Final Update from Iceland!
July 15, 2025
With teary eyes and hearts overflowing, we just said goodbye to our beloved second session. The past few days have been packed with energy, laughter, deep connection, and so much love shared between us all.
The day after our dreamy hot spring soak, we did a complete 180-plunging into zero-degree glacial waters to snorkel between tectonic plates at Silfra! Lydia Harlander blew us away by duck diving into the icy blue in a dry suit, and mcCree dove in without a moment’s pause. Later that afternoon, we kicked around the soccer ball at the campsite, where Graydon too shined his quick feet and smart plays, framed by towering mountains all around.
That night, we got to indulge in an oceanside hot spring where we took in the last breathtaking views of beautiful iceland. Lydia Blessing, Jack, and Louisa stayed and indulged in the warmth while sharing a beautiful moment surrounded by the water.
We closed the night with a surprise from the farm camp: bottle-feeding baby lambs and bouncing around with playful goats! Shayna and Liza had an instant connection with the lambs and couldn’t get enough of them, while the baby goats made fast friends with Parks, climbing up onto his back mid-petting session.
The next morning, we rose early for a full day of glacier adventures and horseback riding. While exploring a frozen glacial tunnel, Alden F and couldn’t resist sliding around on the icy floors, mixing in some playful sledding between learning about the ice formations.
After all the chilly fun-complete with snowball fights and nonstop laughter-we made our way to a geothermal-heated horse farm. There, we saddled up on Icelandic horses and learned about their unique “flying pace.” Martha and Parks ended up with especially curious horses, making for an exciting ride, while Alden J’s horse had a mind of its own, stopping often to snack on grass as Alden took in the incredible landscape.
Shoutout Gummi
Sincerely, Ice 2B
Iceland B
Cards, Caves, and Cannonballs!
July 13, 2025
Hello again from Iceland!!
Hello again from our crew in Iceland – a group that’s quickly become a family, bonding over laughter and adventure! After wrapping up our trek, we made our way to a surprise stop for the kids – a cozy cabin stay! Spirits were high as we settled into soft couches, played a card game that sparked real conversations, and took a moment to breathe and reflect on our journey so far. Parks kept the group engaged and laughing that whole night, bringing the group forward with energy!!
We woke the next morning to music and breakfast, a special breakfast to kick off a big day: rafting the Hvítá River! The whole group embraced the frigid glacial water as the rafting begun, unafraid to jump in and swim around. Alden F. fully embraced the river, paddling hard up front, and riding the bull during one of the trickier rapids. In the other boat Jack Robinson and Lydia Harlander fearlessly took on the waves. Halfway through the day the boats pulled off to the side of the river where we disembarked for a cliff jump. Liza Grace, Shayna, and more of the group showed off their courage, fearlessly leaping into the icy water below. Screams of joy (or maybe from the cold water) echoed through the canyon below. We finished off the rafting with a long stretch of calm water where our guides showed us how to pull each other into the water from a different boat which quickly turned into a battle between rafts. While some of us were dragged in, many others decided to jump in and swim around, allowing plenty of practice for the rest of the group on how to pull someone back into a raft.
The next day we had a wonderful hike through hot spring highland mountains, it was absolutely beautiful, Graydon soaked in the scenery and warmth of the hot spring river. It was a very relaxing morning, soaking in the warm water and the rays of sunshine that paid us a nice visit.
That afternoon we entered the caves for our lava tunnel tour. The group got to see the remnants of an old lava flow, now a hollowed out cave full of geologic history. Along the way our guide turned off the lights, as many of us experienced pure darkness for the first time in our lives!
We’ve been moving a lot, but that didn’t stop us from playing an epic soccer match of world cup at our campsite. Louisa, Martha and Lydia Blessing led the charge, tearing up the field with total intensity and heart they had a team of brazil where they couldn’t stop laughing and bringing up spirits! McCRee devised to jump into a workout with James and absolutely crushed a bunch of push-ups at the campsite, impressive!
