After years of planning, seventeen members from Troop 226 embarked this past July on a seven-day trip of a lifetime to Iceland. The journey included multiple stages – from exploring the capital city of Reykjavík to joining other troops from around the world for an international camp, and venturing across Iceland on a series of amazing excursions.
The adventure began with a red-eye flight to Iceland via Seattle – not bad, considering the distance and the size of our group. We stayed in downtown Reykjavík and took in many of the sights and sounds of the capital city. Our first night was highlighted by a visit to the Sky Lagoon hot springs, which overlooked both the city and the nearby ocean. Although our scheduled puffin-watching tour was canceled due to bad weather, we pivoted and filled the day exploring more of the city and taking in a lava show.
The next part of the trip brought us to Camp Úlfljótsvatn for an international jamboree with a few hundred other scouts from around the world. It was incredible meeting so many scouts from different parts of the United States and abroad. One of the highlights was connecting with a troop from Ukraine, who had quite a journey just to get there – beginning with a train ride to Poland since their airspace is currently closed to most travel. Troops from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Canada, and the UK were also in attendance.
At Camp Úlfljótsvatn, we enjoyed a variety of activities: horseback riding, climbing, archery, hiking, and kayaking on the local lake. Evenings were filled with games and shared activities with all of the other scouts. We also experienced more of Iceland through the popular “Golden Circle Tour,” but the highlight of our excursions was an ice hike on Sólheimajökull Glacier, paired with visits to the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls.
Iceland was breathtaking in every direction, and the people were incredibly kind and accommodating. Sleeping in our tents proved to be a bit of a challenge with more than 20 hours of daylight each day – sleeping masks were a must! And thanks to plenty of rain, our “Wet Tenting” skills were put to good use.
We wrapped up the trip back in Reykjavík, where we had nearly a full day to ourselves. We spent the afternoon at the Perlan Museum and Exploratorium, taking in one last dose of Iceland. From there, we made our way safely to the airport for the long 13-hour journey home to San Diego – a bit tired but happy and full of life-long memories!
