Iceland - Documenting the Inferno
While I was hiking glaciers in Alaska, something on the other end of the temperature spectrum happened a few thousand kilometers east: Iceland recorded another Volcano eruption, after last year’s 6 months period of volcano activity on the Reykjanes peninsula not far from Reykjavik. Having missed the previous occasion, I decided to book a flight and car in a 36h window on August 15th, between other trips I had already confirmed. It was a risky plan, given the fact that the activity could slow down or even stop at any moment, and knowing that Iceland’s weather is more than unpredictable. In the end, it was the right move, since I had great weather for most of the trip, and even more so because the eruption has effectively stopped as of August 22nd.
I arrived at the country’s international airport in late afternoon and took a rental car towards the Volcano location, which is just 45min from the airport, only stopping to get some groceries as I planned to stay at the site over night.
Watching the Inferno
A few images of people hiking along the hills surrounding the volcano at night.
Volcano In Motion - Highlights
If you enjoyed the photos, seeing the spewing lava in motion adds another dimension.
Morning Vibes
I spent over 14h at the site in total on the first day, to catch these views. What made it even more worth it is the fact that I was literally the only one here around 7am, surrounded by nothing but the noise of the volcano.
An Aerial View
While flying a drone makes for amazing imagery, your own perception still stays on the ground. Only a helicopter can change that, so after sunrise I went to Reykjavik to take a look from above with my own eyes.
The flight also led us over a few more of Iceland’s beautiful landscapes.
The Last Attempt
After the helicopter flight I had planned to come back for another night before my 7am return flight, and started my trek before sunset in reasonably good weather. This was when I got to experience when they say that Icelandic weather conditions are unpredictable. 90min later, when I was just settling down at the volcano site, clouds, wind, and rain took over, making the experience of sitting on the hill completely unprotected a rather miserable one.
Since I really wanted to get a few more aerial shots, I held on for another 2h, catching a small break in the rain where I - despite heavy wind gusts - felt the drone would survive a short flight, before heading back to the car in the pouring rain for a few hours of sleep. I’d say it was worth it.
A Recap
Here is a timelapse sequence of the the evening , moonrise, and next day’s sunrise.
And that was 36h in Iceland - it was an expensive and tough journey, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.