1. THE WORLD CAN STILL SHOCK YOU WITH HER BEAUTY

I’ve been lucky to have lived in and experienced some painfully beautiful places in my life. Maybe this has made me numb to ordinary beauty or extinguished the flame of wonder that a new vista brings. If so, Iceland put my reverence, awe, and hopeful expectation of more to come back in place. Natural beauty is marvelous. One time in particular, I left the cairn obelisk marking the end of the trail on top of a mountain. We decided to go past where most hikers usually stop, and I was having an already grand time running along a black sand alpine shores. The terrain looked like the moon - lifeless, dark, dangerous. Just as I came to a crest, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a symphony of visual overload. The 300-foot wall of glacier stood perched on top of a 1000-foot drop of charcoal looking rock, spewing 20 or more waterfalls, stalactitic and grand, into an amphitheater fit for the gods. All of this as I was standing on juvenile moss lining a stream, glowing fluorescent with new life and growth, fed daily by the beauty and power around it. This not only literally left me breathless and speechless, but stamped a seal; there are wonders more beautiful than I know.

2. OUR ENVIRONMENT NEEDS TEAMMATES

Having seen how piously environmental towns like Boulder and Seattle operate, the demure regulations at some of the most famous and beautiful spots in Iceland were shocking. I can appreciate freedom. Go where you want, walk as you please. But in Iceland, I longed for the protective hand of paved walkways or chained off areas like those in Zion or Yellowstone (I can’t believe I am writing this!). I found myself entertaining this obnoxious little voice in my head that was this close to policing the herds of tourists into proper respect of the terrain. I only hope Iceland soon chooses to establish much needed rules and education. The fragile and gorgeous scenery needs protecting. In some spots 5 or 6 trails were worn where there could be one. Ancient moss had been trampled or ripped off beyond any hope of regrowth in this century, and trash and waste was far too prevalent. If w are going to continue to be moved and healed by the beauty and grandeur of the natural landscape, we must see the wilderness as an extension of ourselves, not a commodity to be used and discarded.

3. THE TOURIST SCENE IS INSANE

We've seen so many tourists since our trip began. Turns out, beautiful places are popular. Lake Louise outside of Banff Canada was shocking enough with at least 1,000 people lining its azul shores. Although it’s been a huge economic boost, in Iceland the growth of tourism has been violent and abrupt. We quickly learned that the Icelandic locals look askance at the 20% increase in tourism each year since 2009 and the 40% increase the last 2 years. With roughly 330,000 residents in Iceland, they were left with the chore of shouldering the impact of 1.4 million tourists in 2015. While we could feel the churlish expressions in some towns, for the most part Icelandic folks seem torn. On one hand, tourism has overtaken fishing as the #1 industry in the nation, lifting the unemployment rate and the nation out of the economic decline it of 2008. Many Icelanders were excited about the changes! "Reykjavik has become more interesting at night and the conversation more fun", they said. Still others mourned the ubiquitous tourists - “I don’t even hear Icelandic spoken in the streets anymore", and the small towns and roads are taking a beating they can’t keep up with. Of course, I am one of those tourists! The only repayment I could offer was picking up trash when I saw it, touting the beauty and demeanor of the country to those we met as we thanked them for their hospitality, and followed as many guidelines that I wish were there, but weren’t. As tourists and travelers, we are seeing how easy it can be to loosen our standards on things like recycling, healthy and conscious eating, and even fuel consumption. If we are going to enjoy the world's beauty for years to come, we need to become a more aware and compassionate travelers.

4. QUALITY IS RELATIVE

We laughed when we observed wine prices in Iceland. The cheaper, supposedly lower quality wine we see in the States was marked higher than wine we normally pay more for in the U.S. We saw this preference with the fish, too. I’ve been fishing for mackerel 20 miles off the coast in South Carolina and we caught it, took it home, and cooked it with delight. Mackerel was enjoyed and sold proudly in England and Czech Republic. But in Iceland, we went fishing for Mackerel with some locals only to learn they they throw it back or use it as bait to catch other, better fish. The local Icelanders were perplexed when we wanted to take Mackerel back to eat. Lastly, I am generally grossed out by hotdogs. No explanation needed there. But for some reason, in Iceland it was too easy to polish off seconds and thirds on wieners in a grilled bun covered in Doritos, cheese, and sauce. Mmmmmm...

5. GENEROSITY IS EVERYWHERE

We decided with some friends to splurge one night. We took a respite from our camp stove and box wine bladder and went to a restaurant, full on with candles on the table and beer on draft. We even got all gussied up; the girls wore mascara, and the boys found shirts with some buttons. At the end of the meal our friend Jenna, the least hubris in our party, had quickly and quietly paid the bill without room for debate. Another day we were able to check in to Airbnb at 9am instead of 4pm, simply because it hadn’t been booked the night before. The host greeted us warmly saying, “If no one is here, why not?” We were offered wine, fishing poles, and butter for our dried fish, all without asking for it. Generosity is everywhere in Iceland, and elsewhere, too. It's like when someone points something out to you and you begin to notice it everywhere. Iceland opened our eyes to the abundance of generosity.

Simple, short reflections from our time in Iceland. I can only hope all these little observations add up to a human who is more alive, conscious, and capable of love moving forward.

-BOBBY