Geothermal Goodbyes!
June 27, 2026
By the time you all read this, you might already have your kiddos in your arms!
We rounded out our last days of the trip the only way we know how, taking over the streets of Reykjavik, hikes in the rain, and shenanigans by the beach. After snorkeling, we arrived at a stunning campsite (which is also a small farm) in western Iceland. We had our own little area complete with a full playground overlooking the ocean with mountains at our backs. While setting up camp, a goat meandered its way over to join us and Henry and Drew walked up to the barn and got to meet a 3-day-old baby goat. We also had an old grandpa sheep who was “retired” who also enjoyed our site. Once settled, we then enjoyed an endless lasagna meal provided by the campsite owners inside the cozy main house.
A highlight of the evening was when Welles noticed a piano and ukulele in the corner. Unfortunately, Will and I are not musically inclined, so it was a treat when Welles jumped on the piano and started playing some fan favorite songs like Runaway by Kanye on the piano and Ripple by the Grateful Dead on the ukulele. He inspired a lot of other musicians to try their hand. Maddie serenaded us with Fur Elise and Welles helped Hilton translate his guitar skills to the ukulele. Clarke also is extremely talented with the string instruments and even began asking around camp to see if we could get our hands on a guitar for a full jam session.
With full bellies and music in our ears, the group ran down to the flower field overlooking the beach with the two camp pups in tow. The yellow flowers, green grass, blue water, and towering mountains set a heart warming scene as the kids literally sat in a circle and just giggled together. We then tested our creative abilities and teamwork and spelled out “Iceland” with the stunning backdrop. Ask your kids to show you this photo from the album when they get home – it was some of our best work and we laughed a lot making it happen. From the field, we then went down to the black sand beach. Mia and Maddie looked for shells and enjoyed the views from the beach while Ben, Hilton, Clarke, and Drew (the mountain goats they are) scurried up the one of the mounds for a view from above. Clayton led the remaining crew back to camp for warm showers before Moonup. A common theme of this trip, due to the never ending sunshine, is we have a bit of a hard time winding down after Moonups which are always peppered with laughter and side stories. Once everyone finally climbed into their tents, Will and I listened to the chatter and what we hope will be lifelong friendships forming late into the sunlit night.
The last day in the mountains meant we wanted to make the most of it and hit a morning loop to the 2nd highest waterfall in Iceland. As mentioned in an earlier trip update, this trail wasn’t even an easy hike but after our intense days on the trek and the natural strength of this group, it literally felt like a quick loop. Anyways, in classic Iceland fashion, it poured on us towards the end, but this resulted in some cool cloud coverage over the valley. It felt a bit like we were on the set of Lord of the Rings.
From the hike, we went horseback riding. We split into groups and took turns exploring the farm and then going out on the horses into the surrounding pastures. Icelanders are very resourceful, we’ve learned and the people from the farm show us how they bake traditional Icelandic bread into holes in the ground which are heated and baked by the warmth of the geothermal hot springs. They bake at around 200°F for 2-3 days. We then got to taste the bread with some hot cocoa. I can confirm Ben was more excited about eating than learning as he snuck up and kept getting more pieces. Once out of the trail, we rode our horses past a stream with a geothermal hot spring in the middle and lupines (the most beautiful purple flowers) flooding the field around us. Mia’s horse was unbelievably chill while Bays’s couldn’t stop taking grass snack breaks. Hilton’s horse was a retired competition horse and his horse made sure he and Hilton were always in the lead. We tried our hands at trotting, and that was honestly more of a thrill than I think we anticipated. They can really get going!
