HELLO AND WELCOME FRIENDS,

At the end of August and beginning of September, 2024, Nina and I went to Iceland for ten days. I have traveled a great deal in my time. I lived in Alaska for ten years and have visited a variety of volcanic landscapes around the world. But the combination of the raw, volcanic formations and the Arctic conditions creates such a magical landscape that few are unmoved by it. It is always and actively changing. The signs are everywhere. Vents from below bring heat to the surface from boiling water to molten rock. Vast lava fields are only rivaled by ice fields and glaciers in their grandeur.

So this blog is going to be more of a travelogue than usual. Still, I have completed one print inspired by the trip which I'll share first.

The horses of Iceland are seen in almost all of the small farms that ring the island along the south coast. As soon as you see them you're struck with how distinct they are from other breeds. They are short and stocky. The nearest I've seen like them are on Assateague Island, Virginia. Their coats are most often earthen tones of gray, brown and black. But many are topped with dramatic manes and tails of thick, long blond hair.

This is a small print but still took a lot of thought as to how to do it. Here are the eight stages of the print followed by the completed image.

The title is "Fallegir Hestar", which means Beautiful Horses in Icelandic. Here's the completed print.

"Fallegir Hestar" (Beautiful Horses), linocut print, 5" x 7"

While planning our trip, we studied the maps a bit and decided to restrict ourselves to the southwest quarter of the island. It's almost hard to grasp the wide range of landforms in a relatively small area. On landing in Keflavik we were greeted with an erupting volcano within sight of the airport. In 2024 this long fissure opened into eruptions several kilometers long. Thick moss was smoldering at the edge of the lava and the smoke was many hued against the sun.

After enjoying Reykjavik for the rest that day we headed back to the volcano the next morning. This time it was erupting and we could see and hear the fountains of fire at a distance. But, sadly, my phone's camera can't show you what we experienced. After feeling thrilled to have seen a volcano erupting we took a drive north of Reykjavik to see ‎⁨Grundarfjörður⁩, ⁨a very distinctive mountain. The drive along the coast was just enchanting and we had a beautiful day for it.

But here is what we came this way for:

What can I say about that?? It really grabs you to be there. This mountain is right on the sea and about 500 meters (1500 feet) high standing quite alone. The next day we drove to the Golden Circle, a memorable route of many interesting landforms. We drove through a landscape of thermal vents sending plumes of steam from the ground. The many farms that ring the island are where we saw the horses which inspired my print.

 

We settled into a small, very modern cabin perched in a field full of sheep with thick coats. The sunset was beautiful and the sky clear. So we thought we might just be able to see the northern lights that night.

We played cards until about 11:00 PM. The sun had set at 9:30 but it wasn't really dark until much later. We stepped outside and looked to the north. Nope. There were stars but no aurora. Then we walked around to the other side, looking south and voila! There they were! We went to the darkest place we could find nearby, away from homes and farms. We had the pleasure of watching a modest display for at least an hour. Much to my surprise, my phone took several really decent images of the aurora. The pictures have more color than our eyes could actually see. (The orange clouds in the picture below are lit from town lights in the distance.) What a treat to see the aurora borealis. It had been 36 years since I saw them last. I can confidently say it is one of the most beautiful things you can see on earth.

Our first stop the next day was Bruarfoss, a waterfall of the most exquisite pale blue color. So sparkling and striking in color.

Next stop was Geysir, the town from which the name of these exploding fountains of boiling water comes. There's something fascinating about looking at a little stream flowing beside you and realizing that it is just below boiling temperature. But the drama is in the geysers. This is Great Geyser and it shoots upward about 70 feet (22 m).

We then went to visit the largest waterfall in Iceland, Gulfoss. And it is indeed grand and dramatic in its power. In the area behind that rainbow (below) the full fury of the waterfall descends into a narrow notch that roils and roars.

After the drenching of the waterfall, we continued on toward the ice field and glaciers at the center of the island. Very quickly we entered what felt like a desert, void of life. Nothing but stones. Of course, there's more to it than that but the impression is a strong one and it stretched about as far as you could see. Lava. The rental car company would not let us go any further into the interior and they called me to say so. That was a bit of a surprise. I guess the road gets a little rough.

The next day was not the brilliant blue that you see above. It was more what we expected, about 50F (10C), windy and raining. We went for a hike in ‎⁨Thingvellir National Park⁩ where the two plates that form the Atlantic Ocean meet and spread apart. The crack in the earth where that is happening is what we walked within.

After getting a bit wet, despite waterproof pants, shoes, coats, etc., we went to a thermal bath to relax, warm up and end the day. The next day we headed toward our next little cabin, nearer the ice field and glaciers that spill out along the south coast. It was an even stormier day but we still stopped along the way several times. At one huge waterfall the wind roared and blew the falling water at a slant. I had the pleasure of walking behind the waterfall and through a heavy dousing of falling water. We continued driving through lava fields that had been laid down more than 250 years before. Almost the only thing growing on them was moss. 250 years of thick moss covering lava boulders of all shapes and sizes. This is not an easy landscape to walk on and a very delicate biome as well. It's a bit forbidding.

Next on our list of things to do was to take a guided walk onto a glacier. We were to arrive at 10:30 AM and that morning the wind was howling, driving sideways rain. I called the tour company to see if the hike was still on. "Oh yes. We will go as usual."

OK...

This was not an easy hike, at least for me. I'm an old guy, after all. But the effort was worth it, despite the driving wind and rain. We donned helmets, climbing harnesses and cramp-ons for the ice, grabbed our ice axes and walked for about a mile on a path of rough, irregular lava stones to the foot of the massive glacier. We then climbed ice that was covered with a varying layer of gravel and rocks. Finally the gravel gave way and we were walking on ice, blue and harsh. It is a humbling experience to be on a glacier, a river of ice. One feels very small.

I thought we got wet the day before but I was thoroughly soaked by the end of this three hour hike. Fortunately, it was not too cold and we stayed warm as we had the right clothes on - except for my boots, which I should have water proofed before leaving home. Again, good fortune would have it that there was an oven in our cabin to assist me in drying out my boots - successfully, after a few hours.

On our last day in the countryside we took another hike beside a 300 foot (100m) deep gouge out of the layers of lava. This landscape too was covered with a pillowy layer of moss. 

The canyon itself was very interesting. Every turn on the path revealed a completely new set of shapes and textures in vivid greens with black lava rock underneath. There were vertiginous moments where one could walk to the edge of the canyon and look straight down onto the rocks and rushing water below.

Before our last stretch of driving to the city, we stopped to visit another glacier but with a little less ambition than the last. As we returned to Reykjavik for our flight home the next day, we reflected on a trip that fulfilled all of our expectations and more. There is clearly much more to discover in Iceland and we both hope to return sometime in the not too distant future. 

I hope you enjoyed this little virtual visit and that you too have a chance to see this special place. The people we met were just as lovely as the landscape. Stay in touch and let me know if you find yourself in Western Massachusetts and would like to visit my studio. It's always good to hear from you.

William H. Hays