July 2013

A series of images from my first adventure inside the Arctic Circle, on Svalbard/Spitsbergen, Tromso Norway, and my last venture back to Iceland for a while. I had fits of anxiety leading up to my July adventure, which is rather funny in retrospect. I had been worried, but it turned out to be more difficult than I had worried. In Tromso, I had rain pretty much every day for two weeks, with temperatures at around 8 - 10 degrees Celcius. I had almostwished to be back on Svalbard, where the temperature was just as cold, but without the rain.

Iceland is as beautiful as ever. I took the bus through the badlands of the interior, which was a rough journey but with so much to see of moonlike landscapes, glaciers and colourful mountains in the distance. I even managed to kayak on Lake Myvatn, which is also partially a reason why I will not return. I almost did not get the chance to kayak, as the entire lake is claimed as private by landowners along the shore, and are quite hostile toward anyone else paddling there. Fortunately, I had asked a kind landowner, who allowed me access to the water from her dock, which left one boater with face-twitching anger when he found me getting my kaya ready.

Overall, it was a difficult and amazing adventure. It was be something to come up with another to rival that experience.