Memories that will last a lifetime

Tomorrow night, I will be back at my home in Greenville, SC. I will be in my own bed, with my own pillow and using my own bathroom instead of having to share with 20 other people. So, when people ask me how Iceland was and if it was the experience I thought it was going to be, I'm not exactly sure what I am going to tell them. Of course I absolutely loved every second of this trip, but it will never be possible to express just how true this statement is. Nobody will understand the connection that this group now shares with each other... Only we will understand this. Only we will know how it feels to completely undress in front of each other, and climb a mountain with every muscle in your body hurting, and see a wild pack of horses running right next to your bus and looking so majestic. This group of 18 students and 2 professors have been through every possible scenario with each other and I'm sure that we can all agree that every second was worth it. 

 

Was it super, super cold? Did you have to take a snowmobile to get everywhere? Did you see a volcano blow up? I'm expecting to get these questions from my friends back home and I will simply have to tell them that everything they think about Iceland is completely wrong. No, I didn't get to ride a reindeer and no, I didn't get frostbite on my fingers. But I did get to hike through a glacier cave and I was able to ski down a mountain on my rainpants after seeing the most gorgeous view of my entire life! I was also able to find amazing rocks and minerals that I have only seen in books such as zeolite and obsidian, which I am still shocked happened! I was able to climb up several different craters and peer into the bottom of it while having rock throwing contests to see who could throw the farthest. I was able to learn about a very sustainable way of using enery (geothermal power), and have a first-hand experience of the sulfur water that runs through tap water in most towns. Not only did I do things only field geologists would do, but I also had the experience of a normal tourist such as swimming in Blue Lagoon with silica on my face and finding random dogs and cats on the road that loved to visit with any human that they can find. My friends won't understand my love for these experiences and they will wonder why I had " fun" climbing up a crater, but their misunderstanding is the reason why I will always remember these adventures... Because it takes the experience to truly fall in love with events such as these. 

 

Did you make any new friends in Iceland or were you too busy with studying to socialize with people? The friends that I made were part of my family while I was in Iceland. They were the ones that stayed up with me for 48 hours straight before passing out together for the first night in Reykjavik. They were the ones that suffered through the pain of hiking with me for hours and hours everyday in order to see such beautiful sights... And then sitting in silence together in order to take in everything we have accomplished and learned as a group. They are the ones who fought me over the last Ballerina cookie, but would give me half of their lunch if something happened to mine. We danced to Adele on the bus together, sang our theme songs (Bohemian Rhapsody and Take Me Home, Country Roads), together, and heard the contagious laughter of Emily multiple times a day together. Everything we experienced and everything we did, we did as a group. We were always by each other's side and the only privacy we had was when we took a shower or used the "water closet". Without this group of people, my experience in Iceland would have been completely different and not in a good way. This group of students and professors made this trip memorable and one that I will always remember. 

 

 

 

So, when people ask me if I liked my trip in Iceland, I'm going to tell them that I loved it and that it the experience of a lifetime. I will tell them that when I had my doubts before boarding the plane for Reykjavik, that my doubts seem so pointless to me now. I will say that they will never know how I truly feel about this trip, because the 20 people that were with me will be the only ones to know. When I show my friends my rock collection that I have gathered from the different areas in Iceland, they will say, "Oh that's really cool that you found that," but, they will never know the excitement I had when I actually picked up the rock for the first time. When they see pictures of me jumping on a glacier or petting an Icelandic horse, they will be jealous, but they won't know how it feels to accomplish these things. The mystery of my feelings for this adventure is what makes it so special. It's what makes it something that only I understand. When I'm older and I look through pictures of this trip, of course I'm going to remember the places that I visited and the food that I ate, but the experiences that will be most memorable will be the ones that I shared with my Icelandic family. One day, hopefully soon, I would love to go back to Iceland with my real family and experience everything all over again. It will be just as special, but it will be different and that's what makes each trip so unique. You can go to the same place hundreds of times and have completely different feelings about it depending on the people you are with. I will remember this trip forever. Thank you Iceland. 

 

An underwater dog..

