Markarfljot River, Iceland

Although Iceland draws more than two million visitors a year, the population is a mere 357,000, and some 80 percent of

the country is uninhabited. It’s not hard to escape to the wild. The rushing, gurgling sounds of glacial rivers provide an especially valued tonic. The Markarfljot River is fed by the Myrdalsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull glaciers, and flows 60 miles to the Atlantic. It’s one of many displays of energy and power that give Icelanders a deep reverence for nature.