Category: photos

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Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, Iceland

Jökulsárlón (lit. “Glacier Lagoon”) is the largest glacier lagoon or lake in Iceland.

… it evolved into a lagoon after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The lake has grown since then at varying rates because of melting of the Icelandic glaciers. The lagoon now stands 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) away from the ocean’s edge and covers an area of about 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). …

The size of the lagoon has increased fourfold since the 1970s. It is considered as one of the natural wonders of Iceland.

tourism promo photo

Some are ash covered, from recent eruption.

… The Jökulsárlón lagoon provides outstanding views of the Ice Cap, which is a vast dome of ice that rises to a height of 3,000 feet (910 m). It spills to the lagoon 12 miles (19 km) away from the jagged glacier hill to the edge of the water line. …

Iceland is a photographer’s dream. And this lagoon may just be the single most photogenic site on the island.

I do love icebergs.

click for larger image

Don’t miss the ocean shoreline, the other side of the bridge, far less visited than the lagoon.

See more photos of this incredible place.

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Hellnar to Arnarstapi, Iceland

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

5km return

The Snaefellsnes Peninsula, close to Reykjavik, is a popular hiking destination.

Of many possible coastal walks, I chose the most popular, Hellnar to Arnarstapi.

It’s busy, but I still loved it. You can drop non-hikers in your group at the trailhead Coffee shop.

There are restaurants at either end of the trail, as well. Here’s pretty Arnarstapi.

The Visitor Centre is in Hellnar. I got good advice there.

This section of the coast is famed for “weather worn caves and sea arches“.

The vistas are gorgeous, for sure.

I nearly tripped over one of the supposedly rare Arctic Foxes. (That’s my 3rd in 4 days. How rare could they be?)

The fox was picking up an easy lunch. Dumber birds hatch eggs too close to the cliff top. I could have collected enough for an omelet, myself, without scrambling.

I’m happy with the photos from this day hike. See the rest on flickr. They are geotagged automatically by my new camera.

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Látrabjarg bird cliffs, Iceland

trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles

The most popular hike in the Westfjords.

The cliffs of all cliffs, Látrabjarg, are home to birds in unfathomable numbers. This westernmost point of Iceland (and Europe if Greenland and the Azores are not counted) is really a line of several cliffs, 14 kilometres long and up to 441m high. And it’s as steep as it gets, dizzyingly so. Safe from foxes, the birds are fearless, and provide stunning photographic opportunities from close range. Bird photography for dummies, you might say. The puffins are particularly tame (VIDEO) …

Látrabjarg is thus deservedly the most visited tourist attraction in the Westfjords. The cliffs are easily accessible by car and when you’re there, a walk along the cliffs awaits. The whirling sensation will not fade, and neither will the memories.

westfjords.is

Looking top down at a bird colony …

Somebody seemed to have collected some dud eggs for a photo op.

The shape of the egg makes it less likely to roll out of the nest.

It’s a bit of work getting to Látrabjarg. I drove most of these roads looking for Puffins.

See the rest of my birdy photos from this day hike

Note that they now are automatically geotagged with GPS data.

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1st besthike Iceland

by site editor Rick McCharles

My first hike in Iceland was a half hour loop up and over the town of Holmavik, pop. 420.

You know it for the famed Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft. But I went there to fuel up my rent-a-car before setting out for remote fjords.

A “best hike” in Iceland MUST finish at a Hot Spring.

I parked at the Swimming Complex trailhead …

… looped up to the highest viewpoint …

… and back down to the stern Church, an essential feature of all fishing villages, no matter how small.

Here’s the rural Icelandic equivalent of Starbucks. (They are not much for signage in this land.)

In the window was a Blundenhottie (Icelandic for Barista) waving me in. I would have missed the place otherwise.

more photos

The Hot Springs were wonderful.

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best hikes in Arizona

ArizonaHiking.org Weekend Warriors has a good, personalized list:

Best Easy Hikes
Best Medium difficulty hikes
Best Hard hikes
Best Fall leaf watching hikes
Best hikes for solitude
Best hikes for spectacular views
Best water hikes
etc.

See the full FULL LIST of hikes

Bright Angel Trail

See more interesting photos tagged “Arizona Hike” on flickr.

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new Lumix DMC-TS3 camera

On the advice of my buddy Warren Long, I’ve joined the photo GPS age. Just in time for Iceland.

Product Highlights

12.1MP Hi-Speed CCD Sensor
Waterproof to 40′ (12m)
Shockproof at 6.6′ (2m) Drop
Dustproof
GPS, Compass, Altimeter, Barometer Inc.
Leica 4.6x Wide-Angle 28-128mm Zoom Lens
1920×1080 Full HD Video
Very Fast Autofocus, Short Shutter Lag
2.7″ LCD Monitor–230,000-Dot Resolution
Easy Upload for Facebook/YouTube

details

Didn’t get the best price:

Camera, extra battery, case, 3yr warranty (yes) … CDN $560 + tax.

Should be some cool apps for that location metadata.

Leave a comment if you’ve got some advice for me on the new toy.

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photo essay – trekking Colca Canyon, Peru

Danny Milks & Kristin Tennessen posted some terrific pics from their hike to the bottom of one of the world’s deepest canyons:

Colca Canyon, at 4,160 meters (13,648 feet) from top to bottom, is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon …

see more on Backpacking Light

Here’s our besthike information page – Colca Canyon. And my personal trip report from 2005.

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the FAST way down from Half Dome

Rocco sends us a link to this pic.

Leaping from Half Dome is illegal, but in Yosemite the sport of BASE jumping is soaring in popularity anyway. Climbers say it’s faster (and more fun) to parachute into the valley than to hike all the way down the back of the mountain.

Nat Geographic

… seems Dean Potter forgot his parachute on this free climb.

more photos ….

Daring. Defiant. Free
A new generation of superclimbers is pushing the limits in Yosemite.

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El Camino Del Rey, Spain restored?

Some say its the most dangerous hike in the world, El Camino Del Rey (also known as El Caminito Del Rey) is definitely the most thrilling hike I’ve ever done. …

The path was originally constructed in 1905 for workers of a hydro electric dam set up in the cliffs of El Choro. Since then, the path has deteriorated and is now only for the adventurous. …

read a trip report with many more scary photos

The Cheap Route:

…. I just discovered that this hike is not going to be around much longer, at least not in its current “adventurous” state. If it sounds appealing, you better hurry up and get to Spain.

El Caminito Del Rey To Be Restored – €9 million over 4 years to fund the restoration