Rafting and Relaxing before the final good-bye!

June 22, 2022

Hello!

On day 11 we woke up early and headed to catch our final ferry ride to go meet our rafting guides. On the ferry, we had a yummy breakfast of fresh berries, yogurt, cereal, and bagels with peanut butter and honey. The group loved the ferry ride because they could explore the gift shop and play card games. After the ferry we drove to meet our raft guides for our two-day adventure. The guides were AWESOME and got our group very excited for rafting. We had a quick lunch, got our wetsuits on, and loaded up the bus with our gear. We took a 45-minute school bus ride to the top of the Squamish River, and Roberts and Wesley managed to fall asleep on the bus.

We sang songs the whole way and talked with our guides about their favorite foods, where they’re from, and past working experiences. Once we were at the top of the river, we unloaded our gear and went through the safety briefing. Then, we piled into the rafts! Thayer seemed a bit nervous at first, but once she was in the raft, she was a pro conquering her fear. Everyone was great at paddling and Sarah would laugh after almost every time a large wave hit. At one point, in calm water, Roberts, Lily, Wes, and John Henry all stood up on the front of the raft while we spun in a circle. Most of them fell off, but their balancing skills were impressive! When we weren’t navigating class 3 & 4 rapids, our guides were telling us about the history of the area, and we talked about which celebrities we wished were on our trip.

After a few hours on the river, we pulled over to our campsite for the night. It was luxurious and felt like we were in a movie! The mountains surrounding us were beautiful and our raft guides had quite the set up for us. We put up our tents, played a few intense games of sand volleyball, and then had the best dinner ever: salmon, steak, salad, potatoes, hot chocolate, chips and dip, fruit, and charcuterie. May May was SO excited about the steak and everyone’s bellies were full of yummy food.

Later that night we collected wood and built a huge bonfire on the beach. We did Moonup by the fire and talked about our fears we’ve overcome. Some of us sat by the fire until late in the night and chatted with our guides about anything and everything. People slowly started going to bed, but JW was one of the latest to stay up by the fire. He had some silly and insightful conversations with our guides about conspiracy theories, Memphis, and movies. The guides enjoyed his company and curiosity. After the fire dwindled the few people who were left (Kristin, Roberts, JW and the guides) all went to bed to rest up for the second day of rafting.

We started off day 12 with a wonderful breakfast of bacon, eggs, and fruit salad made by our rafting guides. We then packed up our campsite and loaded everything in the raft. Today’s rafting experience was a bit more relaxing. Kristin’s boat had some meaningful conversations about our favorite parts of the trip, and creative story telling games. Also, Ella was making our Italian rafting guide laugh because she was saying how much she liked pineapple on pizza, but he said it wasn’t true Italian! Henry’s raft talked a lot about movies, technology, and camp stories. They were laughing and chatting the entire way down the river! Rafting was the perfect closing trip activity and many people in our group said it was their favorite overall.

After rafting we loaded up in the van and headed back to the US! It was a bit of an adventure getting through customs, but everyone made it safe and sound. We got to our campsite with plenty of time to set up and get dinner ready, which was perfect because tonight’s dinner was iron chef! We put all the food we had out on a table and gave each team the freedom to make whatever they wanted. Our team captains were, Sarah, JW and Wesley, and each team made something different. For dinner we had team 1 with build your own taco salads, team 2 with ramen and a Greek salad, and team 3 with a charcuterie board, pasta, and garlic cheese bread. Everyone was stuffed after dinner. The judges (Henry and Kristin) tasted all the food, the winning team was JW, May May, Elizabeth and Angus with the ramen and salad!

After dinner and clean up, we did Moonup and went to bed somewhat early.

The final day was a relaxing cleanup day. Lilly, Margot, and Sarah helped vacuum the van, while the boys took charge of cleaning the outside. Everyone did laundry, showered, and packed up their duffels for the airport. We also took time to journal, write letters to our future self, and hangout. After all the busy work was done, we went to Goodwill and had a blast shopping for funny outfits for our final  banquet! Everyone got super creative with their outfits – from Thayer and Ella’s prom dresses to Wesley’s all orange outfit to Robert’s trench coat, we had it all! May May was certainly the best dressed, with her floral shirt, pattered shorts, and chaotic bucket hat – it was the perfect combo. We had our crazy outfits on and went out to a pizza and sandwich shop for dinner! To top off the evening, we even stopped for ice cream! After all our food, we came back to camp to pack up and have our final Moonup. During Moonup, we reflected on our time here, the activities and friends we made, and what we will take away from this experience. It was the bitter-sweet ending to a wonderful two weeks.

As we woke up on Airport Day, most of the student were already awake, as airport jitters began to kick in. We had a record-breaking camp breakdown time! Our kiddos certainly are excited to see their loved ones. The ~2 hour drive to the Seattle Airport was filled with songs, laughs, memories, and inside jokes and BCO1A left the trip a solidified group. We went from a group of mostly strangers to a team who conquered both the US and Canadian wilderness!

