On Thursday, February 13, our group was scheduled to go on a trip to go to the Westman Islands. This involved getting up at 6:00 AM and driving so that we could make the ferry that left for the islands at 9:30. When we got to the ferry terminal, we discovered that the ferry had been canceled due to high winds. Luckily, our fearless leaders, Hank and Carrie, had a “Plan B.” We all piled back into the van and drove to Skógafoss, a waterfall not too far away. We were told that we were going to go on a few mile long hike. The hike started with a long set of stairs up the very steep hill beside the falls. Normally this would have been hard, but this day it was miserable. When we started on the stairs it was raining lightly. Halfway up it was pouring rain and by the time we reached the top, a mixture of snow and sleet was blowing into our faces (did I mention that it was extremely windy). Most of us were not very happy with how the hike started, but we decided to continue on in hopes of a break in the weather (Icelandic weather is known for its quick and sometimes drastic changes). We made the right decision. About a half hour or so later it stopped raining and the sun at least partially showed itself. What we saw were for me, some of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen. For the rest of the hike all of us continued to be almost struck speechless by what we were seeing. This is what I live for when going into the outdoors. This sense of amazement at what I see is what makes it so special for me to be outside. This sense and the want to preserve it for others is what really got me into environmentalism and has ended up with me here in Iceland. It just goes to show that going with what you feel can lead to amazing things!
By Ben Vockley