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After a very long and much needed rest from traveling overnight , we have made it deep into the north of Iceland, home to some of the most awe inspiring waterfalls. We started working hard planning out the next step of our adventure!

Aldeyjarfoss was a destination I kept seeing images from so many traveling photographers that i definitely wanted to see it. I saw it for the first time while watching an online photographer / blogger and was completely struck by it. I knew I had to visit there. After some research I found that taking a rental car down the road to get to it was actually forbidden. You need to have a 4wheel drive vehicle in order to access or, you need to hike in a few kilometers. So that's exactly what we did. The sun was setting but we had a good 2 hours to catch the best light. We parked our camper at the very edge of the main road, and hiked in to the waterfall, about 2.5k. Despite it being a dirt road the surrounding environment was incredible. The fields were covered with lupins, making the landscape a contrast of deep purples / blues, and the brown / greens of the grass.

The lupin fields on this hike really require a panoramic style photograph to try and encapsulate the beauty between the vast fields against the setting sun. The problem can be that its a panoramic, and almost impossible to try to capture everything. 

After a decent hike along an Icelandic F-Road we crested the mountain top and began our decent down to the waterfall. Only to come across this beautiful scene. The main flow from the waterfall swinging down almost straight across our path before taking a quick turn to the right. We kept finding ourselves stopping every two seconds in pure awe, and also trying not to fall down the cliffside. 

We had the place to ourselves and with plenty of time with the midnight sun we set up and waited for the best light. It was beautiful, and so very surreal to be standing there. 

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GodaFoss Waterfall is one of biggest waterfalls in iceland if not the biggest (i believe by how much water it moves ).We arrived sometime around 5am after driving all night to reach Godafoss waterfall. The location is very accessible being right off the highway, to the point were we almost drove right past it without realizing it, you come upon it so quickly. It is a very powerful waterfall, which can make photographing it from this location quite difficult. The spray coming off the water with the wind was blowing right at me of course, which can make shooting a regular exposure problematic let alone a long exposure. But with some perseverance it was worth it. Thank you to @leefilters for the amazing filters, and @3leggedthing keeping my camera steady so i could capture this image. ⠀ ⠀ #godafossfall #godafossfalls (at Goðafoss)

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One of the most incredible things about Iceland are the horses. As you drive along the main highway you will come across many farms, they are usually quite close to the road. If you do decide to stop to see and interact with them you will notice they are very accustomed to people. This has a lot to do with how much tourism is happening in there. Remember two important things. Please only feed them the grass they are already eating, do not give them your own food, its not good for them. And also respect. These are still wild animals , be caring and respectful so you dont endanger them or yourself. ⠀ ⠀ #icealand #inspirededbyiceland (at Iceland)

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Kirkjufellfoss was one of the locations I was most anxious to see on my trip. I have seen it so many times and wanted to see if it was just as wonderful in real life. Once we got there I was amazed at how many people despite it being so late in the evening were still swarming in to explore this location. Located right off the main highway there is very little parking so we were quite lucky to get in at the time we did. All it was now was waiting until it became so late that all the regular visitors would call it a night, thank god for the midnight sun ☀️😊 so we waited patiently and at just the right moment I took my shot. The detail the Zeiss Milvus 21mm can render on a d800e is incredible , with some help from my lee big stopper I was able to capture this scene. #zeissmilvus21 #zeissmilvus #iceland #inspiredbyiceland (at Kirkjufell)

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"Beware of incorrect translations"⠀ We left camp and decided to try and find this waterfall. As we were driving along the main route 1, we saw a turn off we believed to be the entrance road and quickly turned. The road began to get very bad and we started to wonder if we were going the wrong way. Then we came across a sign that read "öll losun bönnuð" (meaning all emission prohibited aka no vehicles on this road).. except that we google translated it to "öll losun bönnud" (notice the last D is slightly different ?) well that translates to "All the release of the banana" lol, one letter makes a very important distinction. Laughing a lot, we turned around and eventually found our way to the correct road and this incredible waterfall. #translation #iceland #icelandtravel (at Iceland)

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Made it to #arnarstapi on #snaefellsnes . Its this extremely small town on the south coast, you can drive right past it if you aren't careful. There are so many little gems and the landscapes that surround it are wonderful. This is at the end of the main road, right before it crests into the ocean. ⠀ ⠀ #inspiredbyiceland #fireandice #iceland

