My Expensive Impulse Buy

On March 25th, 2013, I will be in Iceland hiking a glacier and shooting the Northern Lights.

I admit, the trip was almost an impulse buy.  My life has seen a lot of changes lately, and this just seemed like the right thing to do.

Mind you, I'd been thinking of taking this photo safari for a few years.  I've wanted to see the Northern Lights for decades (ouch!) and Iceland was on my list of "places to visit before I die."  Oh, and did I mention the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa?

So when this tour package came up again in a promotional email, I asked my boss to bring forth his crystal ball to see if there were any impending catastrophes scheduled at the office that week.  He said, "No, but that doesn't mean you won't have to work 80 hours the week before...."

And I bought my ticket.

It's a good trip at a good price, and I know I'll love to see it.  There are just a few issues that I didn't fully take into consideration before I handed over my hard-earned cash:

1. I don't speak Icelandic.  Can I manage to communicate well enough to enjoy the true culture of Iceland, or will lack of language skills force me to accept the McDonald's version?
2. I'm overweight and under-exercised.  Will I be able to appreciate the glorious glacier, or will painful arthritic knees distract me during the hike?
3. I haven't shot much outdoors in the winter.  Do I have the skills to get the images I want from my Canon 40D, or will I wish I had a simple point-and-shoot?

I have time. I can do this, right?