May 26, 2016

The hostel we are currently staying in is so cute! The girls in our group were split up between 3 different, but tiny cabins where we have double beds, a small coffee table, and a toilet. The cabins remind me of a hobbit home! The only downside to this hostel is the fact that we have to walk to the main building in order to take a shower, but at least we get a great view of the horses behind our cabin while we run in our pajamas. We woke up this morning a little earlier than usual, around 7:15, in order to set off for our journey to Vatnajokull. Just like a few days ago, today was a very windy day, more so than the other day actually. I literally thought I was going to be knocked backwards! Even Camille, who has been in a tornado, claims that the tornado wind wasn't as strong as this! Kind of crazy. The terns that we saw today had a very hard time trying to fly in this wind and several were knocked backwards while trying to take flight. Definitely a day for multiple layers and a hat or two. 

When we arrived at Vatnajokull, I was shocked to see just how big the glacier was... and we were only looking at the very tip, known as Breidamerkurjokull. The formation of the lagoon is mainly due to climate change in the area. After "The Little Ice Age" between 1600-1900, the glacier began retreating as the temperature became warmer and caused a 190 meter deep lagoon of water and ice to occur where the glacier snout existed. The icebergs were a beautiful, blue color and they were so big and so numerous! Everywhere I looked had several icebergs in the area. As the glacier continues to retreat, icebergs break free and are carried by the current of the water to the lagoon (Jokulsarlon). The tides, winds and currents continue to erode away at the icebergs until they are small enough to float away to sea... something that was an extraordinary process to watch. We were also able to walk on the moraines that have been deposited all around the lagoon. The moraines were dark, brown/blackish color due to the basaltic sediments that were carried onto the glacier. We also noticed that since the face of the glacier was vertical instead of slanted, the glacier hasn't been actively receding lately and is more at a state of equilibrium. 

 

 

While we were walking along the beach area and taking pictures at every possible angle, I noticed something that looked like a combination of a human head and a dog head peering right above the water. At first I wasn't quite sure what it was... It couldn't be a person or a dog because the water is wayyyyy too cold, so what kind of creature was it? As soon as the entire body of the creature was revealed, I realized that it was a seal! I've never seen a seal this close before, even in a zoo! It was so adorable! A few days before I left for Iceland, I saw a video of a man in a kayak with a seal that decided to join him on his journey. I was really hoping that this seal would casually swim up to me and let me take a picture with it... But apparently Icelandic seals are not as social as American seals. As we continued to walk along the beach area, I kept looking around the icebergs to see if any more seals would appear. I started to give up when I noticed several of these heads popping up out of the water! There were so many of them and they were so close to the shore. They would peer their heads above the water just to look at us. It was like they were just as curious to see humans as we were to see them. After they looked around at all of us, they would flip upside down and hit their fins against the water to make a huge splash. It was as if they were performing for us... And then, they would stare at us again. It was so entertaining and amusing! I could've watched these seals all day, but I had to keep walking in order to see everything before it was time to head back to the bus for lunch. 

 

Once we got to the furthest point on our walk down the beach, we were able to see Breidamerkurjokull in full view. It was so beautiful and when I looked through my binoculars, I could see moraines, crevasses, fractures and other glacial features that I have only seen in pictures. It was great knowing that I was staring at the largest glacier in all of Iceland.. But even more than that, it's the largest glacier in the world outside of Antartica! Never would I have ever thought that I would be standing in this position. Unfortunately, in order to make it back in time for our lunch, we had to leave our wonderful spot that we had all to ourselves to enjoy. After taking a few more pictures, we began our journey back to the bus. Instead of walking along the beach, I decided to walk on the moraines to get a different perspective of the area. The hike on the moraines proved to be much harder than the beach since I had to keep climbing up and then back down large hills with slippery surfaces. At one point, I actually "skied" down a very large hill by moving my feet in a back and forth pattern (kind of like ice skating). It was a very efficient way of getting down this mountain, and quite fun since I needed a break on my calf muscles anyways. Once we finally made it back to the bus (being pretty much exhausted), I enjoyed peanut butter sandwiches and a nice piece of chocolate cake for dessert. 

