At the front edge, large chunks of ice break off as the glacier moves forward too slowly to see. Black volcanic soil covers the ground. Ironically, although freezing at the beach yesterday, it's warm and comfortable here at the glacier today (around mid 50's, and no wind).

Leaving the glacier behind, the ground turns mossy and greener -- and this moss covers many of the volcanic hills here; sometimes taking hundreds of years to grow in this cool environment. This was a fun trip for a few hours, and easy to get to from Vik (but I wouldn't recommend the version of this that leaves from Reykjavik, since that would be a 2.5 hour drive each way). The ice cave was a bit smaller than some expected -- but still nice; and the driver recommended another hike near town for the afternoon.