Adventure of a Lifetime (w30)

I’m having a hard time starting this post because I don’t know where to begin.

Yesterday, the boys and I returned from a week-long adventure in Iceland. There were smiles, tears, and tons of grit. I’m so unbelievably proud of them. They pushed themselves outside their comfort zones.

Like… WAY outside.

Picture two gamer kids willingly trudging across Mordor, ecstatic to find a Wi-Fi signal.

This was the first Mother-Sons trip where I didn’t feel like I was traveling with kids. I had two young men beside me. They still needed parenting here and there, but they also showed up, made me laugh, and comforted me when I needed it, which was new. And I’m not ashamed to say I cried emotional tears more than once.

We bonded deeply. We learned more about each other. We made new friends and met people from all over the world who shaped the experience in small and meaningful ways.

The hike we took was the Laugavegur Trail, Iceland’s most famous, a 34-mile trek through the wilderness with colorful mountains, lava fields, black sand deserts, glaciers, rivers, and geothermal springs. You can see more details on AllTrails.

Just talking about it doesn’t do it justice. This is something you would need to experience to understand. The wind, hiking with a pack up treacherous hills, the silence, the sudden changes in weather and landscape, and miles of gray sand. It’s overwhelming and grounding all at the same time.

We didn’t do it in four days like most people. We did it in three! And that first day nearly broke us physically and emotionally.

We lost someone on the trail.

One of our group members had a heart attack. He didn’t survive. I won’t share more than that as it’s not my story to tell, but I will say he was kind, funny, generous, and made us laugh more than once. He was a good man. We only knew him briefly, but the loss was felt deeply. None of us will forget him.

There’s more I could say, but I’m not sure how. For now, I’m just incredibly grateful for time with my boys, amazing friends (new and old), and an experience of a lifetime.

I’m going to end with a small gallery of photos (I have SO many more to sort through), and I’m working on a video and hope to post it soon.

I’m also going to take a break from updating my goals. I’m spent and need to rest.

More soon!

Oh! And I added this to my Mother-Sons Trip Archive page.