Wilbraham & Monson Academy

Iceland - from Indiana Billing '26 on June 4: "Hello everyone! Today was our ninth day in Iceland, and we spent the day exploring more of the incredible geothermal activity that makes this country so unique.

"We started the day by stopping at Brauð & Co. to pick up lunch before heading out to the hot springs. From there, we made our way to the Reykjadalur hot springs. The hike ended up being longer than expected, but everyone did a great job. Some of us completed the full trail past the hot springs, making the hike about seven miles in total. Along the way, we got to take in beautiful views, steam rising from the ground and the unique geothermal landscape surrounding the trail.

"After the hike, we visited Hellisheiðarvirkjun Power Station for the Geothermal Exhibition and CarbFix Tour. We learned more about how Iceland uses geothermal energy and how CarbFix is helping capture and store carbon underground. It was a great opportunity to see how Iceland combines natural resources with innovative technology.

"To finish the day, we stopped at Skúbb Ice Cream, where we enjoyed a sweet treat and thanked our tour guide, Sóli, for all of his help throughout the trip. It was a great way to end another busy and memorable day in Iceland."

From our Academy explorers in Japan on June 4: "Soba noodle making, mountain views, traditional yukata dining wear, shopping, team lab art experience, karaoke and our last morning goodbye at hotel."

Iceland - From Natalie Blais '28 on June 3: "Hello everyone! Today was our eighth day in Iceland and we spent the day exploring the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. After leaving Hotel Hafnarfjall in Borgarnes, we drove to the iconic Kirkjufell Mountain (one of the most photographed mountains in the world), where we went exploring. Although the mountain was covered by fog, we took in the natural beauty of the waterfalls, and running stream water by taking pictures, hiking and playing hacky sack. After that, we got back in the bus and drove to Djúpalónssandur Beach, where we saw beautiful rock structures, we skipped rocks in the water, sat near the black sand beach and played more hacky sack.

"Then we explored Arnarstapi Village with a hike along the coast, where we saw lots of seagulls, collected rocks and sat by the water. At the end of the trail there even was a Troll House that we got to sit in and relax. Our fourth stop was Ytri-Tunga Seal Beach, where we saw a lot of seals laying by the coast. Our last stop on the Peninsula was Búðir Black Church, where we saw this iconic historic site in Iceland, hiking around the church and graveyard, taking in the scenic view. Finally, we arrived back in Reykjavík at our hotel Reykjavík Lights, where we all split up and went to various places around the city to shop, eat and explore after our packed day on the Peninsula."

From our Titans in Japan on June 2: "The group visited two more post towns, learned to make soba noodles, enjoyed a wooden toy museum and made some new friends."

Iceland - from Vicky Luo '28 on June 2: "Today was our seventh day in Iceland, and we have started moving westward towards Reykjavik again.

"Our first stop of the day was the Grábrók volcanic crater formed over 3,000 years ago. After the hike, we went over to a horse farm where we met beautiful Icelandic horses, learning about their unique gaits, feeding them hay and petting them without having our fingers bitten off. The farm also showed us the hot springs that power their property, and even let us try their rye bread, which was cooked by the steam from the hot springs.

"Next, we arrived at Hraunfossar & Barnafoss Waterfalls. These waterfalls were special because of how the water bursts out through the pumice rocks that line the path of the water. Eventually, it was time for lunch (so hungry I could’ve eaten a horse). But actually, never mind! Our tour guide, Soli, couldn’t let us miss the Snorralaug pool, named after Snorri Sturluson, an Icelandic poet, historian and politician who used to bathe in this hot spring. Then we ate lunch and went for a dip in Kaurma geothermal baths, heated by the most powerful geothermal area in Europe.

"We dropped off our stuff at the hotel before heading off for dinner, where we met Alvi, our hilarious server. The guys trolled him a little with their constant water refill requests, and he responded with equal humor. And we ended the day off rightfully with ice cream, before returning to the hotel."

Iceland - from Ryan Cooley '26 on June 1: "Today was another great day in Iceland. We started the day in Akureyri (Iceland’s second largest city (and the 'capital of the north') and headed further north to Dalvík, a small fishing village, for our whale watch. With perfect sunny weather and clear skies above us, we suited up into our bright red jumpsuits and sailed out into the Eyjafjörður fjord, one of the largest fjords in Iceland, and saw three humpback whales breaching, feeding, and diving. We also had amazing views of the beautiful mountains and villages surrounding the fjord.

"After our whale watching expedition, we headed back into Dalvík for lunch (fish or vegetable soup) at a traditional Icelandic cafe and were treated to such a warm welcome by the owners, who even gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of the town’s community theater. From there, we boarded the bus for a scenic four-hour drive through the mountains, stopping to take in the views and also for some ice cream. Finally, we arrived at our hotel in northwestern Iceland and had a group dinner before relaxing in the hot tubs."