 

We made one more trip before heading back to our hostel for the rest of the day. We crossed the bridge that existed over the lagoon and went to the beach of the sea where the icebergs would eventually go. It was so cool being able to watch the bergs roll over and over again into the sea and out into the ocean! Hopefully Titanic won't be sailing through the area anytime soon. The sand was pure black... Absolutely beautiful and something that I would consider to be a natural wonder of the world (if it was up to me). But, something else that was very new to me was the clear line that separated the blue, glacial melt water from the green, sea water. It was incredible to see this perfect separation where the more powerful water would take over the lesser. I was also interested in the beach rocks that were seen along the coast. There were many different colors of smooth stones that each had their own and unique pattern. For example, there were red rocks with black stripes, solid, blue rocks, and orange rocks with a lighter orange color on the inside.  They were all so beautiful so of course I have to take a few home with me. We headed back for the bus a few minutes later to drive back to the hostel and spend the rest of the day as we desired. Around 7:00 pm., we enjoyed a pasta with vegetables on top (that was very delicious), and spent the rest of the night catching up on work. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good as today was... And I'm not sure it could possibly be better. 

 

 

It was a blustery day in the neighborhood...

May 24, 2016

Today began as a normal day... We had breakfast at 8:00, packed our gear for the day, and set off for our adventure around 10:00. However, what made this day stand out to all the other ones in the past was the intense wind that almost carried me away several times. In fact, this wind even woke me up this morning from the loud sound that I could hear rolling over the roof of our hostel. Absolutely crazy! The only other time I have experienced such a powerful force was when I was on the very front of a cruise ship. So, as we all tied up our hair and tried to walk down the path to explore the village we are currently living in, we were stopped by a woman who seemed a bit confused as to what we were doing here. Dr. Suresh explained that we are here studying the sustainable lifestyle of the village and living in the "Queen's" cancer-patient home. The woman seemed shocked that we were not staying in her hostel instead, but immediately invited us into the main building of the village to teach us the ways of the Eco-village called Solheimar. 

We began by watching a video made by a study abroad student who spent 3 months living and interacting with this community. The village was established in 1930 as a home for disabled children. However, as time has continued, the disabled children grew up and now are much, much older. This means that the community is no longer for disabled children, but rather a home for disabled adults and the elderly. In fact, in order to apply to live in this village, one must be at least 20 years of age. There are currently 100 people who live and work together in the village (43 who are disabled). The purpose of the community is to provide a sustainable home for these people where they can live a "normal life" by working in the greenhouse, bakery, wood workshop, or other areas that keep the villagers engaged. Each morning, everyone in the community meets together to hold hands, sing songs, and discuss the activities for the day while bonding over the company that they have with each other. It reminds me a little bit of college (except for the holding hands part), where everyone lives together in the same, little bubble and is somewhat oblivious to the outside world. 

 

 

Solheimar is not just famous for its purpose of serving as a home for the disabled, but it is also famous for its Eco-friendly atmosphere. The building where we watched the video of the village has the largest solar panels in all of Iceland! But the funny part about that is the fact that they weren't even that large! Since Iceland is able to run so efficiently on geothermal power, solar panels are not used or needed. They are actually only really used for educational purposes. Haha. Wouldn't that be nice for the entire world? The community is also planning on harnessing more of the crazy wind that I mentioned earlier (which is a very smart move in my opinion)! Most of the buildings in the village have turf roofs that come in handy for insulation and irrigation needs (when it comes to the collection of rainwater). The village is also equipped with a composting machine, a septic tank that separates the different kinds of waste, and most of the houses contain floors made from Icelandic wood. This type of living is very similar to Earthaven, which I was able to experience earlier this year with my sustainability class. However, I would also say that they are not quite as "hippie" as the Earthaven group and I actually find the Solheimar village more attractive in this way. 

 

After we finished exploring the village, we went to a much larger city next door known as, Selfoss. As we were driving through the city, I felt like I was in Reykjavik again. We haven't seen so many buildings in 2 weeks! The restaurant we went to was a cozy, little place on one of the corners of the street. We were given the upstairs area to basically ourselves, which is always nice to be alone. Everything on the menu looked delicious! There was pasta Alfredo, fish of the day, different kinds of burgers, and pizza! I ended up get a Parmesan, ham, and arugula pizza. It was so good and definitely the best pizza I've had in Iceland! I ended up eating the entire thing all by myself because I just could not put it down! After gaining about 5 pounds, we were given the next 2 hours or so to explore the city on our own terms. I went with Harmony to several different shops, all of which were unique in their own way. There was a craftsman store, a second-hand store, a cute, little ice cream place, and a library that sold a few books and CD's. I really enjoyed just looking at the different things that Icelanders buy (such as the wool sweaters that are expensive and itchy). It's always a fun time when learning about different cultures. It's also funny how everyone that saw us in stores assumed that I was Icelandic. I bought a pack of Oreos in a supermarket and the lady at the register was talking to me in complete, Icelandic sentences. However, when Harmony checked out, the lady began speaking in English.... Maybe she realized that we had no idea what she was saying. 