Back at camp, we had a much anticipated taco dinner. With full bellies and high spirits after wrapping up our last scheduled activities of the session, we hung out at camp playing cards, climbing on the playground, and crushing the last of our favorite vanilla cookies. Between all the whacky weather (rain, sun, rain, sun), Will and I had been talking about for days how badly we wanted a rainbow. Of course, while we were all just hanging out, I looked out over the water towards the mountains and there was a rainbow. Will and I were literally jumping around with excitement and we all ran down to the water to get a better look. This felt like true Moondance magic. We sat down right there in the grass with the rainbow behind us and had one of our last Moonups of the trip. Henry and Bays picked out some incredible questions and we were on track to have one of our most meaningful Moonups of the trip… Then of course we were hysterically laughing and back to our regularly scheduled programming of silliness and side tangents.
Friday morning we woke up and packed up camp one last time before heading into Reykjavík for our “town day”. The latter half of the last day of a trip is commonly referred to at Moondance as “banquet”. Banquet has a few key traditions – an awesome final meal and a trip to the thrift store to dress for the occasion. So off we went! Hilton, Clayton, and Eleanor had matching fits of swaggy polos and sunglasses. Henry found an Icelandic Olympic jacket. Drew rocked some jorts and a Minecraft beanie. Will told Rainey she looked like his Southern California grandmother in her 70s stylish hippie fit. Bays, Mia, and Clarke also had hippie vibes – Bays with her yellow ruffled jacket, Mia with a crocheted pink scarf, and Clarke with his circle glasses and stripe pants. Flora slayed a fur coat. Welles honestly looked like he went to a curated vintage shop instead of just a thrift store with his cool Puma backpack, plaid blazer, and retro sunglasses. Maddie was rocking the grungy teenager vibe in her all black (which is even funnier because she’s literally sunshine and rainbows). Although everyone’s fits were fire, I gotta say Ben took the cake with a full blown black trench, narrow black sunglasses, and black hat. He kept saying he was channeling his inner “Devil Wears Prada” and I hope he actually breaks the fit out again in the city this winter. Needless to say, we rolled up to dinner like we owned the place. Dinner was in a cool converted Post Office to now a food hall. The food hall set up was awesome everyone could get what they were craving – I was dying for some Mexican fajitas, the girls mostly ordered pastas, Clarke and Ben’s pizzas were amazing and claimed to be “the top 50 best pizzas in Europe”, and Hilton got a full spread of Bao, spring rolls, and dumplings. Of course we ended the evening with chocolate mouse, ice cream, and crepes.
Fueled with sugar and yummy meals, we literally skipped back to our lodging for final hours together. In the final Moonup we shared what experiences/people on this trip impacted you the most. What happens at Moonup stays at Moonup, but our hearts were warmed as everyone shared so many fulfilling takeaways from our two weeks together. Moonup can never be too serious though. After every answer, Drew hit the boys with a round of dap-ups in lieu of the typical polite snaps after people speak. As a common theme of the trip was the growth everyone had on the trek, Hilton wrapped us up with quite the parting speech – “what they said to do in 4 days; we did it in 3!! We did it in 3!!” (my retelling doesn’t do it justice at all).
Moondance families, thank you once again for letting us get to know your children over the last 2 weeks. It truly was an awe-inspiring and an experience of a lifetime. I hope each of your kids are coming home with new friends, a greater love for the outdoors, a deeper belief in themselves, and just some good-fun memories.
Much love,
SC and Will
Gorgeous Glaciers and Dance Parties!
June 24, 2026
Hello family and friends of ICE 1B!
Reporting to you from our campsite next to geysers and glacial rivers. Last you heard from us we had just completed our trekking section, and since, we have been rocking through every activity in this country.
Sunday, we enjoyed resting our legs in the van, listening to everyone’s favorite songs, and enjoying the scenic views of waterfalls, mountains, and Icelandic horses and sheep. Ben became the unofficial DJ requesting absolute bangers such as Cheerleader, some Rihanna, and Tennis Court.
