There are a few things you should know about me: I’m an adventurer, and I have a bit of a wild hair. I don’t have a bucket list, but I joyfully follow my heart and intuition in living my life.
So where did I go last week? Yummy, perfect Iceland!
For those of you who need a wee geography refresher, Iceland is a small yet sophisticated island situated between North America and Europe. In recent years, Iceland has become a popular “stopover” destination, encouraging Europe-bound travelers to “rest and relax” before traveling to their final destination on the continent. This ingenious “break-up long haul strategy” has significantly boosted tourism and, in turn, stimulated economic growth on this meteorologically diverse island.
In this case, though, I was not traveling beyond Iceland. Instead, I had 48 hours to complete the two items on my to-do list: see the northern lights and drink vodka off an iceberg. I didn’t need to soak in the blue lagoon or see whale tails. Instead, lights, vodka, and maybe a sweater were all that was on my list.
However, as I’ve stated over and over again in this BLOG, best-laid plans often go awry, leading to experiences that lie far beyond my wildest imagination, and this jaunt didn’t disappoint. My itinerary was simple: fly Thursday, arrive Friday, explore Reykjavik, sleep. Saturday, I would trek up the east coast in pursuit of a vodka-loving ice cap and the northern lights.
Friday, I stuck to the plan. I wandered the quaint streets of Reykjavik and found Hallgrimskirkja, the church where I’d start my journey on Saturday. Pleased that my adventure was falling into place, I set off to buy a sweater and find the historic harbor where I would eat dinner.
Well aware that I was in the land of fresh fish, I decided to eat, as I always do, whatever is indigenous to the region. In this case, whale was on the menu. Deep red, and a bit gamey, whale tastes way more like beef than fish. I had a side kabob of white fish with a name found only in a bowl of alphabet soup, and I enjoyed my meal at a communal table with a lovely bottle of wine. As I ate, I wondered if I’d ever been so content. How was it that I could be alone in a cold, dark, ice-block of a country, eating whale parts with strangers, and yet be completely at peace?
6 AM came very early on Saturday. I dressed warmly and walked the quiet streets to the church where I would meet my fellow adventurers. On a bus bound for Vatnajokull Glacier, I prayed that I would see the very weather-dependent northern lights. Alas, so simple-minded, I never expected the splendor of Iceland’s waterfalls, beaches, lava fields, and glacial lagoon. Who knew that the pursuit of the northern lights would be just a popular natural phenomenon that would lead me to Iceland’s true glory? Now, I’ve been quite careful to keep personal photos of myself, personal. However, in this case, you need to see me in my natural element to appreciate the experience.
First stop? The forest waterfall, and you know how I love a good waterfall!
Skogafoss Waterfall
Next? The black pebble beach and basalt columns. The basalt column to the right was the inspiration behind the Hallgrimskirkja church
Reynisfjara Beach
En route to our next stop, we drove through the Laki Lava Field, the largest single-episode lava field on the planet. It’s difficult to see beyond the spectacularly clouded sky, but the flowing lava formations are covered with a deep green moss, which is reported to be the “slowest growing plant” with an estimated 2cm growth per century.
Laki Lava Fields
Have you started to wonder, was it unbearably cold in Iceland? Ironically, it was colder in New York that weekend. It was so warm in Iceland, in fact, that my ice caving adventure was thwarted by rain and warm weather. Instead, we went to the Glacier Lagoon. This is my first glimpse of the glacier.
Followed by a vision of icebergs (back) flowing down to the sea (forward).
The water’s color certainly inspired Crayola! It’s unpolluted and pure enough to drink.
It was this ice beauty that reminded me you must remember to BRING VODKA if you plan to drink it off an iceberg.
No worries, check out the silly look of my ill-fitting red winter hat. At least I knew they would spot me if I fell off a cliff, was dragged out to sea, or fell into a deep crevasse.
This leads me to my next destination adventure, glacier hiking. Now, glacier hiking is like regular hiking: up, down, up again, heavy breathing, elation, and exhaustion. The primary difference between, let’s say, trail hiking and glacier hiking is the potential danger and risk. You mitigate the extreme risk by adding specialized safety equipment meant to give varied, stepped levels of support. Let me explain.
To start, you’re given a pair of crampons, which are like soccer cleats on steroids. Instead of small, evenly spaced spikes, crampons have deep, peripherally located blades that sink into ice, providing (theoretically) secure, stable footing. The next item on the safety list is the ice axe. Ice axes are helpful when you need to ascend or descend in icy or snowy conditions. The reality is A. the individuals who run the tour hope you won’t stab yourself with the ice axe and/or B. fall into a crevasse where you might need to use the ice axe. The last safety tool is a harness and rope. Simply put, if you fall down or into something, they basically fish you out. Since no one was concerned about my ability, I went with the flow. Harness? Check. Crampons? Check. Ice axe? Check. Are glaciers slippery when wet? HECK YES!
So it turns out glacier hiking is completely counterintuitive; your head tells you to walk gingerly and shuffle along, but your glacierist tells you to walk tall and with intention. You MUST stomp your feet firmly into the ice to ensure steady footing. Being at the head of the pack, my fearless guide led me out onto what can best be described as a ridge pole. To my left was a steep dark crater, and to my right was his deeper, wider, older brother. I giggled flirtatiously as I asked the gracierist if he really wanted me to follow him out to the apex? He did. So I did.
If you look closely, you can see the deep, intense look of fear in my left eye. My feet are astride the peak of the glacier with a steep drop to the left and the right. Check out the large glacial opening over my left shoulder. I’m cramped on for dear life, my ice axe is hanging confidently from my hip, and my rope? IS ATTACHED TO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
It’s at this point that I took stock of my surroundings, and as I stilled myself, I could appreciate the blessing of pure silence. Taking a few very deep breaths, I realized I was probably as physically close to heaven as I would ever get and, for the first time ever, I wished I could touch Chris again.
As I settled back into my ride home, a friend texted to ask if I’d seen the northern lights? I answered, no, but I’d seen so, so, so very much more! For me, Iceland first represents the purest sense of adventure and unspoiled beauty. The mountains, the sea, the glaciers, and lava fields are all miracles of nature. It’s said that when charged particles from the sun strike atoms and molecules in Earth’s atmosphere, they excite those atoms, causing them to light up. It’s these excited atoms that give the northern lights their brilliance, and that excitement and brilliance were contagious, since this was my most elating adventure yet!
So no northern lights and iceberg-flavored vodka. What did I get instead? I’ll start with a visual:
Rainbows! Tons of rainbows! Even double rainbows, as are drawn by a child, are perfectly arched and full of deep color. I’m the little form to the right. Red hat. My new friend is the shadow taking the photo. It was her 25th birthday, and she was traveling alone, and she may have been the true joy of the journey, as she really made me think. As adults, why do we wait? What’s going to happen when we have more money? When we have more time? How much MORE is enough?
In this case, and in so many others since Chris died, I didn’t wait. I spent very little money and accomplished a ton in a very short period.
What more do you need to be inspired? Think about it and have a great week,
XXOO
What was with last week’s post?
