The tough part ain't the walking.

I'm a walker. I walk 6 to 10 miles daily. Over all sorts of terrain. And now I have trekked over a glacier. In Iceland. Sort of unexpectedly. My girlfriend and I signed up for a bus tour to the base of a glacier. But when we got there, we got more than we bargained for. We got to climb the glacier. With an expert guide. And spikes strapped to our shoes. So we wouldn't slip and slide. And let me tell you, it was a wonderful experience. Albeit, my girlfriend had sore knees the next day. Meanwhile, I'm looking for a set of spikes for my shoes. I might find them handy when walking in Minnesota over the winter. Europe's largest glacier is in Iceland. But there are several. And we walked on one of the smaller ones. Most fascinating were the holes in the glacier. Looking a little like caves. Made of ice, of course. Some people are brave enough to crawl in. Not me. The holes transfer melt water through the glacier. And there's plenty of melting water these days. Due to global warming. Scientists say that the Breidamerkurjokull glacier, in souterm Iceland, is receding. The 22-kilometer wide glacier makes up part of the Vatnajokull, which covers an area of about 8,100 square kilometers. One thing I found. It's easier walking on a glacier than learning how to pronounce the glacier's name. --Jim Broede