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Making our way to #snaefellsness for a stop in #arnarstapi we came around the bend in the road and the valley completely opened up. We pulled over to get a quick shot of this incredible landscape, and the wind was ridiculous. It was coming off the tops of the mountains close to 50+mph. But with some perseverance I was able to capture something. ⠀ ⠀ #inspiredbyiceland #iceland #fireandice (at Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland)

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There is one word I would use to describe #iceland, #breathtaking . You have to search to try to find a bad view and even then you would be hard pressed to find one. Every road we drove on had views like this to even more spectacular. My wife and I just kept saying "wow" and "ohh thats beautiful" along with every other possible version of that you can image. It is an unbelievable country. ⠀ ⠀ #inspiredbyiceland #fireandice #landoffireandice (at Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland)

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We traveled through Colorado on our way to visit the south west, and I was only able to have enough time to grab this one photo after breakfast and coffee before hitting the road again. Spending some more time in the Colorado area and hiking some of the mountains is definitely in order, the scenery is spectacular there. (at Colorado)

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We had just finished up a trip through the grand canyon and antelope valley and were driving on to our next destination. It had begun raining as the monsoon season had just started. Once the rain cleared we pulled out from under the cloud line and looked behind us to see this amazing view. (at Vermillion Cliffs)

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I love this particular view. It reminds me of a mountain landscape, but with a surreal aspect added to it. Flipping the landscape on top of itself to crop on the sky. I love the shadows and light play with these views. (at Antelope Canyon)

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I was able to spend a good amount of time in antelope canyon when i visited. Considering how many people are there throughout the day I was amazed at the opportunities I had while inside to find these angles. You have to let all the hustle melt away and find your own calm while exploring here , it can be difficult to do but if you can focus solely on the beauty of the natural formations it can take your breath away. The way the rocks form and the shapes and textures created are wonderful. Especially if looked at very closely , what is actually quite small mimics movements and formations of much grander structures in nature. Mountains and canyons can be found. The repetition of form in life is repeated at every level and it is beautiful. (at Antelope Canyon)

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I love finding patterns and textures in close ups of larger objects that would normally be shot from far away and with wide angles, sometimes you have to look closer to find the right light

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My First Official Overnight Backpacking Trip

The temperature was moderate and the sky mostly clear. There was a possibility of rain, but we were prepared for that. I have never gone backpacking with an overnight stay before. I have done a fair share of “hiking” but it was mostly day walks, not too far from civilization, and always ending within a few hours. A quick exploratory walk usually along a very well traveled path in parks. This, this was going to be something new and exciting for me. Being new and inexperienced, my friend who is a seasoned backpacker, decided to take me out on a simpler trail , something with very little inclines / declines. A trail that had easy access to vehicle cross roads yet was mostly farmland, far away from homes and people. A trail that went mostly straight and to just focus on the experience of being out all day, stopping at a camp site for an overnight, and then a hike back to our car. A way to break in the new gear I have, and really experience what its like to do an overnight in the real sense. I didn’t know how real it was going to be. Having the pack on, my walking poles in hand, we started out and it seemed like everything was going great. The strain of walking with the extra weight and working up a sweat with the exercise was invigorating. I was having an amazing time. Then little by little things started turing sideways. After 8 miles in it really hit home how out of shape I was, and what a realistically difficult task I was undertaking. My shoulders were starting to take a lot of strain despite the pack being properly weighted and positioned. And my heels. I could feel blisters beginning to form. We had been going for a few hours now, and it was at this point it began to rain. Not a light drizzle, but a nice steady downpour. A few more miles in and  I now realized that I was not going to make the targeted 20miles to the camp site my friend had planned on. We changed plans , reevaluated the map and decided to stop at the camp site at mile 14, only 2 more miles for me to go. The only problem was, the camp sites had been abandoned some time back and there was no way to find them, and even if we did every single foot off the trail was covered in poison ivy. I tried to continue on as far as I could hoping for a site to appear where it was supposed to be, but it was getting vey dark and it was still raining. It had been raining for hours. We decided to give up and start heading back to the trail head all the while looking for somewhere to camp off trail. We needed to stop. But at least now we would be shaving distance off the return trip in the morning.  In the dark and the rain, pushing myself though the blisters, I twisted my knee. Not so much where I would need to be rescued but it slowed my pace to less than a mile and hour. Thank god for trekking poles.  Finally after going 17miles throughout the day, some 5 miles well past where I “could go no further” my friend spotted a possible location. It was now 930pm, completely dark, and the rain was just starting to let up. I attempted to help clear a location for the tent, and collect what firewood I could. We needed a fire. Despite all the drenched wood, leaves, and brush, he was able to get a fire going. It felt so nice, the rain had let up and we were able to get dried out by the fire and get some food made. A nice hot meal and a good night sleep was all I wanted at this point. We finished up, got inside the tent just in time for another storm system to pass through. It rained all night long. Severe thunderstorms. All night. Thankfully the tent held and by 8am the storms had subsided. We packed up camp, grabbed some breakfast and headed back up to the trail. I was about to test out my twisted knee and my blistered feet on a 14 mile hike back to the car. That lasted about 2 miles before my knee could take no more. We worked our way off trail until we came to a cross roads and were able to find it on a map. It was there that my friend gave me the rest of his water before heading off alone to go get the car. I stayed there alone for the next 4hours while he power hiked as fast as he could back to the trailhead. He made it to the car exhausted, but safe. He got in the car and made his way back to the cross roads we walked out to , where I had been waiting. It was so relieving to finally get in the car and know I was heading home. It was an amazing experience, and I cant wait to get out and try again. Perhaps this time with a little more knowledge and experience in hand it will be even better.