We arrived at our first non-trekking activity — a glacier hike. Hilton thrived on the glacier and unleashed his inner Viking. With the crampons on and ice ax in hand, he mastered the traditional Icelandic mountain men way of drinking from the glacier — doing a push up, using the handle of the ax as the bridge across the stream, and drinking the cold glacial water straight from the earth. Clarke joined him and drove their ice axes into the glacier until they found the pure ice beneath the volcanic ash that boasted hidden iridescent rainbows. Our guide told us at the end this was the highest on the glacier he’s gone in his 6 months of guiding, once again, highlighting this group’s hiking strength. After all this activity, this crew has become a bottomless pit, so the LODs Ben and Clayton went into the store with us to get snacks. The “American Cool” Doritos were a hilarious find and a nice Icelandic man told us we couldn’t miss the Icelandic dark chocolate with sea salt (he was right — it’s Drew and I’s favorite). We along included a delicious ice cream stop in town along the way. We then drove to our lodging for the evening which, to everyone‘s thrill, was a warm remote hut with unobstructed views of a snowy volcano. Eleanor was the queen of the luxury villa with the blankets she brought all the way from home. We have coined our hut the Icelandic Four Seasons (“who wants to go to the Four Seasons – meeeee”). For dinner we made an easy meal of hot dogs and played numerous rounds of mafia before we took warm showers and cozied up in our bunks.
Monday was another big day. After stopping at impressive waterfalls along the way, we arrived at the trail head to hike to a steaming hot springs river. The sun was out, which all the Icelanders kept reminding us was a “once in a lifetime experience”, and we geared up for the grand activity of the day – zip lining. Our girl Maddie is not a fan of heights, yet, she harnessed the encouragement of her peers and her own bravery and went down the zip line. She even went first as to not overthink it. While we sat on the riverbank skipping rocks waiting for everyone to wrap up, it was smiles all around.
We headed to our camp site for the next two nights which was surrounded by active geysers and our tents were set up on a big open field. The field was asking for us to run around. We split the group in half and started quite an intense game of ultimate frisbee. It was the height of Maddie, Welles, Clarke, and Drew, versus the nearly indefensible teamwork of Rainey, Hilton, Ben, and Henry. We ended up having to play many more points than anticipated because no one could seal the 2-point win. After a hard fought battle, the team with the best teamwork pulled out the win.
The next day we hit the water for rafting. We hopped into the glacial river in all our gear. Welles and Ben lead the front of our boat and had to learn how to work together rowing in sync rather than competing against one another. We sang Justin Bieber until we arrived at our cliff jumping location. We all jump the glacial water hooting and hollering down the canyon. Drew is a self-proclaimed “absolute beast that doesn’t get cold” and he and Hilton ran to jump off cliff one more time. Once we reached a quieter part of the canyon, the guides challenged us to stand on the front of the raft and see who could stay up while we paddled the raft in fast circles. Rainey and Flora managed to maintain their balance as we went round and round. Back at the rafting hut, we took off our gear and immediately sank into the hot tubs and then relaxed in the sauna. Once warm, we ate much anticipated burgers for lunch and shot a couple rounds of pool. Welles claims to have run the pool table, while Clarke claims he only made two balls in all of the games. Jury is still out on this one.
As if the day couldn’t get better, we made a stop at a gorgeous waterfall and then a local dairy farm with cows and ice cream made on site. Also on the farm, was this large trampoline/bouncy blob that seemed to be placed all over Iceland. The kids got the classic trampoline games going like”dead man” and “popcorn”. Anticipating a rainy evening at camp, we decided to throw a Summer Solstice Party in our kitchen tent. We decorated the tent with our headlamps and served chocolate cake and Applesin, a popular soda drink here. DJ Dad Bod and DJ Puffin aka Will and Sarah Catherine took over the tunes and we danced the night away! We challenged everyone to wear their best rave fit (which was of course not on the packing list). Mia sported her pink rain jacket tied funkily and Bays showed up with a bandana on her head and her moves ready to rockkkkkk. It didn’t matter what was playing, Bays was commanding the dance floor and had the tent bumping. From Gimme Gimme Gimme from Mama Mia to Welle’s “niche” house music, it was a party to remember and a personal highlight of mine from all my Moondance sessions.
