so glad I asked! The water was ice cold (of course!) and so delicious. If you're not a water drinker, it probably won't make a difference to you but I drink water all of the time and had never tasted anything so good. But because the ice traps in all of the minerals and only releases the water, you could not survive off of glacier water. It lacks nutrients and minerals like all other water does.



The darker colored ice we passed that looked like dirt was full and covered in ash from past eruptions. Also, the mounds of ash we found were from holes in the glacier. The glacier used to be about 30 to 40 meters higher than it used to be and when water and sediment needed to find a way out, it would find holes in the glacier. The sediment would dump in the hole and the water would keep flowing, creating these huge mounds of ash that solidified due to the freezing conditions.



In 1996, a huge eruption occured in Vatnajokull. About 15 million cubic meters of iceburg broke off of the glacier and was carried away by a flood that occured three weeks after the eruption. That's Iceland's main concern with an eruption. Not the lava, but the floods that occur because of the eruption. A lot of those glaciers sit on active volcanoes, so it is a constant concern for the people in that area and careful monitoring is done to watch seismic activity.



The hike around the glacier was tiring but very rewarding. We got to see many different geological features of the glaciers and learn how they're formed, what happens when they melt and the effects is has on communities. We also got to see where some scenes of Game of Thrones was filmed for scenes from outside of the wall (whatever that means. Fans, I'm assuming you do). We learned a lot, had tons of fun and was plenty exhausted by the end of it!

Yellowstone National Park Part 4

The last and final day in Yellowstone National Park was spent searching for an amazingly beautiful colored pool called Morning Glory Pool. I had been looking for this pool since we arrived in Yellowstone and was determined to see it before leaving the park.

After a few short minutes on my computer, I found that it was on a path off the Old Faithful trail and about a mile and a half away from the Old Faithful visitor center. So, we packed ourselves up, checked out of the lovely Stagecoach Inn and made our way back to Old Faithful.

Along the trail we got to see other lesser known pools and geyser. We first came up on Grotto Geyser.



Geologists think that hundreds or thousands of years ago, Grotto Geyser was formed due to dead or dying trees. Overtime, the geyser deposited layers and layers of siliceous sinter (silica) over the branches and stumps. The eruptions are only about 15 to 40 feet in height and last about 50 minutes to 24 hours.



Next up was Giant Geyser. When this geyser is active, it is one of the largest ones in the world. The geyser's eruptions used to be as high at 250 to 300 feet. But recent eruptions have ranged from 200 to 250 feet. Giant Geyser is a cone-type geyser with eruptions lasting from an hour to an hour and can expel more than a million gallons of water.



We weren't lucky enough to see the Giant Geyser erupt, but we did get to see the eruption of the Grand Geyser. The Grand Geyser is the world's tallest predictable geyser with eruptions lasting from 9 to 12 minutes and can reach up to 180 feet in height.



After passing many other springs and pools, we finally made it to Morning Glory Pool.



Morning Glory Pool used to be a similar color to the Heart Spring above, but after years of being thought of as a natural wishing well and being subjected to literally tons of trash, coins and other litter, the pool's bacteria has changed, making it different colors. Every year the park has to clean out the tons of rocks, trash and coins to help reset the pool. Because of the garbage, the temperature of the pool changes.



The colors were no where near what they're supposed to be when we visited the park but it was still beautiful.

Yellowstone National Park was amazing in every aspect. For the future, I plan to visit for a week or so to take it all in and enjoy more of the sites Yellowstone has to offer. Hopefully, I'll even be able to see my first wild bear!

Yellowstone National Park Part 3

The few days I spent in Yellowstone National Park was spent cramming in a ton of things I'd rather experience more slowly. But for the short amount of time we had in the park, we sure took advantage of.

The remainder of our second day in the park was spent walking through the various viewpoints of the famous Lower Falls and lesser heard of Upper Falls, Norris Basin and making wrong turns, leading us to even cooler things.

Canyon Village was up next after our lovely hike to Wraith Falls. I finally started seeing signs of the massive amounts of snow Yellowstone gets every year and on the side of the roads were piles and piles of it. Some mounds were taller than me! Many of the signs had been cleared of the snow, just so you could know what you were looking at.



The various viewpoints in this particular area show views of Lower falls. The Yellowstone River plunges 308 feet over these falls. A littel bit downstream, the rocks have weakened and geysers can be seen spouting into the river. The falling water onto these weakened rocks continue to shape these canyons and deepen the gorge. It's been two years since I've seen this but I can remember standing at the viewpoint and watching the falls. All of the sudden the waterfall gets five times louder and the water volume going over increases significantly and it sounds like I'm standing right under it. I don't know what caused it, but for the moment that it happened, I was transfixed.



The canyon is anywhere from 800 to 1200 feet deep and 1500 to 4000 feet wide. It's about 24 miles long and the upper 2.5 miles are the most colorful because of the hot spring activity in the area. The activity alters the lava rock, which allows the colors from various iron compounds to show up.



