October is Iceland's storm season, especially the Snæfellsjökull Peninsula on the west coast--it's known for the worst storms on this island nation. When we first read about Icelandic Octobers, we imagined just a lot of rain--"oh, we can handle getting wet"--we were (so very) wrong. We learned that when Icelanders talk about storms, they're referring to the incredible winds.

On this day, the gales were measuring up to 80 mph, and we shouldn't have even left the cabin. We did drive to the local grocery to pick-up food for lunch and dinner, but even that was dangerous. We could feel the wind force lifting our 4x4 off the ground and pushing it sideways--almost off the road into the ocean near Kirkjufell waterfall.

After spending most of the day trapped in our cabin, we braved the elements for these images. Running outside behind the house on the side of Kirkjufell Mountain, and trying to keep my camera dry and our feet on the ground, we created, together, my favorite photo set of all time.

The wind's force was battling against us and the horizontal rain felt sharp, like ice, as it hit our faces. The expressions on Jenna and Kellon's faces throughout these frames really do allow you to see a glimpse into how these moments felt.   

Freezing cold, aching ears and wide awake from the rocket adrenaline, Snæfellsjökull Peninsula's biting cold clutched our bones and seared its beautiful memory in our souls for all time.