 

At 5:30, we all met on the bus to make one last stop before heading back to the hostel to make dinner. We travelled to a volcanic crater, which we were actually able to go all the way inside of! This is the first time we have been able to look from the bottom-up instead always looking down into the crater. The crater was called Kerio and it is believed to be the remains of a collapse due to the emptying of a magma chamber after the last eruption. At one point, the crater was thought to be the result of a explosion crater, but since there was no evidence of ash deposits, this theory was rejected. There was a large, pool of water at the bottom of the crater, which was formed due to cavities and fissures filling with groundwater. Since this pool is at the water table, the water never drains, but rather rises and falls due to the amount of input. My favorite part of the crater would definitely be the various amount of different colors of rocks that were seen! These basaltic rocks have all gone through different stages of oxidation giving them each a different color and texture. There were purples, reds, blues, blacks, and combinations of all of the colors together. I definitely got some good pictures of the rocks and took a few back with me to put in my suitcase. 

 

 

We arrived back at our hostel around 8:00 where I was able to shower, pack some clothes for our departure tomorrow, and even wash some of my dirty clothes in an actual washing machine! It's going to feel amazing when I put on clean clothes for the first time! We had pasta and salad for our dinner and some sort of blueberry (or blackberry), pie for dessert. I'm not usually a big pie eater, but since these pies were mainly just the crust, I gave it a shot and liked it enough to finish a piece. I will be sad to leave this hostel tomorrow, especially since it's been my favorite out of all the ones we have stayed in so far (even without the wifi). Hopefully I will enjoy the next one just as much or maybe even more! 

 

Swan Lake

May 21, 2016

We woke up at our usually time of 7:45 for breakfast. However, instead of our traditional cereal, yogurt, and rye bread, we were pleasantly surprised with toast and scrambled eggs with peppers! It was a great change and definitely kept my stomach completely full until lunch. Since today is our last day in this quiet little town in the fjord, we were each given the option to either hike up a nearby trail or walk along the coast in hopes of seeing whales or Dolphins. Knowing me, I had to go hiking so that I could see the best possible view of the city (and get some excercise at the same time). It took us some time to get the groups together and make lunch for everyone, so we didn't set off for our adventures until a little before 11:00. I voluntarily signed up to be the carrier for all of the sandwiches of the people going on the hike, which turned out to be much heavier than I had originally expected. Who knew that peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches could weight so much? Luckily, not everyone went on the hike, so I only had to carry about 16 sandwiches instead of 20... Such a relief. 

After we set out for our journey, we wondered around the town for about an hour trying to find out where the trail actually was. We couldn't find it anywhere! We saw a man walking towards us who looked like he knew what he was doing, so we asked him if he knew where we should be heading. Of course, the only other human that was up and about at this particular time was not a native of the town, so he had no idea what we were talking about. We decided to keep walking through the town and hopefully we would eventually discover the location of the trail. After about 30 minutes, we found another human being (the 2nd one for the day)! We asked her same question and luckily, she spoke great English and told us the exact information we were looking for! We were now on our way to finally being able to hike the trail! 

 

