{"id":38818,"date":"2026-04-19T08:00:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T15:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/?p=38818"},"modified":"2026-04-06T12:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:26:15","slug":"jokulsa-a-fjollum-part-i-out-of-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2026\/04\/19\/jokulsa-a-fjollum-part-i-out-of-place\/","title":{"rendered":"J\u00f6kuls\u00e1 \u00e1 Fj\u00f6llum Part I: Out of Place"},"content":{"rendered":"

To describe the river feels near impossible because it is changing in real time before our eyes. What started as a small mountain stream of blue water at the Vatnaj\u00f6kull Glacier swelled to a raging torrent of chocolate milk within the first 10 kilometres.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we unzip the tent door to blue skies and full sun on day two of the expedition, we have knots in our stomachs knowing only one thing: the river will increase in size and speed by the mile, and by the hour.<\/span><\/p>\n

We drink our morning coffee atop jagged lava boulders, trying to scout what lies downstream. We try to cross-reference what we see ahead with what we <\/span>should<\/span><\/i> be seeing, according to satellite imagery on our GPS. On the bank across from us, there is a lava field from an eruption in 2014 which has rerouted the river.<\/span><\/p>\n

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(C) Mick Lautt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rock is black, jagged, and stretches on as far as you can see. The river to its right boils and swirls, and we debate our next moves as we try to discern \u2018white\u2019 water features in the silty brown flow. One cup of coffee turns into two, and the river continues to rise regardless of our attempts to stall.<\/span><\/p>\n

Covering roughly 8% of Iceland\u2019s landmass, Vatnaj\u00f6kull is Europe\u2019s largest glacier: a vast, dynamic ice cap nearly a kilometre thick in places. It hides several active volcanoes beneath its surface, and feeds dozens of major rivers, including the J\u00f6kuls\u00e1 \u00e1 Fj\u00f6llum (which aptly translates to \u2018Glacial River in the Mountains\u2019).<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past century, Vatnaj\u00f6kull has lost more than 15% of its volume, retreating rapidly as Iceland warms at twice the global average. This summer has been no exception to the warming trend. In May, 2025, a record-breaking heatwave hit northern Iceland, and July, 2025, was one of the warmest on record for many parts of the island. Streams that should have been ankle-deep in summer were bank-full, thick with silty glacial runoff.<\/span><\/p>\n