Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui Waterfalls

Not only is this going to be a road trip, but it's also going to be a waterfall trip.  We saw at least one waterfall every day we were there.  Each one was unique and enjoyable.  Now if we can only remember all of their names!  The first waterfall of the day was Seljalandsfoss.  It is one of the most popular waterfalls on the south part of the Ring Road.  And during the summer you can actually walk behind it which is super cool.  Unfortunately we learned that there are two distinct Iceland itineraries; one for summer and one for winter.  The two shall not cross.  So while we were able to get pretty close to the base of the waterfall the steps leading to the path behind it were completely frozen over with frozen spray and not accessible.  Not to worry, it's still pretty!

If you venture down the path you eventually come to Gljufrabui Waterfall.  You can see it from the path, but the best way to enjoy it is to trek through the frozen river and enter the cave where it crashes into.  Now, I knew this was going to be a game-day type of decision.  Of course we want to be up close and personal to this waterfall, but I also didn't know how high the water was going to be.  We had on our waterproof winter gear, but just how waterproof was it?  If our feet got wet, or we slipped and fell, did we have enough warm layers to avoid frostbite the rest of the day?  Let's see!  Jeremy took one look and the entrance and decided it was worth it.  We could stand on top of enough rocks that there was only a few steps where our feet actually submerged in the water.  The risk was totally worth it as the view from inside the gorge was astounding.  Everything was covered with a layer of frozen spray and so everything was very slippery.  It felt like we were discovering this hidden gem for the first time.

Daxton was the only one who actually fell into the water, which wasn't a surprise.  What was a surprise was just how waterproof all of our gear was.  None of us were wet from that excursion.  I couldn't believe it.  All of us had water sitting on top of our coats, and we didn't brush it off immediately. That meant that by the time we walked back to the car our coats were actually frozen stiff.  It took some work to get the ice off so they could move freely again.

Hello sun!  (Kind of.)

Seljalandsfoss Memories

McKenzie: We lost a lot of ice spikes.  I liked this waterfall though.  I got a few pictures of it.  It was a little small, but that's ok. 

Kelton: I was angry that they didn't let us go behind it.

Annette: I knew that there were going to be touristy areas of Iceland, but I really hoped that no one would be as crazy as us and go in the winter.  I was wrong.  There were a lot of tour buses there (and people who have obviously never dressed for the snow before).  I was afraid that the crowds would ruin our plans.  They didn't.  It was easy when we chose to ignore them.  I was hoping to go behind the waterfall, but there was so much spray that it had frozen everything nearby and there wasn't a chance we could get back behind there safely.

Gljúfrabúi memories

Jeremy: As soon as I saw there was a place to hike through a river, I said there was no way I was trying that.  But it was one of the coolest caves/waterfalls I've ever been in.

McKenzie: I really liked this one.  Going through the water was surprisingly easy.  I was able to jump across the rocks easily.  The icicles were really cool.  There wasn't a great way to pose with it to make it picturesque.

Daxton: The hike in there was so fun.  I liked getting the huge icicles. Sliding down the rock inside was fun.

Cambrie: Daxton kept falling over and I kept having to pick him up and carry him to the wall.  It was like Bambi on ice.  My glasses kept getting wet and frozen and made it really hard to see.

Annette: I couldn't believe that my family willingly walked through a river when it was so freezing cold outside.  I thought there was no way their gear would keep them dry.  But Jeremy was his adventurous self and forged ahead with a wild idea.  It was the best idea of the trip.  Our family was the only ones in there at the time and it felt like we were in another world.  Every surface was covered with frozen spray and glistened in the light.  It was pretty magical.

Kelton: Every surface was covered in ice bubbles.  I felt like it was a dream.