However, it still took some time to find the starting point. All we could see was the sign that showed the general location of where the trail exists, or better yet, existed. We decided to create our own path since we were having such bad luck and starting wading our way through the brushy vegetation that blocked our view of the top of the mountain. After some time of skipping over creeks, breathing heavily from the tough climb uphill, and shedding multiple layers of clothing, we decided to take a short break to eat the sandwiches that were breaking my back. As we sat in silence and munched on our food, I looked at my surroundings and began to notice even the smallest details. The rocks that I was sitting on had multiple signs of fracturing due to freezing and thawing, they were different colors due to oxidation, and the river had a brown hue to it also due to a strong iron content from oxidation. Before this trip, I would never notice these details, much less know why they occurred, but now that I have learned so much, I am able to make my own observations without someone always pointing them out to me. Once we had all finished eating our lunch, we continued on our trip up the mountain. Everything went smoothly. We had no problems, everyone in the group always stayed together, and there were very few obstacles that kept us from constantly moving forward. Once we made it to the top, the view was quite gorgeous as one could expect. The U-shaped valley as clearly defined from glacial erosion, basaltic terraces were in full view, and the city looked like a tiny anthill from where we were standing. We all took a 2 minute silence break so that we could individual connect with nature. As I laid back and closed my eyes, the only sounds that I could hear came from the strong wind weaving its way through the peaks of the mountains. It was absolutely amazing to be able to listen to this force! I never knew that wind had such a powerful voice! When it was time to head back down, I was sad to leave my warm spot (especially since I was sheltered from the wind due to the rocks that surrounded me). The trip back down the mountain is called "I almost broke my ankles. Multiple times." Having to balance on fracturd rocks without falling over or twisting a leg was extremely difficult! I felt like I was running on a bridge that was downhill and kept breaking with every step that I took. Luckily, everyone was able to make it back to hostel safely around 4:30 pm. The only injuries we had came from sore muscles. 

 

  

We planned on going to the sea-monster museum located right next to our hostel,  but due to the amount of energy that was required to hike the 5 hour trail, none of us had the strength to visit this tourist trap. Instead, I went to the town grocery store (which is also the town restaurant), and bought a glass jar of Nutella, crackers and a small bag of trail mix. I have been a bit hungry right before I head to bed the last couple of nights and I wanted to be prepared for tonight's starvation epidemic. Around 7 pm., we had a vegetable soup for dinner (which was quite delicious) and relaxed after having such a physically, intense day. The rest of the night was devoted to our own personal preference, whether it was catching up on work, washing clothes in the sink, or working on the daily group project (which I completed with my group). Tomorrow, we depart from Bildudalur and head to our new location further south. I'm looking forward to hopefully a little warmer weather and new landforms to discover.  

 

 

Omg a Puffin!

May 19, 2016

This morning, we woke up around 7:45 to have a normal breakfast before heading out to Latrabjarg. Latrabjarg is a 14 kilometer long cliff that has the largest habitat of birds in all of Iceland! It the western-most part of Europe and shows cross sections of lava layers that were built up 13-14 million years ago. Even though on a human timescale, 14 million years seems like an extremely long time, the cliffs are actually very young when compared to the Earth itself on a geological timescale. What also interested me about the cliffs is the fact that a winter storm caused 15 crew members on a boat to be stranded at sea. Only 12 of the 15 survived this rescue mission, but it took the entire town several days to get these men to safety. After we learned some basic knowledge of the cliffs including some history, it was time to go exploring! Since the cliffs are the westernmost part of Europe, the sea was right below us. The water was gorgeous! It had several different shades of blue depending on where I looked and I felt like on was on a Carribbean cruise... Except for the much, much colder weather and strong wind. As we continued to walk along the cliffs, we all had to be extremely careful not to get too close to the edge because Puffins like to make their nests in the very top layer, causing the ground to be quite unstable. After some time had passed, I only really noticed 2 different bird species: some kind of seagull that I'm still unsure about the specific type, and a beautiful, black bird that I believe is called, a Razorbill. But, before too long, I was walking along the cliff and Dr. Suresh motioned for me to quietly go to where he was standing. As I slowly peered over the edge, I could see one, adorable Puffin looking straight back at me! It did not seem afraid nor did it show any signs of aggression towards me for being so close to its nest. I took as many pictures of this Puffin as I could because I was afraid I wouldn't see anymore during my trip and I wanted to show my family how close I got to one! As more and more people began discovering the location of this Puffin, I decided to move on in hopes of seeing another one where there would be more room to take pictures. My hopes came true as time went on and I was actually able to see multiple more Puffins, some that were right next to each other so I could get them in the same picture! I sat down in the grass and began sketching the 3 main birds I had seen today and I must say, I am quite proud of my drawings. They really do look just like the birds! When it was time to head back, I couldn't believe that we had been staring at birds for 2 entire hours. It felt like only 30 minutes! 

