ZODIAC BOAT ON THE JOKULSARLON GLACIER LAKE
You go away for a long time and return a different person – you never come all the way back ~ Paul Theroux
I find myself often yearning for experiences that are new and unique, familiarity is reassuring but novelty brings exhilaration. So, imagine my excitement as I waited for our new boat adventure on the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lake.
It appeared that every activity we did in Iceland, needed some kind of contraption to be donned. And this was no exception. We wore our bright fluorescent floatation suits, life jackets and hoods and were ready to go in the brilliant red zodiac boat waiting for us.
“The gladdest moment in human life is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton
The boat started with a slow chug smoothly moving along the blue calm waters of the glacial lagoon. But in a minute, it picked up speed and was going so fast that we gasped in amazement. The wind blew our hoods right off and whipped through our ruffled, streaming hair. Faster and faster, it went until suddenly the engine sputtered and turned off and we saw that we had reached the icebergs peacefully floating in the calm waters.
We slowly floated alongside the deepest blue chunks of ice marveling at the miracles of nature. Even as we saw the 10% of the iceberg’s body that was above the surface of water, we craned our necks to look deep into the water to see a glimpse of the other 90% submerged way below…….
And then we saw something silently rolling around on one iceberg……. it was a seal!
Was he all alone? Not at all, soon we saw many more on icebergs scattered around and they stared at us with just as much curiosity as we were looking at them. I could not help wondering what this big slippery semi-aquatic mammal was thinking at this very moment……
“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”
After this short pause, we started moving again, heading to the glacier. We went almost all the way up to it, the Vatnajökull Glacier and took in its vast expansiveness as the boat started slowing down and gliding again. We were just a few feet from the glacier now, although far enough for safety ( I hoped!)
And then, we heard a big sound…. boom, crash. What was that? It was the glacier calving and big chunks fell into the glacial lake as we watched. The tremendous spectacle of nature’s power unfolding right before our eyes, as we watched in awe. And as I watched, I could not help but wonder if we humans are running out of time to preserve this wonderful place-‘our earth’ that has been our home for so long……