After the fun and dancing from the night before, we enjoyed a slower morning packing up camp and drove the national park. The national park is home to the world’s first parliament and where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates intersect. They are actively moving apart at a rate of about 2.5 cm per year. Iceland is one of the only places on Earth where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rises above sea level. Here we snorkled between these tectonic plates. Your kids will have to explain further, but we put on these comicly large dry suits and floated down the lake/river created between the separated plates. As cool as it was, my crew of girls Mia, Rainey, Bays, Eleanor, and Clayton couldn’t stop laughing at suctioned lips poking out of suits or running into eachother in the water will out flippers.
These last few days have been a lot of pinch-me moments. We will just be listening to music, swinging on the swings at the campsite, passing around our favorite Icelandic snacks, or tossing the frisbee and then a geysir would just go off behind us. This group is down right hilarious and they love each other. Lots of WOW moments. Thank you to all you parents who have entrusted Will and I with your children. They’re good eggs.
Back to LITMO (living in the moment),
SC & Will
Flora- hey guys! I miss yall so much! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do Moondance! It’s so fun! Love you guys with all my heart! Hugs and kisses
Maddie: hey fam! Thank you so much for letting me come to Iceland. It’s so amazing here and I am so thankful I got to go. See you soon!
Eleanor: hey guys! Iceland has been so fun I don’t want to leave but I miss yall so much! I wanted to say thank you so much for this awesome opportunity and I’m so grateful to be here! See yall soon! 😘
Mia: hey guys! Thank you so much for providing me with this once in a lifetime opportunity to go to Iceland!! I love you all so much and am truly grateful for all you do. See you soon!
Bays: hey guys! Iceland has been amazing and I’m so grateful yall provided me with this opportunity! I love yall so much and I’m excited too tell you everything we did. See you soon!😘💕
Rainey: hey fam! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to come to Iceland! I love it so much! I miss yall and cant wait to tell yall all about it! Love yall!
Clayton: hey yall thanks for letting me come to Iceland and also paying for it because it is really cool. Thanks again and can’t wait to see yall.
Welles: what’s up guys. Thanks for the trip it’s super fun. Can’t wait for fam jam.
Hilton: THANKS for letting me do this it’s so fun and everyone is so chill. Cya soon
Ben: this trip is so fun and it’s a great time can’t wait to see yall fellas
Drew- yo wassup parents this trip is pretty cool thanks for letting me go please get a 24 pack of appelsin soda drink and feed the Viking sweet and spicy beef jerky can’t wait to see yall and Iceland is sick can’t wait to see yall fellers soon
Clarke- what’s up guys thanks for letting me come on this trip and can’t wait to see you soon.
Henry hi! Having a great time in Iceland so thank you for letting me come. Can’t wait to see you in a few days. can you bring some builder bars when you come pick me up?
Friends in the Freezing Weather
June 21, 2026
Hello Moondance Families from Iceland!!!
Thank you to all the wonderful parents who helped coordinate drop-off and airport day. After bonding in JFK, we finally touched down in Reykjavik and were welcomed by the fresh Arctic air!
We grabbed a quick lunch and headed straight to unwind from our travels. There was a 7-step experience including a hot springs overlooking the ocean, sauna, cold plunge, and steam room. Drew and Ben took the experience to the next level by relaxing by the ocean with their berry drinks. We then headed to our lodging for the night and enjoyed pizza and exploring the town. By this point, you would’ve thought we were on Day 5 of the trip based on how the group bonded. They bantered, laughed, and played cards endlessly, even after the long travel day into a full first day in Iceland!