 

   

By the time we got back to civilization, it was around 4:00 pm., and we still hadn't had lunch yet. My stomach was dying for food and the only restaurant that was open had 2 options for us to eat. We were forced to choose between lamb or Halibut, both that I typically wouldn't chose to eat if I was given the option. However, since I was starving and I have no desire to eat lamb, I chose to go with the Halibut, even though I knew nothing about it except for the fact that it is a fish. On the bright side, I did know that everything the chef was going to cook for us was either caught from the harbor this morning or taken from the local farm. About an hour after we had all ordered, our food came out of kitchen looking like something one would see on a professional cooking show. The presentation of the food was amazing! The fish was perfectly placed on a bed of roasted potatoes and some sort of leafy vegetables, with other vegetables (that I'm not sure what they were), on top and drizzled with a creamy sauce. Just having to think about it makes me hungry all over again! The fish was cooked perfectly! It was so tender and flakey as I cut my fork into it (and realized at this time that it was a white fish). I honestly have to admit, that this was the best fish I have ever eaten in my life! It was more than just being hungry and having something other than a cheeseburger... It was just so good! The owner of the restaurant also graciously gave us all free coffee! I've never been a fan of coffee before and I'm still not to this day, but anytime that's it's offered to me, I take it and I put a whole lot of milk and sugar in it. Caffeine has been needed on this trip to keep me up and alert all day and I must say that it has started to grow on me. 

 

 

We arrived back at our hostel around 7:00 and we were given the rest of the day to either catch up on work, tour the city, or nap if we so desired. I spent my time eating beef jerky, blogging, and washing my dirty clothes in the sink (a wonderful combination). I will never take washing machines for granted again. 

The best view of my life..

May 17, 2016 

We were supposed to spend the entire day hiking, but our plans changed when we found out that for some reason, the hiking area was closed. I was really upset when I heard this because hiking is something that I love to do and look forward to every possible opportunity that I have of doing this activity. While we were eating breakfast (the usual cereal, yogurt, toast, coffee, and fruit), Dr. Suresh explained to us the new daily plan. We were going to spend the morning at a "shark museum" (whatever that means), and the afternoon either hiking a nearby trail or exploring the town. I immediately knew that I would be hiking because.. Why wouldn't I? I'm in Iceland. How often do I get the opportunity to climb an Icelandic mountain and see amazing views? The answer is never. 

The shark museum was much different than I expected. I was thinking that I would be touring a large building full of different shark species and learning about different kinds of Icelandic shark (with a small aquarium or something to go along with the information). However, that is not at all what happened. We entered a small, barn-like building and were greeted by a very happy man who seemed extremely excited to teach us the ways of preparing fermented shark. Yay. This type of shark, known as the Greenland Shark, can weigh up to 2,500 lbs., is the 2nd largest meat-eating shark (behind the Great White), and lives so far under the ocean that humans know almost nothing about it. Our tour guide then went through the details of how the shark has to be properly prepared by being stored in a fermented box for 6 weeks and then left out to dry where it looses 80% of its total weight. After we were given some basic knowledge on how to prepare this type of meat, we were so graciously given the opportunity to try a sample. My first reaction was no. I remember how Dr. Andersen once told me that the fermented shark was the most disgusting thing he has ever eaten and that I should never, ever eat it. However, I realized that once again, I was in Iceland and how often do I get the opportunity to eat fermented shark? So... I put a piece in my mouth. I started to chew it up and realized that it actually wasn't that bad and in fact, it didn't really have much of a taste. But, after about 5 seconds of chewing, I ran to the bathroom and immediately spit it out. The texture of the shark was absolutely awful. It would've taken me 5 minutes to completely chew the meat into a point where I would be able to swallow it. I wouldn't say it was the worst food that I've ever tasted (that would be burnt cheese), but it's definitely up on the list. It also did not help any when the man in charge of the museum took us up to the shed where he has pounds and pounds of shark meat hanging and drying. The smell was completely overwhelming and I knew that it was time for me to go. It was definitely an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.  

