Is the Glacier hike strenuous?

I looked up the 2 day tour and it sounds quite good. I believe we did the same glacier hike last September. As it says in the fine print, you should wear a full hiking boot to wear the ice crampons--they will rent them to you if necessary--we all rented. After you are outfitted with the crampons and safety straps, you walk about 15 minutes to the glacier. It used to be much closer, but has receded due to warming. Then you walk up and down steps the guides have cut into the ridges leading to the top of the glacier field. It's basically pretty easy, but one lady was afraid of heights, so the guide kept her right behind him. I then slipped a little coming down one of the steps, and I earned the next spot behind him. Once on top we had good views. We looked around for a while, could have had a drink of fresh glacier water, took pictures, then came back down. Most thought it was easy hiking, and the guide took good care of everyone.

Thanks a lot Va. We wanted to do it but are just apprehensive . We have decided to book the tour. We told ourselves when are we going to be back in Iceland again? Still so many places to see in the world😊

Good for you. I didn't mean that you walk to the glacier in the crampons, you put them on before you start on the glacier. The trick to going down the steps is to lean back and put your weight on your heels. I forgot and slid a little, but was fine.

We did the Jokulsarlon Zodiak boat tour the next day, and really enjoyed it.

Stiff-soled hiking boots are essential for crampon compatibility - don’t skimp on having good, sturdy boots, impervious to wetness. We had a guide for just the 2 of us, and were able to take things as slow as needed, but it wasn’t like ascending a Colorado peak is far as strenuousness. Doing some 1 1/2 or 2 hour hikes (or walks) in July and August before your trip could help get you ready, if there are any doubts.

With vertical steepness, take shorter steps, either going up or downwards. You likely won’t have anything at once as tough as climbing 6 flights of stairs on your glacier excursion, but let your guide know if you need a 5 minute rest at any time The only major hospital in all of Iceland is in Reykjavik, so safety is a priority for any professional guide service - they don’t want to put anyone at risk, especially paying clients! 😉

Thanks Cyn for your advice.

Good advice regarding sturdy boots. If your guide is cutting steps, you would not need rigid boots because you can walk with your crampons flat to the ice surface and don't need any special crampon walking techniques.

Wearing waterproof gaiters is a good idea for two reasons. First, gaiters will help keep you lower legs drier. Second and more importantly, snug gaiters of hard nylon reduces the likelihood of a crampon spike catching a loose pant leg (or worst).

Contributors with Iceland glacier tour experience didn't indicate whether the guide services also provide ice axes for steep slopes. Even if you don't need an ice ax to self-arrest, they are handy for walking stability by having at least two points (one foot and ice ax) in contact with the ice) at any time.

We did the 2 hour Glacier Walk on Solheimajokull glacier with the company Arcanum. They provided ice picks--like a walking stick with metal, pointed tips--for stability. You can see a video of the hike on their website: www.arcanum.is