The next morning, we were greeted by our guides and began our trekking section. On the way, we enjoyed a scenic van ride with two waterfall stops along the way. In the van, you could count on Welles’s endless music requests and Bays teaching everyone friendship bracelet patterns. Once we arrived at the start of our trek and where we would sleep for the night, we began the journey of setting up camp for the first time. In classic Icelandic weather, the wind was blowing all over the place, and you would’ve thought we were playing the parachute game with the kitchen tent. The crew worked together, and with Ben at the helm of hammering all the stakes, we got camp all set up and cozy for our first evening under the Midnight Sun. (We are proud to say we have become pros at camp set up — especially Rainey). After dinner, we were rewarded with our second hot springs of the trip. We were treated to a natural hot spring right next to camp with the most stunning mountains. Picture a steaming river with a beautiful golden glow across the valley and 13 smiling students. It was awesome.
The picture we have painted up to this point is pure vacation, but this first day of our 55-kilometer trek required grit, perseverance, encouragement, and positive attitudes from every person. Before our trek could begin, however, we of course celebrated Maddie’s birthday! Balloons and a banner in the kitchen tent with a sash to wear for the hike. We set off on our hike first into a stretch of lava fields. The geothermal activity is active in this area, so we passed many geysers along the way. Then we reached a stretch of true tundra. We kept the spirits high and had a group sing-along of Frozen, which felt fitting as we covered miles in the snow. Hilton met me bar for bar, and then Wells got some Hamilton musical rolling.
We passed through ice caves and were met with breathtaking views of the snowy mountains at every turn. We stopped for lunch and to warm up at a hut along the way and pushed forward! After crossing rivers, trekking over mountains, and enduring the Icelandic weather, we set our eyes on our beautiful camp for the evening. We arrived, partially dreading the tent set up after the strenuous day, and to our surprise, we were gifted a warm hut to sleep in for the night! We are considering that to be Maddie’s birthday magic that was bestowed upon her by the generous camp host. During Moonup this evening, our LODs, Henry and Mia, asked, “what’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?” The group consensus was this hike. However, the room was truly beaming with a deeper level of pride than I personally have ever experienced in a Moondance group. Eleanor announced to the group that this was her first hike ever!!! What a way to start! This crew is very excited to share their experience upon their return. They kept saying, “My family is never going to believe I did this!”
The next day, we slept in and enjoyed a slow morning at the hut. We scarfed down our warm oatmeal and Icelandic Skyr before hitting the trail again for day 2. This day was shorter with less elevation but nonetheless still pretty significant mileage. However, after day 1, you would’ve thought we’re strolling a flat East Coast beach. We laughed and chatted and even side-quested to an amazing gorge called “Markarfljótsgljúfur” – the name itself got some laughs. Hilton did his research before the trip and has peppered us with fun facts throughout, and asked our wonderful guide to share an Icelandic word of the day with us. This day was “Áfram,” which means “let’s go” — a very fitting word as we continued our trek.
Day 3 of trekking was our final day on this specific trail. We had another amazing day, and it was clear the group had really settled in. Clarke was often found at the front of the pack (basically, trail running), showing off some impressive endurance. We were treated to some amazing sunshine this day and took a prolonged lunch basking in the sun and passing around snacks (especially Flora, she’s extremely generous and the crew is always excited to see what’s she’s got hiding in her bag). We continued on getting to cross two rivers and trek through a forest (these were the first trees we saw the entire hike). At the end of the hike we were chatting with some other hikers and they couldn’t believe what our gaggle of 14-15 year olds had pulled off. Our guide also later told us this was one of the fastest times she’s ever hiked this trail. So I’ll rephrase, we didn’t pull it off – we crushed it.