 

 

Once we arrived back to our good ol' hostel in Grundarfjordur, we packed our bags and got ready for our afternoon hike. Everyone decided that we would all do the hike together! This should be a great bonding experience! We set off on our journey around 5:00 in the evening (we had some technical difficulties with people getting ready). The views were so nice! When we reached the top of the hill behind the little city, it was so peaceful and beautiful with the ocean in sight and snow-capped mountains in the background. As we continued to hike, I decided to spend a little time to myself. This was probably one of the most enjoyable moments I have had in the past few days because it was just me and my surroundings. I was relaxed, happy, and I felt completely free with the wide-open ranges underneath the towering mountains up ahead. After an hour or so of gentle walking, I came upon a large river with a nearby waterfall. I knew that I was getting close to the base of the mountains because this river water was glacial melt water converging together. I eventually caught up to the leaders of the pack and continued my journey with them. We stopped several times to allow a few of the people in the back to catch up so that we were always in their eyesight, but all we really wanted to do was continue climbing up. Once we got the okay sign from Dr. Ranson to continue heading upwards, Eric, Mitchell, Nate and I got on our hands and knees and crawled up the side of the mountain. We were using all of the energy we had left in our bodies to make it to the top. Once we got to what we thought was the highest point, another point that was even higher would be revealed to us. We knew we had to make it.  We had come so far so why would we cut ourselves short? Finally, after lots of heavy breathing, sweaty clothes, tired muscles, and encouragement, we made it to the highest possible point on the mountain. This was, as my title explains, the best view of my life. I could see everything! Even the birds were flying underneath me. I kept taking picture after picture after picture, but no camera can serve this view the justice it deserves. As time went on and the four of us continued to gaze at our view, more and more of our group began to show up. It was always a celebration when a new member joined us at the peak of the mountain and we would cheer as they climbed the last few feet. After some time of goofing around and pretending to be Rafiki holding up Simba from The Lion King, I sat down by myself just to enjoy the peace. When I sat down, I noticed something small, white, and shiny underneath my foot. When I picked it up, I realized that there were a lot more of these rocks surrounding me everywhere! I discovered from Dr. Ranson's observations, that this mineral was in fact Zeolite! I was shocked that I actually found something so beautiful and something that I would usually only see in a book or on display with other beatiful rocks! I quickly grabbed a handful of these minerals, put them in my pants pocket, and began my journey down the mountain to make it in time for dinner. As the group was climbing down, we decided to take a short-cut by skiing on our rain pants down the snowy parts of the mountain. It was so much fun! It definitely took a few seconds to get used to steering (as I ended up doing a couple somersaults and 360s), but once I got the hang of it, I had an absolute blast! I did however, end up getting a load of ice inside my pants, which is not the most pleasant feeling in the world. 

 

  

When we arrived back at our hostel, we celebrated our long trek on the mountain with the chili we were supposed to eat last night and a game of soccer at the school playground. The chili was absolutely amazing and much needed after spending around 10,000 calories trying not to die on the mountain hike. The soccer game was a great way to end our last night in this small, little city and we were able to watch the sunset (to a point), before collasping in our bed for the last time. 

 

I was on a glacier!

May 16, 2016

Today was a very interesting day because our first event took place after our bus broke down near a shopping center. However, this event (which no student actually knew about until hours later), allowed us to have a small break and enjoy some simple shopping and lunch. Exploring the shops was a very rewarding experience because I was surprised to see just how expensive items are in Iceland compared to other places that I have visited such as China and Cancun. One wool sweatshirt will cost around $200! Now, I do realize that somebody handmade these sweatshirts, but a Micheal Kors shirt doesn't quite cost even $200. I thought they they were all very pretty, but I'm not sure I would ever buy one since wool is a very itchy material for my sensitive skin. After we did some shopping, Dr. Suresh told us to work up an appetite by pushing the bus to move it out of the way. We all thought that he was just kidding, as usual in these type of situations, but he was in fact very serious. So, while a few of us tried our best to move the bus, the others watched and recorded our poor progress. Dr. Suresh helped of course with the strength of his pointer finger! We might have moved the bus a foot, but probably not any further than that, even when all 20 of us were working together... I guess we need to hit the Icelandic gym! However, the hard work definitely paid off when it came to be lunch time because I ended up splitting a 16 inch pizza with one other person! 