Alden J. continues to impress with his positive energy and willingness to help – always the first to jump in and set up tents and make sure we’re all ready to go. With the end of the trip quickly approaching, we are making sure to soak in all that Iceland has to offer. With snorkeling, horseback riding, and our glacier tour to come, the excitement has never dwindled.
Until Next Time!
Meg & James
Thank You’s
McCree
Hey guys, thank you so much for sending me here! I am having so much fun and I am enjoying everything. Thanks!
Alden Jackson
Thank you guys so much for sending me. I’ve had lots of fun and I’ve made plenty of fun memories! I can’t wait to tell you about it.
Jack Robison
Thank yall so much for letting me go to Iceland. I’ve had so much fun and I’ll tell yall all about it when I get home.
Parks Hudgins
Thanks so much for letting me come to Iceland. I’ve made so many memories and had such a fun time. Thanks again!
Lydia Blessing
First of all thank you for all that you do for me, but most importantly thank you for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip!! I’ve met some amazing people, experienced some of the coolest things, and have had an absolute blast. Love y’all!
Lydia Harlander
Thank you guys so much for sending me to such a cool place, where I have been able to make so many new friends and memories!! I have experienced some extremely cool things that I can’t wait to tell you guys about. Love youuuuu.
LIZA BROMLEU
Thank you so much for sending me here and I’m so thankful for such an amazing experience! Love you!
Martha Westerkom
Thank you mom and dad so much for giving me this experience! I’m so so so grateful and I miss you guys a lot. Also, thank you for my birthday gifts I loved them and tell baba and Cita thank you too!
LOUISA O’CONNOR 💗✌🏻
This has been such a great experience! Thank you so much for all the amazing adventures and memories! Love y’all and thank you for giving me the opportunity to come to Iceland!
Alden Funderburke
This has been one of the best experiences of my life! I’ve had so much fun and I’ve laughed more than I’ve laughed in a while. I can’t wait to tell yall all about it when I get home! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to do this trip and I’m sorry I lost my bag (long story it wasn’t my fault really) anyway I can’t wait to see you when I get home and I love y’all so much!!
Graydon Rogers
Thank you so much for sending me to camp. I have seen amazing views tried so many new things and met so many awesome people. I have gained experiences and memories I will never forget. I can’t wait to see you guys I love you.
Shayna Leder
Thank you so much for sending me here, I have made so many great memories and new friends. I’ve gained so much from this trip and I can’t wait to see you and tell you everything.
What A Blast :)
July 9, 2025
Hello from Iceland!
Our trip began with a restful trip to the stunning Sky Lagoon. The group braved the cold tub before taking in the views from the saunas and completing the 7 step ritual experience. That night the group laughed away over pizza, in large part to Parks for his jokes and constant laughter, while we walked through Reykjavík before heading to bed early after a long day of travel.
Day 3 marked the start of our 5 day, 72km trek through the highlands, where we soaked in the sun, battled sandstorms, and traversed the ridge lines in the rain. Liza and Lydia H consistently crushed the hikes, helping to keep the group moving even on our long 22km day. Louisa’s positive attitude and Lydia B’s enthusiasm provided a spark to the group and served as central members to helping this group get so close in such a short period of time. And don’t forget Jack who repped the Iceland spirit carrying the country’s flag on his pack the whole way!
To celebrate the 4th of July the group battled out in our own Olympic Games with the stars versus the stripes. The starts pulled out the win in large part to McCree’s valiant effort during the Nalgene game (a competition to see who can place the bottle the furthest from behind a line without touching the ground in front).
Our stomachs have always been full from dinner, with major kudos to our expert chefs Graydon and Shayna for preparing us delicious grilled salmon. And no meal is complete without dessert! On July 7th we celebrated Martha’s 14th birthday with cake, balloons, and a loud rendition of Happy Birthday. We feel so grateful to have spent such a special day with such a special person.
