Arctic Adventures Glacier Guides offered this amazing 4-hour glacier hike. To hike Vatnajökull, we booked a hotel near the glacier months in advance. Since the hike started at 8:45 AM, arriving so early required accommodation nearby. Unfortunately, there were only two hotels along Highway 1, and the one 10 minutes away was already booked because we booked too late. We had to book the one 25 minutes away, which cost $400 USD per night. But since we had already registered and paid for the hike, we had no choice but to go ahead with it.

Coming to Iceland is a fantastic opportunity to hike on a glacier; as far as I know, glacier hiking isn't even available in the US. Vatnajökull National Park covers a total area of 14,141 square kilometers, approximately 14% of Iceland, and is comprised of awe-inspiring ice caps, spectacular mountain scenery, lush valleys, and, of course, the Skaftafell Nature Reserve. At the foot of the glacier, your knowledgeable and experienced glacier guides will provide you with all the necessary hiking gear, including helmets, crampons, and ice axes (if needed). Hiking boots and rain gear can be rented for an additional fee. They will also conduct an educational and entertaining safety briefing, outlining what to look for on the glacier and sharing interesting facts about the area. When everyone is ready, you'll begin your ascent up the ice cap. You'll ascend the glacier's tongue and enter a fantastical frozen world of ice sculptures, blue mills, and deep crevasses. Make sure you don't forget your camera!

To enter the glacier, we need to climb a steep stone mountain road. We looked at the snow-white glacier from afar, but it was still a long distance to reach. After climbing up with all our strength, we found a relatively flat place and put on the grappling spikes.

We had to take a bus to the bottom of the glacier climbing site, which took about 15 minutes to drive, and then we had to get ready and go to the point where we entered the ice field and start getting dressed, wearing chicken claw nails and holding axes and sticks to start climbing.

The weather was very sunny today and the photos were very beautiful, but the weather forecast said that the weather would change after this afternoon and the weather alert would enter the red level. Therefore, the wind speed was very high when we were climbing. We often had to crouch down when a strong wind came, otherwise we would be blown over.

During the break, you can eat some energy snacks to replenish your energy and drink the cleanest Icelandic spring water in the world.

At this time, the tour guide asked if anyone wanted to follow him to climb a little higher. There was a canyon attraction over there. Of course, I followed him there, and Wei Li stayed where she was to enjoy her snacks.

Finally, we filed down and headed home! We had finally successfully completed our epic iceberg hike. However, there was a minor incident on the way down. Dad, constantly looking over his shoulder to see if Mom was keeping up, slipped and fell, tearing a hole in his pants. Fortunately, only my knee scraped against the rock, causing a minor scrape and bleeding. The guide promptly cleaned and bandaged the wound. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad.

I also took some photos of the lower icebergs on the way down the mountain. The ice has gradually melted, and some have no ice at all. It can be seen that global warming has caused the shrinkage of icebergs.