 

 

Once a new and much bigger bus arrived, we were once again off to explore before our adventure on top of a glacier. After a small drive, we arrived at Deildartunguhver, which is a thermal spring that produces 180 liters of water per second (at 212 degrees Fahrenheit). This type of output is the largest in the world and has been used for central heating since 1925. When looking at these hotsprings, I could definitely feel the heat from the water from many feet away and the egg-smell of sulfur had once again returned. The water was extremely powerful when it hit the surface air and would many times reach my height or even higher! The reason for this force is because of amount of pressure the water is forced to deal with underneath the ground. As water underground pours into a hot water area, it is put under great pressure and tries to escape through any openings or cracks it can find. In this case, the opening is the surface of the ground, so the water shoots up in liters at a time in order to make room for the water continuing to pour into this enclosed area.  Another reason for this extreme force occurs when cold water meets hot water and causes a large amount of steam to rise up the cracks. As the steam rises, water is forced to rise with it and exit the spring. I was a bit afraid of getting too close to the springs, even though there was caution tape blocking access to these areas. Just the heat from the steam was overwhelming and it's impossible to predict when wind could blow water in your direction. 

 

We then went to a church that was on the same location as "The Old Farmstead". This property was very interesting to me because it was once the first hot pool created from hot springs. There were 3 parts to this "house" that were all connected together by a long tunnel with a spiral staircase at the end. The floors were made out of geothermal rock and the pool, which was at a lower elevation than the house, was supplied with hot water from underground ducts connected to the hot spring. We were not able to stay at this location very long because we had to make our appointment at the glacier, but before we left, we lost track of one of our classmates! We sat on the bus for around 10 min., but there was still no sign of her. We knew that we didn't leave her at the last stop because we always do a roll call everytime we get on the bus... So where did she go? Did she decide to go for a swim in the hot pool? Two other classmates and I decided to split up and go search for her to try to see if we could find out what happened. Another 10 minutes later went by and still no luck. We were all getting very worried and anxious at this point because there was no sign of her anywhere! We were all very relieved when we eventually found her inside the basement of the church in one of the restrooms. Everybody was present and accounted for and we were ready for our adventure on the glacier! 

 

At around 5 pm, we arrived at the base camp for the short journey up the mountain to get to the glacier's cave. I was shocked at how interesting the automobiles were that were going to soon transport us up to the top. They looked liked some kind of truck you would see in a Star Wars movie! They had huge tires and were obviously very heavy machines. We started our trek up the valley with an introduction of the history of the 4 glaciers, 1 that was considered to be no longer a true glacier in 1940. The glacier that we were planning on exploring existed on the highest mountain in the west of Iceland, known as Tabletop Mountain. The glacier was called Langjokull. As we were entering the cave of the glacier, the first thing that popped into my mind was Star Wars again! It reminded me of entering the base camp on planet Hoth, which is completely covered in snow and ice. The ice in the cave seemed to be very compact, but surprisingly, it was still not compact enough to be considered the actual glacier itself. Layerings could be seen in the ice showing the amount of growth in each year, some years being thicker than others because of volcanic activity existing around that time. There were so many rooms that were created inside the cave, which all served as different purposes. There was a rave room, a bar made out of ice to keep the drinks cold, a chapel, and several other rooms that were just there for rest stops. As we continued to explore and make observations inside cave, we ended up in the chapel room where the mood became more serious. We talked about global warming and the fact that the glacier will most likely be completely gone in approximately 80 years. This is unsettling to think about because Langjokull is currently the 2nd largest glacier in all of Iceland! We could actually see and hear the ice melting when we were quiet enough. 

 

 

After all of our adventures on top of the glacier (including taking pictures, racing, sliding like a penguin, and building a snowman), it was time to head back down to our bus. On our journey down, we were given Icelandic donuts and chocolate milk to snack on in order to hold our stomachs over until we arrived back at our hostel (which was about 1 hour and 30 minutes away from the base camp). When we got on the bus, we all agreed that we would make chili together as a bonding activity, even if it was completed at midnight. We stopped at a beautiful waterfall area on the way back our hostel for what felt like 30 minutes but was actually 1 hour! This out our timing to be back at the hostel 30 minutes behind. About 30 minutes on the bus, everyone (except the driver of course), was knocked out from being so sleep deprived the last couple of days. I don't even remember walking back into the hostel that night. All I wanted to do was go straight to my bed and sleep for the next few days. Since we were so tired, but still had not had dinner yet, we chose to each make a sandwich really quickly instead of spending 30 minutes or more trying to get the chili together. I ate a peanut butter sandwich with an apple and that's all that I remember from this night.