So, a week has gone by and with it the remnants of who I was before I came have started to fall away like soft drifts of sand creeping across the desert, changing the landscape with every wind. Solace is found in the fact that those remnants were never really meant to be permanent anyway.

Hiking thru mountainous terrain that pulled from my muscles the impossible not only challenged my body and built my character, it also afforded me visual treats that made me cry:

Iceland is swallowing me whole, chewing me up and spitting me out a better me. I’ve taken risks here I never would have at home. In the midst of frigid winds that burn the cheeks I stripped to practically nothing and dipped myself in a volcanic hot spring just to celebrate the trek we took to get there. I have a group of wonderful and supportive friends here never shy on encouraging the best out of me. Here they are calling me in to enjoy nature’s hot tub:

Here is what it looks like when I succumb to people’s peer pressure :)

Coming back to the ecovillage that evening I didn’t think there was any possibility that the day could get any better…but then there was this:

(Photo Credit: Veronica Spann)

And here is where I would normally start talking about what I learned about sustainable solutions for mitigating and adapting to climate change over the week but I think for today I’m going to just let this one hang. Pretty sure it speaks for itself – is this place worth fighting for? If it isn’t I don’t know what is…

(Photo Credit: George Stefan Kudor-Ghitescu)

To learn more about Iceland’s hot springs click here: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/geysers.html

To learn more about the Northern Lights click here: http://www.northernlightscentre.ca/northernlights.html

For more information on sustainable living (since I didn’t include any type of treat today) click here: http://www.cellonline.org/sustainability-and-you/