Ice Buddies!
July 6, 2026
Hallo from Iceland!!!
Last time we wrote, we had just set off for snorkeling and had woken up Will R. for the beginning of his birthday celebrations!
Snorkeling quickly became a favorite activity within the group. Cam, Grady, Will R, and Will S. were in a snorkeling group together and called themselves “The Boyzzz”. We all suited up in our wetsuits and soon were breathing through snorkels, taking in the underwater views between tectonic plates. Will S. was the first in our group to try drinking the clean glacial water, and encouraged everyone to join in.
That afternoon, we got ice cream at a local farm, and the crew found one of Iceland’s infamous blob trampolines to jump on. After eating an American dinner favorite, hot dogs, we all gathered around the table to celebrate Will’s birthday. The girls wrote Will’s name on a cake in sprinkles, and we sang him happy birthday before he blew out his candle. We are so glad we got to celebrate with him!!!
After dinner, we went to our best Moonup spot yet- a meadow of tall grass and wildflowers overlooking a mountain line. We all talked about where we would like to see ourselves in 10 years, and everyone in the group gave awesome, thoughtful answers. Annie talked about her dreams of being a psychiatrist, and we all have no doubt that she can achieve anything she puts her mind to. Cole got some great shout-outs from the group, or as we like to call them: nugs, for being such a chiller and a calm presence in our group.
The next morning, we woke up and grabbed our gear for whitewater rafting. It was the warmest and sunniest day we’ve had so far, and the perfect weather for our white-water adventure. The girls were all on a boat together and nicknamed themselves “Gorp”. Hannah and Catherine led the group in some “Gorp” calls, and Avery and I held down the fort in the back of the raft.
Farther down the river, there was an opportunity for a cliff jump, and Max eagerly took the bait. He loved his first jump so much that he got right back in line to jump again. Every student ended up doing the jump, and it was such an awesome moment for our crew. Margaret got back in the water a couple of minutes later to float down a rapid. After rafting, we enjoyed some Fourth of July burgers, and Corley taught Brooks how to play the banjo. We are so impressed with how adventurous this group has been!
Now the crew is huddled in a warm hostel for the night before we begin trekking tomorrow.
That’s it for now!!!
Ella and Corley and the Ice Buddies
Here are some thank yous!!!
Margaret- Hi mom, dad, Libby, and Sarah!! Thank y’all so so much for this trip. It has been so fun and I’m so grateful for this opportunity!❣️❣️❣️❣️ Love yall!
Catherine- Hi Dad, Mom, Davis, and Stella. Thank you all so much for sending me on this trip. I have had so much fun and met the most amazing people. I love you all so much and can’t wait to see you all soon!
Grady – Thank you so much for sending me on this trip. The views are incredible and I’m having a lot of fun!
Will R- thank y’all so much for sending me on this trip. The views are amazing and I’m having a great time. I love y’all so much and I can’t wait to see you.
Max – Thank you for sending me on this. I’m having such a great time. We also had barely any days with rain. It’s the best. I will see you all in a few days. Love you. Max
Cam – Thank yall so much for sending me on this trip, Iceland has been sick and many memories have been made. I love yall so much and I can’t wait to see y’all in a few days.
Brooks – thank you so much for giving me the chance to do this love you!
Will S. – Hey mom and dad thank y’all so much for allowing me and sending me on this awesome trip. This has been one of the best weeks and it’s not even done. Love y’all so much say hi to all the girls and the dog for me.
Cole – Hi it’s Cole thank you for letting me come to Iceland and experience such a cool place (looks a little bit like Idaho). Having fun see you soon.
Annie – Hi mom and dad!! I miss you guys so much but I am having so much fun! This opportunity could not be possible without you guys so thank you so much! Tell my cat that I miss her!!
Hannah – Hi mom and dad! I miss u guys so much and can’t wait to see you soon. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip, it has been one of the best experiences ever. See you soon!!
Avery – Hey!!! Thank you soooooo much for sending me on this trip!! I appreciate this opportunity so much and I love you guys from the moon and back!
Gorgeous Views in Iceland!
July 3, 2026
A big hallo from Iceland!!!
We started off our adventure with a very much appreciated visit to the sky lagoon, a seven step spa experience ending with a swim in a naturally heated lagoon. Then the group headed toward our first dinner as a Moondance family, and got to know each other a little more over some warm pepperoni pizza. Still a little jet lagged, the group all decided on an early bedtime at our hostel, catching up on some good hours of sleep.