On behalf of the entire BCO1A we would like to thank all our students for being part of our family! This adventure was full of laughs, pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones, and trying new things and was not possible without all of you.

Kristin and I would like to specifically thank the families for trusting us with you most prized possessions and allowing us to explore Canada with them for the last two weeks, watch them grow and change, and lastly getting to know what wonderful people they all are!

Cheers one final time,

Kristin and Henry and the entire BCO crew!

Reporting live from Canada!

June 19, 2022

Hey hey hey, it’s BCO 1A!

Our Day 8 started off with an early morning and a 3-hour car ride to our next campsite. We made a mid-trip stop to Walmart to restock food, and our LODs John Henry and Lilly came to help load the shopping cart and bring our food to the U-Haul. After the Walmart run, we headed to our next campsite to eat lunch and get ready for our first day of rock climbing!

It was a bit rainy of a day, but that didn’t stop us from having a good time on the rocks. Our climbing guides showed and explained to us the proper ways to safely navigate the steep rocks, and after a long training lesson our group geared up and were ready to go! When we got to the rock wall, many people were intimidated, but  JW and Angus led the way and were the first two to the top! Lilly rock climbed on her last Moondance trip, so she was close behind the guys with May May, Ella, and Wesley also showcasing their speedy climbing skills.

Climbing was a bit tricky because the rocks were wet from the rain, but the kids preserved and showcased their agility and talent. They all should have been wearing a Spider-Man costume!

After an afternoon of climbing, we had some free time and started getting ready for dinner. Margot serenaded the group with some Nicki Minaj (Starships), while Sarah prepared the chicken curry and veggies. Roberts was on rice duty. The meal they prepared was awesome, and for some, it was their first time trying curry! New experiences and new food, all in the same trip!

Later that night we had Moonup on the rocky beach at our campsite and saw one of the most gorgeous sunsets over Comox lake with the mountains in the background. It was a needed break from the rainy day. Sunsets like that make rainy day worth it! One of our questions for the night was “what’s one moment you wish you could go back to” and the students shared some of their favorite memories of vacations, winning sports games, and being with friends and family.

That night was an adventure because the other BCO B group was also at our campsite. Our groups merged for a bit after dinner and everyone met new people and played some spike ball. It was a fun evening of bonding and hanging out by the water. Both groups went to bed early to rest up for our big days of rock climbing ahead.

Day 9 we woke up and had bagels, cream cheese, yogurt, and berries before heading to meet our guides for a full day of climbing! We geared up and started our hike toward bigger rocks and higher rappels. The first obstacle we conquered was a 100 ft tall rock that the group was going to rappel down. The boys (Angus, John Henry, Roberts, JW, and Wesley) were the first to tackle the steep drop and John Henry and Angus flew down the wall within 15 seconds! The girls soon followed, and while it was a bit scary at first, almost everyone conquered their fears and tried something new. May May said that she was so scared she closed her eyes most of the way down, but said it was still super fun! While individuals were rappelling, the others were at a nearby location rock climbing.

At rock climbing, Roberts was the head belayer and was always willing to step up when someone wanted to climb. Margot found a love for belaying as well, she felt her talents were best used on the ground. Elizabeth was always taking risks and willing to try new routes to the top. The group crushed the morning of climbing, laughter and great conversations filled the space in between climbs and rappels.

After our morning climbs, the group did a short hike to “Devil’s Ladder”, it was an amazing lookout view for lunch. The weather was perfect (blue skies, 70 degrees, and sunny), and our view was a 300 feet high lookout at a giant lake with forests and snow covered mountains in the distance. It was absolutely breathtaking, and worth the steep hike up. For lunch we had sandwiches with chips, guacamole, hummus, veggies, and some other snacks, and we ate as a group while looking out at the picture perfect view.

After lunch it was time to return rock climbing and rappelling. This time it was a 200 foot rappel and the rock climbing courses were more challenging. Our group was born ready and everyone conquered the day with ease. Our guide, Jan, the owner of the company, was cracking jokes with the group, giving us a ton of info on the history of British Columbia, and knew countless facts about the art and skill of climbing.

Dinner that night was a taco bar made by Thayer, Elizabeth, Margot, and Roberts. The queso and salsa were a huge hit! After dinner, the boys helped do dishes. Once we had cleaned up camp, Henry and Kristin surprised the group with a trip to the local ice cream shop! JW tried the “Ultimate oatmeal cookie” flavor while Lily got the “local berry vanilla swirl.” The homemade ice cream was delicious and a perfect treat after a long day of climbing.

After dinner we did Moonup on the beach again, led by our LODs: Wesley and Sarah. Our moonup was short tonight because the group was exhausted from the long day of climbing. As our campsite became more crowded, we realized that a fun surprise was in store! There was live music near the campsite so we went to listen for a bit! JW thought the guitarist was pretty good and although the group didn’t know most of the songs, we were still having a good time. After the music stopped and the sun set, we walked back to our campsite and went to bed.

