Kaldalón at Ísafjörður

Kaldalón lies on the Snæfjallaströnd coast, on the north side of Ísafjörður. The area is really a deep valley formed by the melting of Lónsjökull, one of the glacial spurs of Drangajökull. From the glacier to the sea runs the glacial river Mórilla with its intricate, vascular-like system of braided channels where three different water sources join: Glacial meltwater from Drangajökull; springwater from Votubjörg, Trymbilsstaðarhlíð, Háafellshjallar and Lónseyrarhlíð that frame the valley; and streams from brightly coloured silt ponds that dot the fertile slopes.

This is an aerial view from a height of 350 meters of Mórilla's ephemeral braided system, at sunset in August. The bird’s-eye point of view makes large rocks appear like diminutive grains of sand.

The silty sediment of the bottom features a variety of earth tones with a colour palette that spans both warm and cool, from umbre, pale red and ochre to gray and soft blue hues.

Kaldalón offers a unique natural experience. Hiking up close to the glacier with a good lunch affords the traveller a plethora of rare vistas. In winter, traversing the area on touring skis is no less glorious.

Sigvaldi Kaldalóns (1881-1946) was a doctor, nature lover, composer and romantic who lived in Kaldalón and had deep ties to the place. He was inspired by the natural environment and wrote many of Iceland’s best loved and most famous songs, nearly 90 of which are still well-known today.

Photographer:

Hermann Þór Snorrason, born 1973 in the town of Ísafjörður