Iceland - from Gabe Hall '26 on May 31: "Today we traveled from Eyvindará to Akureyri (the second largest city in Iceland, next to Reykjavík). Along the way we made a bunch of stops. Our first was to the stuolagil canyon, a massive canyon filled with basalt columns and a river flowing through with water carried down from a glacier. After taking a few photos, we hopped back on the bus and headed towards our next stop. After a long and bumpy ride down the mountain from the canyon, we made it to a small cafe in Egilsstaðir for some coffee and tea to keep us fueled for the rest of the ride. After finishing our food there, we made our way to the hverir sulfur field. It’s a highly-active geothermal area, where the surrounding pools and sulfur deposits can exceed 1,200 degrees fahrenheit. Once we were done, we cleaned our shoes from the mud and our noses from the sulfur, and got back on the bus to go get lunch. We stopped at a grocery store in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, and filled up with some traditional Icelandic hot dogs. We all also bought different kinds of Icelandic candies, then everyone on the bus shared so we could all try a bit of everything.

"Our last scenic stop of the day was the Gudafoss Waterfall in Fosshóll. It was a huge waterfall that we were able to hike down to, and a few people even drank from the water. Don’t worry, it’s glacier water so it is completely safe to drink. When we were done taking pictures, exploring, and saving Adri’s phone from the river, we got back on the bus and made our way to our current hotel for the night. When we landed in Akureyri, we were able to go out and explore. There were some cool bookstores, cafes and lots of restaurants. We had dinner in the city, and now we’re getting some sleep to be up early tomorrow for our whale watch.

"You’ll be hearing from Ryan tomorrow."

From our WMA group in Japan on May 31: "The group has been walking the more remote parts of the Nakasendo for two days and have stayed at traditional inns in three post towns along this historic path. One highlight was a respite in a cooling waterfall."

Iceland - from Brant Stoltz '26 on May 30: "We had a very relaxing day yesterday after our difficult hike the day before. First, we slept in an extra hour, having breakfast at the hotel and then heading out at 9 a.m. It snowed the previous night, which blocked off the main road through the mountains, so we took a detour. This added a little bit of time to our drive, but we eventually arrived at our first stop, Stúkafloss. This was a waterfall surrounded by snow capped mountains, something straight out of a movie or a laptop wallpaper. After some photo shoots, we headed to a local fishing village, and on the way we saw reindeer and a dead orca (hopefully we can see an a live orca on our whale watch). Driving through the village, there was a local park, which of course we had to stop at. After our brief pit stop for a trampoline, basketball and a zip line, we headed to the local general store, Kaupfjelagið, for lunch. This marked the halfway point for the day.

"Once our bellies were filled, the group went to the day’s main event, the Vök Baths. These were naturally heated hot springs, basically big hot tubs, with three different levels of heat, all of which felt great in the cold air. These were adjacent to a 40 degree Fahrenheit lake, which we cold plunged into before quickly hopping back into the warm spring water, which felt amazing. For dinner, we drove to Askur Pizzeria, where we had all-you-can-eat pizzas, which also included a pizza eating challenge to see who could eat the most (Brady won with 13 slices). Lastly, we stayed at the Hótel Eyvindará, where we had individual cabins rather than a traditional hotel room!

"Yesterday was a great rest day packed with unique views and experiences, and we are all excited to get some rest and have another great day today."

Iceland - from Curtis Wojnas '26 on May 29: "Good evening everybody! I hope all is well, because it certainly is over here in Iceland.

"This morning we began with a drive through a seemingly otherworldly place known as the Eldhraun lava field, the world's largest glacier drain basin, which formed after the Laki
volcanic fissure eruptions. These eruptions indirectly killed 1/5 of Iceland’s population at the time (1783) because the ~130 million tons of toxic gas wiped out up to 80% of the sheep and almost half of the cattle, causing widespread famine. The famine caused by these eruptions was also linked to the famine in France at the time, and was a factor of the French Revolution.

"After this interesting pit stop, we made it to our first major destination: the Falljökull Glacier. Walking yet another seemingly otherworldly landscape, we got to see some surreal views of the mountainside that this very glacier has carved out over millions of years. However, our tour guide told us that Iceland is predicted to lose all of its ice in around 200 years due to global warming. When we saw where the glacier was in 1890 compared to now (pictured below) it became really apparent future generations won’t be able to experience such a beautiful natural wonder, so we’re truly grateful to experience this.

"Our third stop of the day took us to the Diamond Beach, which got its name from the crystal clear chunks of ice from the Jökulsárlón Glacier that wash onto its shore. We even saw a few seals here. We then went across the road to check out where this ice is before it reaches the beach, that being the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. This place would probably have been the Titanic’s worst nightmare, but the lagoon was beautiful, and we even went on a day where the chunks of ice were extra blue.

"Although the weather today was certainly sub-optimal, our spirits remained high, and we even had a bit of singing going on when Max played the song 'American Pie' during our drive. Time to rest up for tomorrow."