Click here for Vatnajökull National Park (slideshow)
Today, the previous day's weather forecast prompted yet another change to the long forgotten preplanned itinerary. When we rented the camper, we were given ample and multiple warnings
about not driving The Beast in winds over 15 m/sec (30ish mph). So, with high winds in the forecast, we selected a campground in an inland area that looked to be sheltered from the worst of the weather. We landed at the sheltered campsite in Vatnajökull National Park at 10 in the morning, a far cry from our usual late evening arrivals on previous days.
Parked and sheltered, we declared the day a rest day.
While we were fully intending to hide out in the camper in heavy rain and just chill, the heavy rain failed to materialize and it was easy to ignore a few sprinkles and head out on a "short" hike. An hour later, we arrived at a waterfall called Svartifoss surrounded by basalt columns that appeared to fall like the water -- into the pool below. Whether viewing the falls from a distance at the footbridge or up close where we could feel the mist from the falling water on our exposed skin, the falls merited far more than just a passing glance. We rested long enough that climbing the hill on the other side of the falls toward a not-too-distant summit seemed like a reasonable thing to do.
At the summit, we had panoramic views of the lowlands below, of glacial arms of the
Vatnajökull ice cap in the distance, of an old, abandoned farm, and of a variety of flora that easily kept us going for several more miles. Rest day was officially cancelled, but we had no objections. Heavy rain never materialized and the cloud cover remained overcast but nowhere near ominous.
In the late evening, we took advantage of the endless daylight and hiked to the Jökull glacier on the opposite, eastern end of the park, I had never been up close and personal to a glacier, particularly with almost no-one else around to disrupt the tranquility, which made Jökull even more of a treat. Had the air not reminded me of how truly cold the glacier itself was, I would have remained at the foot of the glacier much, much longer. But I was too easily tempted by the warmth that lurked back at the campsite inside The Beast, so we turned and headed back to camp before midnight.
On the hike back to camp though, my mood turned darker as I pondered the glacier's retreat and the far-reaching effects of climate change.
I guess turning my mind off on vacation wasn't really the option I thought it was.
While we were fully intending to hide out in the camper in heavy rain and just chill, the heavy rain failed to materialize and it was easy to ignore a few sprinkles and head out on a "short" hike. An hour later, we arrived at a waterfall called Svartifoss surrounded by basalt columns that appeared to fall like the water -- into the pool below. Whether viewing the falls from a distance at the footbridge or up close where we could feel the mist from the falling water on our exposed skin, the falls merited far more than just a passing glance. We rested long enough that climbing the hill on the other side of the falls toward a not-too-distant summit seemed like a reasonable thing to do. 
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