Upper falls are not quite as magnificent as Lower falls, standing at only 109 feet, but it's still a waterfall and I was going to see it!



After visiting the waterfalls, our plan was to head to Norris Basin, but instead we took the wrong turn. Usually making a wrong turn is frustrating and a time waster, but lucky for us, it wasn't.





I don't even know where we were after looking on the maps but we probably drove for about 30 minutes before realizing we were not where we were supposed to be. It didn't matter, with views like this, who would care?

We came across sulfur caldron and mud volcano. I was too big on Sulfur Caldron because it stunk, as I'm sure you can understand why.



Sulfur Caldron sits on the edge of one of the most active parts of the volcano in Yellowstone National Park. Sulfur gasses rise up here filling the pool with sulfuric acid. There are actually living, thriving microorganisms that live in these pools called thermoacidophiles. These microorganisms love these acidic environments and enjoy the heat.

Mud Volcano was really nothing interesting to see. It looked and smelled a lot like sulfur caldron.



The cool part about this area was Dragon's Mouth Spring. It was named in 1912 by an unknown park visitor because of the way the water splashes out of the cave. The sound it makes also makes me think of a dragon when it spits fire. The noise comes from the steam and water smashing into the walls on the inside of the caves. Sometimes the water could surge out far enough to hit the boardwalk.



We finally got going in the right direction towards toward Norris Basin.



Norris Basin held tons of different springs and geysers throughout the area.







The temperatures of the different pools allow for different types of bacteria and and algae to grow. Depending on the type that is grown is dependent upon the color the shows up in the water.

My second day in Yellowstone National Park was eventful and full of beautiful scenery. We almost saw a bear but it eluded us, as we were just a few minutes to late, feet upon feet of snow, gorgeous plunging waterfalls and beautifully colored springs and geysers.

Yellowstone National Park Part 2

Our second day in Yellowstone was jam packed with more amazing sites and I'll forever remember the sound of Lower falls, the flight of the first wild eagle I saw and getting lost, just to find extraordinary views of snowy hills. The previous day had been spent going from geyser to geyser and experiencing the magnificent and powerful explosions of each one.

The day started off with quite a surprise when we drove up on this steaming mountain, called Roaring Mountain. I had done some research about the park before we visited but I had not heard anything about this place. The fumaroles release thermal activity, resulting in loud hissing and roaring, which is where the name of the mountain come from. It was a good thing we arrived in the morning. Since it was about 50 or so degrees, the steam was very noticeable and made for some pretty amazing pictures. When we headed back later on that evening, when it was warmer, the steam was barely noticeable.



On our way to Mammoth Hot Springs, I heard a familiar noise and insisted we stop at the next pull-over. It was a waterfall (which we all know I'm nuts about)! Rustic Falls is within viewing distance of the road and fairly nice at about 47 feet. The falls can go dry in the summer, so I was a happy camper getting it see it from all of the recent snow melt (all the waterfalls here were magnificent due to the massive amounts of snow melt).



We finally made it to Mammoth Hot Springs after stopping a few times to take some pictures of all the great views. I could probably write a whole post on Mammoth Hot Springs by itself. The many different features here are produced by hot water, cracks and limestone. Water from the nearby Norris Basin flows through faults, heats up and comes out through the cracks. The water flowing over the limestone turns it several different beautiful colors and can start and stop at any time. Several time, parts of the park have dried up and the limestone turns back to white.



Canary Spring (pictured above) gets its name from the bright yellow color of the limestone. The types of bacteria found in the water are the reason for specific colors of the limestone.





Minerva Terrace was my favorite part of Mammoth Hot Springs. In the 1900's, the terrace was completely dry but started back up again in the 1950's. Because the activity of the area is constantly changing, Minerva Terrace would sometimes get so active that the boardwalks would be covered with mounds of travertine (the limestone deposited by hot springs). The park has now put in higher, movable boardwalks so it doesn't keep happening in times of high activity.



Liberty Cap is a 37 foot, dormant hot spring cone. It was created due to a hot spring that continuously ran for years and stayed in one spot.



After viewing the many spectacular views of mammoth hot springs and taking a nice lunch at the local restaurant there, we went for a nice half mile hike up to Wraith Waterfall.



The hike up to the falls was easy, although much different than the hikes back home because in Yellowstone, you're at a much higher altitude. This makes it harder to breathe because the air is so thin.

We ended up doing so much on this day that there is no way I could fit it all into one post, otherwise it would be infinite scrolling! So stay tuned for my next installment my trip to Yellowstone National Park on day 2.

Yellowstone National Park Part 1

In honor of national park week, I'm doing a series of posts on national parks I have visited. Today's post will be on Yellowstone National Park. As an extreme lover of all things nature and scenery, national parks hold a special place in my life. Yellowstone National Park has been my favorite park so far (though I've only visited a very small portion of parks).



Yellowstone National Park has much to offer during your visit and a lot can be seen in the first few days if you visit the figure eight road (The Grand Loop ) through the park. As you go through the park and take everything in, you can definitely see why this was the named the first national park in the US.



