In reply to CJRR:
> Anybody on here with significant knowledge of Hekla, Eyjafjallajökull, and/or Snaefellsjoekul peaks in Iceland?
Depends on what you mean by "significant"! There has been a larger than usual number of earthquakes around Hekla in recent weeks and months and I *think* a warning was issued about ascending it. Whether it's still in force I don't know, but the activity seems to be ongoing and it's overdue an eruption. The problem with Hekla is that when it goes, the maximum warning you might get is 1.5 hours! As others have said, there are many far more interesting and safer peaks than Hekla.
Eyjafjallajökull seems to give more warning and is, as I understand things, much safer. The excellent walk from þorsmork to Skógar goes very near it. It also goes very near to Mýrdalsjökull and its resident volcano, Katla, which is pretty lively at the moment and is due an eruption. Some warnings associated with this activity have recently been issued. It is thought that when it goes, it'll be a rather bigger deal than Eyjafjallajökull was in 2010. There's lots of useful info tucked away on this website:
http://en.vedur.is/
Snæfellsjökull is in a really good remote-feeling area and it is not volcanically active. I had a good walking trip there on my first trip to Iceland.
> I'll be there from mid-august for a week with the missus. I'm an alpinist, she is not so looking for some knowledge on these peaks and if they would be manageable in terms of bringing a complete novice. I can't find much info on the web beyond the limited info on commercial websites.
Patience and an exploratory imagination can yield useful internet search results. Obviously, your key problem is going to be whether the glaciers are wet or dry. If wet, then I wouldn't be on them without full gear in summer and almost certainly not with a novice. If dry... Well, we managed crossing several glaciers last summer without axes, crampons, or ropes, but often the ice was much more slippery than in the alps. On the other hand, the ice caps are often relatively low angled, so there are many areas that aren't heavily crevassed, though they can be still steep enough that if you slip, you'll go a long way - as we nearly found out!
Another thing you may want to consider is how comfortable your wife will feel moving on 'spring' snow... This would be a factor if you do the þorsmork to Skógar walk.
> Wondering what the upper slopes/summit areas are generally like in August and if I will need to have crampons etc. Planning on doing some day trips as the weather permits.
Well, on our trip last summer, we had days of sunshine with temps in the hills of about 15 degrees, but we also had days of near Scottish winter conditions and some nights near freezing. But this was in the Highlands where it tends to be colder. Crampons? We did a 14 day continuous trek, so axes and crampons were too much weight but poles were indispensable.
HTH.