We all woke up well rested for our first official activity of the trip: horseback riding!! Icelandic horses are one of Iceland’s most prized possessions. They have a special gait called a “tolt”, and can be seen running all along the winding roads as we drive to and from the different activities. The farm we got to visit is known for their racing horses and naturally heated underground oven, where the bakers make fresh rye bread daily. All of us got the chance to go on a trail ride and Grady easily had the horse with the most personality. Him and Catherine both had a good time trying to figure out how to ride horses that have minds of their own. Even though it was a rainy ride, Margaret stayed positive and noted that the mountain scenery was so beautiful.
That night we stayed at an Icelandic goat farm, and were served a delicious meal of lamb lasagna and garlic bread from the farm’s owners. The kids got the opportunity to feed a 2-day old lamb and pet the farm’s new herding puppy. After dinner, we headed over to a nearby beach to skip some rocks and circle up for Moonup. Moonup is a foundational piece of the Moondance experience and a time for the group to come together at the end of the day and reflect on the trip and tell some of the stories of our lives. Moonup is led by the leaders of the day, two students selected each night for their leadership skills and positive additions to the group dynamic. Corley and I chose Avery and Cole as the first co-leader team, noticing that both of them are always ready to step in and help out the crew.
The next morning we packed up camp and headed towards our hiking and zip lining spot at Reykdajalur. We started off the day with a hike to a thermal river where we ate lunch and dipped our toes into the warm water. Max and Cam both said that their favorite part of the hike was listening to Corley tell scary stories. Brooks was the first one to test out the hot spring fed river and was looking very content in the natural moving hot tub.
With some back wind making the fast zip line even faster, we all yipped and hollered down the kilometer ride over a canyon. Hannah and I rode together and laughed the whole way down. After dinner that night, Annie impressed us all with her beautiful voice and guitar skills and we hope that she’ll sing some more for us! Will Smith started a group wide football game, but instead of a football the group was running around with a jar of Nutella. This was our best day yet.
This morning was a special day for everyone, but especially for birthday boy Will Rueger!!! The girls woke up early to grab a cake and wake up Will by singing him happy birthday and handing him his present! We are on our way to our snorkeling adventure and we can’t wait to keep on celebrating Will! We are so lucky to be with him on his birthday!
That’s all for now!
Ella and Corley and the Ice Buddies
Shout outs!
Brooks – Love you and miss you I’m having so much fun
Catherine – Hi Mom, Dad, Stella and Davis! I’m having so much fun here and can’t wait for the rest of the trip. Thank you so much for this opportunity, I couldn’t be more grateful. Hope you guys have the best 4th! I miss you all and love you so much!
Avery – Hey guys!!! I am having the absolute best time ever!!! I met the best group of girls and I am having so much fun with them! Have so much fun over the 4th! Love you!
Annie – Hey guys!!! I miss u guys as well as all the animals! My time here has been so amazing and I am so lucky to have the group that I have! See you guys in a week!!
Margaret – Hey mom, dad, Libby, and Sarah!! I miss y’all and I’m having so much fun! My group is so fun. Thank y’all for this opportunity! it’s so cool here. ❣️The weather here has been great and I love it so much! Happy early birthday Libby!!!! See yall soon! Love yall so much!
Hannah – Hey guys!! I miss you guys so much and can’t wait to see you soon. This is the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced and I’ve met some of the nicest and coolest people ever. I can’t wait to see you, but don’t want this to end! There is this thing called chocolate spread here that is literally the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Also, I don’t miss my phone at all and the views are insane. Love you so much!
Cole – Hi, miss you, having fun, see you in 9 days (as of writing), have fun in Jackson/see you in Connecticut thank you
Cam – Hey Guys. Iceland is one of the coolest countries I have ever seen and I’m having a lot of fun. I have met some pretty cool people and I’m having a blast. I look forward to seeing you guys tho and I hope yall are having fun in Iceland as well. Love yall.
William R. – Hi guys Iceland has been a lot of fun, I’m having a great time and I have a great group of kids. Thanks so much for sending me on this trip and I will see y’all later. Love you.
Grady – Hi Mom and Dad, I touched the tectonic plates and don’t miss my phone. This is the coolest place I’ve ever seen and been to. Moondance is cool.
Max – Hello Mom and Dad. We went to a geothermal lagoon. It was really warm. We went horseback riding. We went to a hot spring and I went in. It was even warmer than the lagoon. Snorkeling was awesome. I swam between the tectonic plates. I’m having a great time. It’s awesome here. Today was the first warm day. Can’t wait to see you again.
Will S. – Hey Mom and Dad Iceland is everything I expected and more. I am having a great time with great people. We have done and seen so many cool things. Say hi to the girls and Lola love y’all see yall in a week.
Safe Arrival!
June 30, 2026
Hello Iceland Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Iceland! Please remember that our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will post trip updates throughout the trip! This will allow you to follow along with their adventure. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
