Skaftafell National Park is located in Iceland and features the glacier Skaftafellsjökull after which the park is named. The park contains glacial landscapes such as sandurs (glacial flood plains) and is home to the Ring Road that runs the risk of being washed out during powerful glacial floods. Visitors can do day hikes through the park to view the landscapes and glaciers up close, including hikes to the glacier face and to the summit of Kristínatindar mountain.

1. Skaftafell National ParkIcelandSeptember 2011

2. Skaftafellsjökull, the glacier after which the park is named. Just one glacial tongue of the vast ice cap, Vatnajökull.

3. Bölti Farm perched high above the sandur – my home in Skaftafell

4. View of the sandur (glacial flood plain) from Bölti. The family rents out bunkhouses to hikers in the summer.

5. The Ring Road runs through the sandur, always at risk for being washed away in a massive jökulhlaup – a powerful flash flood of glacial melt water unleashed by eruptions beneath the ice cap. A few weeks before my trip, a jökulhlaup washed out the highway near Vík.

6. Looking towards Skeiðarárjökull. Backpacking 101 – hand wash clothes to save money.

7. The backpacker’s kitchen – a traditional turf house.

8. Road from Bölti into the park.

9. Mountains of Vatnajökull Ice Cap

10. Fields of angelica

11. Hundafoss

14. Þjófafoss

17. Campsite at Skaftafell

18. Hike to Skaftafellsjökull

20. The glacier face, black with dirt. The hikers at far left hint at the scale.

22. I brace myself against the wind – hot in the sun, but cold in the shade!

25. Bölti at sunset

26. My moment of euphoria – one of the most amazing sunsets of my life.

28. Fellow hiker Kai shares the joy of the spectacular display of light.

33. Kai of Germany

38. Early morning fog rolls in quickly –within five minutes a total white-out

40. Svartifoss

42. Day Hike to Kristínatindar

43. Our goal – the summit of Kristínatindar – mountain on the far left

44. Kai surveys the Skaftafellsheiði

47. Kai attempts to tape the sole back on his boot

48. Always keep an eye on the rapidly changing weather – Kristínatindar begins to cloud in

49. Switching into sneakers – a loss of pride for the mighty hiking boot.

52. Vatnajökull

53. Lunch break overlooking Morsárdalur

54. Kristínatindar

59. We begin the hike to the summit of Kristínatindar

64. Skaftafellsjökull far below

76. Kai reaches the summit

81. A highlight of my life – summit of Kristínatindar

82. Morsárjökull

84. As the weather begins to shift rapidly, we begin our hike off the mountain…..

92. Last view of Skaftafellsjökull