Iceland/Island

  We got to do some great hiking in the mountains.  A two or three thousand foot mountain seems pretty daunting when it is right next to the sea.  This is Mt. Sulur, near Akureyri, Iceland's second largest city (pop. 17,900).  We did drive a couple miles and gain some elevation before we started hiking.
  It's pretty interesting where snow hangs on all year and where it melts.  Sometimes it' s in an unlikely spot such as a south-facing slope, probably due to how it accumulates from winds or how densely it gets packed.  We heard a couple times how being near the sea means rain is common during the winter so that would affect the consistency and melting.