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The aroma of croissants being freshly baked fills the air of my home. The smell of coffee compliments it. Sitting on my deck, the morning sunshine slowly building, I turn the pages of my book. It feels so good to have a book in my hands again. It has been ages. The smell of the growing flowers and the touch of the pages in my fingers takes me back in time. To a time that feels so long ago, almost lost to me, when reading a book was common in my life. It is so easy to get lost in these pages. I have missed this. #motivation #inspiration #live #life #read #reading #book #novel #coffee #sunshine #morning #summer #food #mind #thinking #wonder #reflection #writing #blog #getoutmore #microadventure #explore #explorer #walk #livewithgumption #wander #wanderlust #photo #photography #art (at Chicago, Illinois)

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Being an introverted person can be difficult when you have desires to explore. Getting out and seeing new places , meeting new people and having fascinating experiences can be more difficult when your instinct is to hold back. Sometimes it takes a lot to take those first steps but once you do you can have the most amazing times and see some of the most amazing things. And it can be as simple as trying a new restaurant. My wife and I decided to try an authentic quaint Cuba restaurant close to our house. I was hesitant at first but once I got here I found it to be incredible. The atmosphere is wonderful, delicious smells , and the service was great. The food was amazing! I'm so happy I took that step to come here, and it's experiences like these that continue to remind me to explore and experience new things. #motivation #inspiration #live #life #getoutmore #microadventure #explore #explorer #walk #livewithgumption #spring #summer #introverted #wander #wanderlust #photo #photography #art #cuba #cuban #havana #roscoe #roscoevillage #chicago #authentic #food #cuba312 @officialcuba312 (at Cuba 312)

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I love taking walks and exploring new areas. When I was growing up I was always wandering my neighborhood, exploring any wooded areas I could find. Spending almost every second of daylight playing and exploring these “remote” areas. As a child you don’t really have the ability to travel across the world to find these amazing locations we see in movies and photographs. You have to make the most of whatever is closest to you. To find the wonder, beauty, and imagination in those places. For me, after a certain time in my life I stopped exploring and imagining as much as I used to. I became and adult with adult responsibilities. Wake up, get in the car and commute to work, work all day, and commute back, dinner, sleep… rinse and repeat. It becomes a grind and you can become locked inside it. I needed to recognize this was happening. Not just recognize, but take action to change it. And so I did. Ever since I have been looking for small adventures, and exploration. Finding a moment and looking inside it, staying inside it. This was one of those moments, I was driving to work and I would always pass these railroad tracks. One day I simply pulled over and began walking. This location for me expresses a surreal beauty that can surround you. A calm and wonderment. As well as a infinite journey forward, while remembering to be appreciative of the present. #tbt #motivation #inspiration #live #life #nature #getoutmore #microadventure #explore #explorer #walk #livewithgumption #fall #wander #wanderlust #surreal #photo #hike #hiking #photography #art