Thursday, May 19, 2016

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. 

 

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