Through this road, you can visit Roaring Mountain, Norris Geyser, Mammoth Hot Springs, Canyon Village (where you can see the lower and upper falls), Sulphur Caldron, mud volcano, Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Morning glory pool and so much more.

On our way, we made a stay over in Salt Lake City since we were driving in from Las Vegas. Lucky for us, we ran into a group of folks that had just come from the park and told us the south entrance (where we were headed) was still closed due to the amount of snow build up. I came to visit in May and I'm from the south which makes the concept of snow is hard to grasp, so to hear that there was still so much snow was kind of a shock. Plans were rearranged and we decided to go to the west entrance.

This turned out to be a perfect choice because we ended up staying at this awesomely cute hotel called the Stagecoach Inn. The lobby is full of the animals that walk the park and the rooms are spacious and comfortable. It was by far the coolest hotel I've stayed in before.



After checking-in, we immediately took off to the entrance of the park. I was so excited and couldn't wait to see what the road ahead held. Within minutes of driving, I had already seen my first elk and buffalo. It was mind blowing to just think how these animals rule the area and go about as they please.



I'm not too sure what I was thinking at this moment, seeing as how there are more injuries per year due to bison attacks than any other wild animal in Yellowstone. People tend to loose their cautious nature when it comes to these animals because it looks like they won't hurt you and that their slow. Bison can run up to 30 mph and reach up to 2,000 pounds. But you have to admit, it's a pretty cool picture. Buffalo are also the number one reason for traffic jams in the park, which we experienced several times throughout our few days there.



Our first stop on our Yellowstone adventure was Old Faithful. We pulled into the parking lot just as one of the eruptions began and couldn't make it over fast enough to see the whole. We got to wait around until the next eruption, which gave us time to learn about Old Faithful and exactly what it is. Old Faithful is a geyser and was the first to receive its name in the park. General Washburn gave it the name because of its predictable nature. The geyser erupts every 60-90 minutes depending on the duration of the eruption. The height of the eruption averages at about 130 feet and can release anywhere from 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of water.



Next stop was Midway Geyser Basin. This is where the Grand Prismatic Spring is located among other beautiful geysers.





It was difficult to see the spring because the weather was still a bit chilly and the water is very hot, so there was a lot of steam. There were so many different colors in the water due to the bacteria. The ground was covered in colors of reds, yellows and oranges.



We spent the rest of the day walking around some of the trails we happened to come across and watching the geysers going off.

Grand Canyon Less Traveled

Since I've been traveling, I have seen some gorgeous and stunning sites across across my own country. From piles of snow in Yellowstone and glaciers in Alaska to tropical forests in Hawaii to the desert like climate of Arches National Park. Along one of my adventures, I got to witness the awe inspiring greatness and splendor of the Grand Canyon.

Instead of choosing to go to the more popular and crowded portion of the Grand Canyon on the south rim, my dad and I decided to visit the western rim. The western rim is unique in that it is not part of the national park services, the area is home to the Hualapai Indian Nation. Hualapai means "People of the Tall Pines" and there are about 1300 tribe members in the reservation, which began in 1883. The Hualapai Nation, like many other Indian nations, have a devastating history of being forced from their lands and homes, suffering through assaults, hunger and and disease to living in camps. Now, the Hualapai Nation has utilized their portion of the Grand Canyon to support themselves and bring in tourists.



Encompassing one million acres and 108 miles of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River, the western rim is certainly a site to behold. It has two main viewpoints, Eagle Point and Guano point, a ranch of the Hualapai people and the Skywalk. You're not allowed to drive yourself through each point but there is hop on hop off bus that is part of your ticket when you book with the reservation.

My first view upon the Grand Canyon was Guano Point. You get a 360 uninterrupted view of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. The hike you have to take to get up to the point is short and well worth it.





If I could, I would have stayed up there forever staring at the views.

The next stop was called Eagle Point... Can you guess why? Yes, the rock is formed in such a way that it looks like an eagle and is sacred to the Hualapai people.



Also at eagle point, is the famous Skywalk. The glass bridge is 4,000 feet above the grand canyon floor and made entirely of glass. It weighs a whapping 1.6 million pounds and cost $31 million to construct.



As scared of heights as I am, I thought I would be scared walking around the Skywalk, but there was just too much to enjoy. Before walking out on the glass walk, you have to leave everything behind, phones, cameras, purses. They also make you wear these weird foot wraps on your shoes and there are only a few people at a time allowed on the bridge (for obvious reasons). One guy was so terrified while walking out, he refused to let go of the railing and tried to walk through people when they wouldn't move out of the way.



Even though the tickets to visit the western rim and go out on the Skywalk are a bit pricey, it's worth it. You get to experience a unique visit when going to the Grand Canyon and learn about Hualapai people. We got to watch cultural dances and in the original festival wear, see the farming habits and learn about the local people.



Have you ever been to the western rim and walked out on the skywalk? What was your favorite view point?