Today, I write you as I listen to the students giggle as they wind down in their tents. We woke up this morning to FULL SUNSHINE. We didn’t have to pack up camp so we let everyone just wake up on their own and then join us outside cooking pancakes beneath the warm warm sunshine. With full bellies, we set off on our much shorter day hike to a jaw-dropping viewpoint of where a glacier meets a volcano with a vein-like river below. On the loop back, we stopped at the “elf church” which was a small cave we got to climb inside. With no rush to return to camp, we stopped at the most luscious grassy patch and played classic Moondance games like “Birdie on a Perch”, made a human pyramid, and then began an epic dance battle. Clayton immediately took charge for her group, wisely choosing a fan favorite song “Baby” by Justin Bieber and ultimately led her team to victory. Flora also led her group with committed Michael Jackson moves to “Beat It”. Once back at camp, we played numerous rounds of hacky-sack. Mia is sneaky good, Clarke has knees of steel and can be counted on to get the middle ones, while Wells leads the group in touches. Also, the campsite is bustling with people, and Ben, our group social butterfly, quickly befriended some younger boys and soon enough we had a full blown soccer game rolling while we waited on the lamb to be grilled for dinner.
We topped off the evening with a camp wide bonfire where we roasted marshmallows and listened to Icelandic music (which of course they Drew and Henry went as asked for the playlist name so we could listen later).
Once it was finally time for Moonup, Rainey and Hilton posed the question, “what’s one day from your life would you go back and relive exactly as it happened?”. Rainey responded today. It’s possible today was just top of mind, but Will and I feel similarly.
These last few days with your children have been nothing short of marvelous. They are stronger than they ever believed and we have watched their love for the outdoors and trying new things expand before our eyes. It’s been such a treat and we can’t stop smiling. Takk Iceland highlands & the trekking section of our dreams! Talk soon!
Shoutouts ICE 1B—
Eleanor: hey! I am having so much fun in Iceland! Happy Father’s Day dad! I miss yall so much you don’t even know and tell Carl I say hi! We have done so many cool things and I can’t wait to tell y’all all about them! Love y’all so much and miss yall!
Mia: hey guys! I am having so much fun in Iceland so far and it is so beautiful here! I miss you guys so much but I am loving it here too! Tell Sammy I wish him good luck on his first week at Wildbrook and happy Father’s Day to the best dad ever! Love you all so much, see you soon!
Maddie: hey fam! Happy Father’s Day! Iceland has been so fun, thank you for letting me go! I miss y’all, see you soon!
Clayton: hello. Happy Father’s Day! Iceland is so cool and the views are also rly cool. Tell Collins that he was right and Iceland is rly the best trip ever. Miss yall and can’t wait to see yall! I also can’t wait to go to Mississippi for the Fourth of July!
Welles: hey mom and dad! Happy Father’s Day. Iceland is really fun and I’m having a great time. Can’t wait to see you guys. See you.
Hilton- Wsg fam happy Father’s Day pops Iceland is mad lit.
Henry- happy Father’s Day! Having a great time and doing a lot of cool stuff. Excited to see you and watch some more World Cup say hi to kalani for me
Clarke- Happy Father’s Day dad. Iceland has been so much fun and I can’t wait to see you guys at nc. See you soon
Ben- happy Father’s Day dad. Iceland is very fun. I’m having a great time and I’m enjoying it a lot and yeah that’s it.
Drew- happy Father’s Day dad, Iceland is really cool and extremely beautiful beyond my expectations, the hiking was super fun that’s about it but it’s a lot of fun here and all the locals are super nice and teaching us their language a little bit. Love you guys and I can’t wait to see yall soon!!
Rainey- Happy Father’s Day dad!! I miss yall so much but Iceland is amazing! The views are incredible and my group is amazing! Good luck in Saint Louis V! We have done some awesome hikes! Can’t wait to tell yall about it! Tell the animals I said hi but love y’all!
Bays- Hey everyone! And happy Father’s Day dad I love you! I’m having so much fun in Iceland and have experienced so many cool things already. I’ve made so many friends too. I can’t wait to tell yall everything about it! I love and miss yall!
Flora- happy Father’s Day to my best friend and the best dad ever! I’m so sad we’re not together but I love and miss you so very much! Same with you mom! And Ebby Adelaide Jack and our pets of course! See you soon! 💕💕💕💕💕💕
Safe Arrival!
June 15, 2026
Hello Iceland Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group landed safely! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure! Please remember that 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
