Almost all wish kids will insist they had the coolest wish ever. But Cody, 17, can make a strong case that he had the coldest wish on record after feeling the sting of 20 degrees below zero.

His interest in architecture, a Swedish pen pal and his love for cold weather made him wish for a trip to the ICEHOTEL, located about 65 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. Cody, who was diagnosed with a rheumatic disease, first learned about the ICEHOTEL in a documentary on The Discovery Channel. Since he works part-time as a draftsman for an architecture firm, he was enthralled by the idea of a hotel hewn each year from ice and snow.

But getting there was an ordeal for a teen who doesn't feel much love for air travel. His journey took him through more airports than he's ever seen before: Dallas, Chicago, Stockholm and the tiny airstrip at Kiruna, a frigid hamlet near Jukkasjärvi.

Once Cody arrived in Kiruna, the Make-A-Wish Foundation put its usual wish travel arrangements on ice. Rather than a limousine, Cody traveled to the ICEHOTEL by dog sled. Even though his plane landed in the early afternoon, it was nearly pitch-dark by the time his sled team completed its 30-mile run to the ice hotel. He was amazed at the amount of snow draped over the forest. Most of the snow drifts, Cody said, were more than 10 feet tall.

During his time at the ice hotel, Cody spent two days in one of the permanent, heated rooms. But he got a night in one of the cold rooms, which workers build each year using blocks of ice from the nearby River Torne. The rooms stay at temperatures from 28 to 40 degrees F.

Each room, Cody said, had a "serene blue glow" from LEDs in the icy walls; the hotel's silence added to the serenity. He slept on a bed made from ice covered in reindeer fur. He woke up each day with a steaming cup of lingonberry juice, a concoction he came to like better than hot chocolate.

He also learned the true meaning of cold, even picking up a minor bit of frostnip during an excursion to a nearby village.

"I thought it was kind of cool," Cody said, laughing. "I couldn't feel the left side of my face!"

Cody took another sled expedition through the forests, where he sampled some traditional Swedish cuisine: reindeer brisket, fish stew and mashed potatoes.

Cody also spent a few days in Stockholm, where he reconnected with his pen pal, Martina, and her friends and family. He took his first train trip in Stockholm and saw the Royal Guards at Stockholm Palace.

Another trip to Sweden may be in Cody’s future: He had a job offer to train dog sled teams, and is considering pursuing a job at the ICEHOTEL that would put his architecture skills to use. During his trip, the cold climate and clean air made him forget his health problems.

"I can't wait to go back!" he said.

-Justin Schmid