Often some of the less noteworthy tasks go unnoticed but not in this group. Our success through trekking would not have been possible without Alden J’s help setting up our large cooking tent. He battled the wind from within, holding the 10ft metal poles steady while we hammered in the stakes from the outside. No one likes doing the dishes, and even less so after a full day of hiking, but no one has been as reliable as Alden F. She is always the first to volunteer and has never once complained even with the lack of hot water to do so.
We all look forward to our adventures to come, and we’ll check back in soon!
Your ICE B Leaders
Here are some shoutouts to you all:
Graydon – Hi I just finished trecking, I saw some amazing views and am happily sore I am excited to relax in some geothermal pools. I’m having a great time.
Alden – Hey guys, Iceland is super fun so far! We’ve just finished our 5 day treck and are on the way to the geothermal pools right now. I think it should be really fun. Thanks for sending me here!
McCree – Hey Mom and Dad, we just finished trecking and the views were amazing! It was super fun but I’m happy to use a car now. Thanks so much for letting me go out here!
Parks – What’s up Mom and Dad, our trek just finished and it was so cool. Iceland has been great and I’m having an awesome time. Tell Cash I said hey, also love y’all and hope to tell you all about it when I get home!
Jack – Hey Mom and Dad, we just got done with trekking and it was awesome. I’m having such a great time and the views here are incredible. Tell yall about it when I get home. Thanks for letting me go here.
Alden – Hey Mom and Dad, we just finished trekking for five days, we even walked 18 miles one day! Everything here is so pretty and the views are just crazy I can’t wait to see you guys and clover when I get back! And I hope that McKinley is having fun on her trip too! Also my group is so good and we all get along so well. Love y’all can’t wait to see you when I get back!
Shayna – Hey mom and dad I’m having a blast! I’m making so many new friends and everyone is so funny. The views are so pretty in Iceland, tell Bronson, Dad, and papi Sam I said happy birthday! I can’t wait to meet you guys in Paris, love you!
Louisa – Hi mom and dad! ITS SO PRETTY HERE, and I love my group! I’m missing y’all and G but it’s also been so fun!!! We just finished trecking and are about to go in a hot spring! Tell Lily I miss her, and I can’t wait to see y’all when I get back!
Lydia H. – Hiii Mom Dad Katherine and Charlie!! Iceland is awesome and I am having a blast! We just finished trekking, can’t wait to tell y’all about it when we get back! See you guys soon, love you!!!
Liza – Hey mom and dad, having a blast! I love everyone here, we finally got done trekking (like 75 kilometers). Tell everyone I miss them and I’m having so much fun. Also when I get back can I get some Taco Bell and some fin jin and a hot fudge Sunday from McDonald’s, and some bellas breadsticks. Thanks I appreciate it! Miss and love y’all!!
Lydia B. – Hey fam!! I am literally having the best time of my life here. I love my group so much and I’ve made some AMAZING friends. Iceland is literally beautiful! Dad would LOVE it. We’ve hiked 76 kilometers (48 miles) in the past five days. It was so pretty. Please bring Evie to the airport to pick me up and tell her I miss her so so so much! I hope everyone is having fun back home. I love and miss y’all!! ❤️❤️
Martha – Hi mom, dad and Andrew!! I miss you guys so much but I’m having a lot of fun! Everyone here is super cool and funny, and has good music taste. I can’t wait to hear about Andrew’s trip and tell y’all all about mine! We trekked 48 miles and went through a sand storm, It was crazy. I hope the dogs don’t miss me too much. I’ve made friends with everyone they’re so friendly. I can’t wait to see the photos and I miss and love you guys!! See you the 15th💗
Safe Arrival!
July 3, 2025
Hello Iceland Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely! The trip is off to a great start, and we are so excited to hear more stories as they begin 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
