Thrills 'n' Chills

July 23, 2024

HELLO FROM ICELAND!

What a first half of the trip it’s been! We have discovered countless waterfalls, rafteddown a glacier river, rode Icelandic horses across rivers and valleys, explored a lava tunnel,walked through downtown Reykjavik experiencing Icelandic culture, and so much more! We stillhave plenty on the agenda and everyone is enjoying our newfound friends.

We started off our journey with a relaxing day in the Sky Lagoon. Everyone benefited from thehot tub and cold plunge after the long day of travel. Jack lasted the longest in the cold plunge,boasting an impressive 25 minutes (so he claims)! After the refreshing stop, we settled into ourhostel to plan for the big trip ahead and feasted on pizza for the first dinner.

Day 2 started off hot, or cold, with whitewater rafting along the Hvítá river! We were greetedwith fresh burgers from the outfitter and then suited up for the adventure. After the guides gaveus the safety briefing, each group was assigned boats. The boys’ boat ended up being named“USS Cold Feet”, while the girls settled on “Iceland Slayers”. The water was indeed cold, but thelaughter and bonding kept us warm. We all stopped for the main event about halfway down theriver: cliff jumping! The entire group made the heroic leap into the river and Grace even jumpedtwice! Summit and Smith battled it out with raft games near the end of the float which was quitethe show for the rest of us. Once we got off the river and out of the wet suits we hopped in thehot tub and sauna to take a good break. It was a great venture to start the trip!

The next day consisted of a beautiful drive across the southern coast. Our two stops were thefamous geyser and mind-blowing lava tunnel. The whole group got to see the geyser go offmultiple times, and we even did the short hike up the mountain to view the huge valley with ourcampsite in the distance. We then set off to the lava tunnel tour where we had a very passionateguide named Jona. She gave us the tour through the tunnel where we learned about the geologyof the cave and how it formed 5000 years ago. Gray was the most intrigued out of the group andasked questions the whole way.

We had an unexpected storm roll in yesterday and had to skip whale watching because of thehigh winds. So instead, we went to a gorgeous horseback riding ranch on the west coast and hadan absolute blast galloping through the valley. The valley echoed with laughter as we traversedthrough green pastures and shallow rivers. Nora and her horse especially took a liking tosplashing around in the water. We even saw their private hot spring along the beautiful river thatran underneath the mountain where they would cook homemade bread in the ground using thehot spring as the oven! One group of 7 rode while the other went to see one of Iceland’s mostpicturesque waterfalls with our guide, Karl. Luke spearheaded a highly scientific experiment tomeasure the height of the bridge over the river, and our group delighted in watching rocks splashinto the rapids and flow downstream. To finish, we got hot chocolate with some homemadebread and butter. What a day!

After our adventure on horseback, our group transferred closer to the Icelandic Highlands,passing through Selfoss and stopping at Groovi’s, a local favorite for ice cream. McCall andRankin led the charge to get cotton candy on their ice cream cones, and we all savored our treatstogether, even in the gusty weather outside. Then, we had the privilege of embarking on an earlytown day in Reykjavik, gallivanting down Rainbow Street and stocking up on souvenirs andsnacks. Liv captured every moment on her beloved pink point-and-shoot camera as we enjoyedperformances by street musicians and sampled truffles that were homemade in Latvia! Beforemaking our way to our lodging for the night, we stopped at an ethereal valley that was truly offthe beaten path and had a ball waterfall chasing. Violet was ecstatically pointing out the greenmoss that would hide under the water which made everyone pay a little more attention. Thegroup heel-clicked and skipped through the luscious meadow, smelling wildflowers and findingsecluded caves to explore. Summit made the entire group double over in laughter as he embracedthe adventurous spirit of the afternoon and went all in on river crossings. Finally, we stumbledupon the most epic waterfall yet, and we frolicked up the hill to dip under the water and taste itsglacial flavor. Robert completed the group’s pilgrimage under the falls, and the group hooted andhollered off the hill in excitement as we relished in doing something so spontaneous together.

Shoutouts!

Smith: Hello father, I am having fun! Iceland is very beautiful and you would love it! Love yousee you when I get back!

Jack: Hi family, I am having a great time in Iceland! It is very cold here. I miss you all alot but Iam not homesick at all like I was in the airport. Mom, thank you for your letter and please tellMrs. Linda I am grateful for hers too. Iceland is very expensive… I will pay you back.

Gray: Hello family, I have made it to Iceland very cold and very rainy. I am having a great timewith my new friend Cooperf, yes Cooperf we go very fast and horse lady do not like it.

Summit Traxler Dempsey: Hallo family, I am alive it is very cold here and I am cold but I amhaving a very very good time yes yes yes. The water is very cold and I miss surfing but I did getover my fear of horses because we went horseback riding. I love you. I am having fun and I amstill alive. I will see you in a week goodbye now.

Luke: Hi mom and dad, I’m having a lot of fun in Iceland and enjoying this cool weather. Icelandis such a cool place and we just explored the city. Can’t wait to see you guys.

Robert: Hi family, I’m having fun in Iceland and I’ve been enjoying my time so far. I miss y’alland the dogs, and I’m excited to see everyone when I get back.

Nora: Hi family, I miss you guys so much but I am having so much fun. It is very cold and rainybut Iceland is a very cool place. We have done a lot of exploring! I can’t wait to see you guys.

Olivia: Hey family! Iceland is so cool and fun! It’s pretty rainy and cloudy but the views areamazing! We went horseback riding but my horse was on a leash the whole time. It’s been somuch fun and I can’t wait to see you guys in a week!

Grace: Hey y’all! Iceland is so cool but also cold and wet. I’ve met so many people from all overthe world so far. Can’t wait to see y’all when I get home.

Violet: Hey Mom, Dad, Riley, and whoever is reading this. I miss y’all sooo much but I amhaving so much fun I love it. It is very cold and rainy sometimes. It’s so unreal here and pretty. I have realized what is important but I am going to keep this shorter. I haveabout a week left so see y’all soon!!!!!!

Rankin: Hey Mom, Dad, Bubba, and the twins I miss yall and love yall so much! Iceland is socool, Dad you would seriously love to bike here. Also heyy finley and marlowe I know you’reprobably stalking. finley you better have paid dottie back. Can’t wait to tell yall everything!!!!

McCall: Hey Mom, Dad, and Alexander I miss yall but I am having a lot of fun! Mom- it isdefinitely too cold for you. It rains a lot but everytime we see the sun its amazing. The views wehave seen are so pretty and almost unreal. Love yall and see yall soon!

Safe Arrival in Iceland!

July 17, 2024

Hello Iceland Families!

We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Reykjavik! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure.

Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!

-Moondance HQ