I have always remembered Iceland and Greenland by the opposite of what their names imply. Iceland is green, and Greenland is covered in ice. I am here to say that I have not experienced this green of Iceland yet – not that I was expecting to find luscious fields filled with grass and moss at the beginning of February. I have been exposed to Iceland’s cold, snow, ice, darkness, wind, and rain. My favorite season has always been winter, so the weather has been quite pleasant for my liking.
Being in Iceland through this treacherous weather has me paying more attention to, and admiring the ice surrounding my cozy house. One thing that has caught my attention is the ice and dirt mixing on our driveway as the snow and ice are melting. It is quite beautiful. The combination creates bubbles and swirls all their own. This natural artwork forming and changing beneath my feet has me thinking about two class sessions so far this semester. One being the documentary we watched, called Chasing Ice. I had never seen nor heard of Chasing Ice before watching it. It is all about the photography of the disappearing glaciers in Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, and Montana. The project masterfully combines the science and art of the glaciers to pull at your heart and your mind. The second, is one class where we talked about the wonders of nature in our everyday lives, and where we experience wilderness in not so wild places. This dirt and ice combo on the driveway is an example of that. It shows that nature is always changing in artful ways. I love to look at the small things that appear to and you catch your attention. For me, wilderness is found in the abstractions that nature puts before my eyes to admire.
P.S. The picture of the dirt and ice combo is not nearly as cool as it looks in person. 
Happy Trails,
Sara Beadle