Alexandra Kristjánsdóttir, Jose Calvo & Mike Jackson
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Daily Expedition
Reports
18 Jul 2023
Westfjords, Iceland, 7/18/2023, National Geographic Resolution
Aboard the
National Geographic Resolution
Arctic
Our day began in the Westfjords of Iceland aboard National Geographic Resolution. Once on land, we hiked up to the stunning waterfall Dynjandi, one of Iceland’s most beautiful waterfalls. Dynjandi (which roughly translates to “thunderous”) is a powerful, wide-spreading waterfall that has a series of falls below as the water makes its way to the ocean. Our long hikers saw a whale during their walk into the fjord, and some seals popped their heads up above the water along the shoreline.
The hotel team prepared a tasty waffle teatime for us to enjoy as we sailed past Látrabjarg, the easternmost point of Iceland, full of birds and life.
Greg Winston shared his experiences as a National Geographic photographer, and our guest speaker Ragna Árnadóttir gave a presentation on Althing and the history of the Icelandic parliament. The talk was extremely interesting and gave great insight into Icelandic culture and how the democracy has developed over the years.
Alexandra is an explorer at heart. She has had the opportunity to visit over 50 countries and has been lucky enough to call several of them home. Born in Iceland, she grew up spending most of her childhood outdoors in the wilderness, observing wildli...
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The Westman Islands, situated just off the southwestern coast of mainland Iceland, are comprised of many very small remnant volcanic stacks, or plugs, with the exception being Heimaey and Surtsey Islands. Heimaey, the largest of the Westman Islands, has a population of just over 4,000 people. This ruggedly beautiful volcanic island boasts a thriving commercial fishery, comprising nearly 15% of all of Iceland’s fishing exports. However, Heimaey is most well-known for its recent dramatic volcanic history. In the middle of the night on January 23, 1973, a massive and unexpected eruption took place near the base of Eldfell (Fire Mountain) when a mile-long fissure ripped open and began spewing hot ash, gas, and massive amounts of lava. Within hours it was evident that this event would be severe, and it required the evacuation of the island. Lava flows and ash covered and buried over 400 homes and structures and threatened to block the entrance to the harbor. A massive effort was marshalled with assistance from the US Army and Navy, providing huge water pumps that were employed to hose down the encroaching lava flows and slow or divert its progress. The remnants of those efforts can be seen when entering or leaving the harbor, as an already dramatic entrance with towering volcanic cliffs was narrowed by the tongue of lava left from the eruption. Our time today was spent hiking to the top of the still-steaming crater rim of the eruption or touring the island by coach and stopping at various sites of interest, including a very active Atlantic puffin colony. With both options, guests were able to spend ample time in the museum created to memorialize this incredible and dramatic event. The museum is built around one of the homes that was buried in hot ash deposits, which makes for an incredible setting to learn more about the event. The afternoon afforded us with the ability to explore the many other small islands that make up the Westmans by ship. One of the afternoon’s highlights was seeing the thriving birdlife that breeds on these remote stacks of volcanic material. Northern gannets, razorbills, guillemots, and several species of gulls nest on the islands and take advantage of the productive waters surrounding them. Lastly, we circumnavigated the youngest island on the planet, Surtsey, which formed in an eruption that began in 1963 and fizzled out by 1967. Surtsey is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Scientists use the island to observe the progression as biological life takes hold of vacant real estate.
It was a sunny morning on the bow of National Geographic Resolution as we cruised our way north and then along the Strandir Coast of Iceland. We spent the day exploring Djúpavik, which means “deep bay” in Icelandic. Many of us headed to shore for hikes; some opted for a steep lookout vista, while others enjoyed the wildflowers, mosses, and lichens that adorn the basaltic backdrop of this area. Djúpavik is home to a former herring station that is now a museum open to visitors. The museum offers a glance into the past herring boom and fishery in the early to mid-1900s. Despite the rusted-out equipment and other remnants of a massive fishery decline, the tiny town holds a certain charm. The basaltic columnar backdrop, tall waterfalls, colorful buildings, friendly people, and remote location left us all feeling special that we were able to spend a day in this lovely fjord town.
