Svetlana Graudt

Meradalir volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula about 17 miles southwest of Reykjavik erupted a little over a week ago after several weeks of multiple earthquakes. We invite you to relive that epic day through the eyes of an Arctic Adventures guide, Nick Reeves, who made the difficult hike to the eruption site just hours after the firsts outbursts of lava grabbed the Icelandic—and global—headlines.

Daníel Páll Jónasson, 40, jiggles a lot of plates. A physical geographer and photography enthusiast, who works in sales and IT for a cleaning products wholesaler, he is a father of two girls and a published author of a photography book about volcanoes — among other things. Jonasson, a Reykjavik native, said he had traveled around Iceland every year since he was a child, so “I know a bit about every place in the country.” He also really loves volcanoes— since the eruption of Fagradalsfjall in 2021, he has hiked to the site over 30 times.