We started off day 10 with a restful morning of sleeping in, and making egg and cheese burritos for breakfast. JW has consistently showed us he’s the master chef of the squad and scrambled up the eggs for everyone. (Henry and Kristin appreciated his willingness to step up in the kitchen!) This morning, JW did accidentally pour too much salt on the first bunch of eggs, but redeemed himself in the 2nd and 3rd batch. We combined them all so you could barely notice- don’t worry we did salt the other batches.

One of our special breakfast items of the morning were “gritters” which are pan fried grits. Most of the group tried them and loved them, and Margot especially was a big fan. She kept eating them fresh of the pan! After breakfast, Kristin and Henry had one more surprise up their sleeve which was giving the group doughnuts from a local bakery! Now, everyone was super excited, full of sugar, and ready to take on the hike. We packed up the campsite, loaded up the van, and headed off to the mountains listening to our special Spotify playlist.

In the van, most of the kids relaxed and chatted, but we have found that Wesley is always the first, and sometimes only, to fall asleep (without fail). Since we only had a 45 minute drive to our hike and everyone got 8-10 hours of sleep, we thought no one would nap, but Wesley surely proved us wrong! When we got to the hike, we were surprised to see a bunch of SNOW! Even though people were slipping and sliding around, the group LOVED it and it made the hike more exciting. We walked for nearly 3 miles and stopped mid way to have a snowman building competition. Roberts’ and Angus’ team made a snowman named Bethany, using natural pine leaves for hair. Thayer’s and Sarah’s team made Daddy Hen ( the contrast of Henry’s name in the group of Mama Hen), and JW and Elizabeth’s team made a snowman named “Hayes”  (the founder of Moondance!) and put a Moondance t-shirt on him with a hat and sunglasses. The entire group got super creative with this activity and we gave them all Oreos at lunch as a “prize” because we couldn’t pick a winner! (Wait until you see the pictures of these snow people!)

After our hike we had a big lunch and went to the campsite to set up for the night. We Tie-Dyed T-shirts and played so many group games. Some of them included “screaming toes,” “birdie on a perch” and “ships and sailors.” JW was frequently the winner but Thayer and May May put up a good fight in the “moo off” and “veggie off” against him.

After games we had the opportunity to shower but surprisingly no one wanted to shower! Henry and Kristin were shocked! (Our kiddos have changed!) The group kept playing soccer, spike ball, throwing the football and playing telephone. Later that night we had a huge pasta buffet bar with pesto, red sauce , and a cheesy lemon butter sauce, with broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, and chicken on the side. It was scrumptious and made by our chefs JW, Elizabeth, Roberts, Thayer and Sarah. After dinner we got our bags packed and ready to go for rafting, did Moonup, and went to bed.

Everyone is SUPER excited for our two days of rafting, so stay tuned to hear about that adventure!

As Elizabeth said, “I wish we could stay for another week!” :’)

Peace and love from our crazy crew and van, Vanada.

Mama Hen, Kristin, and BCO A

Catching Waves in Canada!

June 16, 2022

Hay from Tofino, BC:

We successfully have acclimated to Canada and the group is closer than ever!!!

On day 5 we knew there was going to be a long day of traveling, so we packed up breakfast and lunch for the day and hit the road! First, we had a long ferry ride but ate honey bunches of oats and Cheerios for breakfast which fueled us for the day ahead. Most of our group played a card game of “spoons” and explored the boat to help pass the time. After the ferry, we drove for two hours before finally crossing the border into Canada! It was a perfect cloudy and sunny day and we listened to “oh Canada” as the group was excited, we crossed the border. JW was telling jokes and talking about Memphis a majority of the car ride, while Wesley was asleep 50% of the time. The girls were singing “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” by Abba on full volume and everyone rocked out to “Party in the USA” as we drove past breath-taking views of the mountains and ocean.

Henry and Kristin knew it was going to be a long travel day, but what they could not have predicted was a day of exploding overnight oats and a Uhaul full of olive oil. In the morning, some of the stuff in the Uhaul toppled over and a giant bowl of overnight oats cracked and spilled.  (Spill #1). Then, after the ferry, we realized our Costco-sized jug of olive oil had also broken and spilled all over our Uhaul (Spill #2). Thankfully, we had some superstar students (John Henry, Lily, and Sarah) who were eager to help clean up! While they were cleaning, they were slipping around a little because there was so much oil; however, they made the place look spotless! Our cleaning crew was such a huge help, and we were ready to get back on the road again!

After another ferry ride, a few more hours in the car, and some major road construction, we finally made it to our campsite, which was a beautiful location right on the beach. We had pesto chicken pasta for dinner and Thayer tried pesto for the first time! Our LODs for the day, John Henry and May May, asked the Moonup question “what’s been something that’s been difficult in the past year” and it was an emotional and late night of deep conversations and support that brought the group even closer together.

Day 6 was certainly one for the books, as it was our first full day of stand-up paddle boarding and surfing! We started the morning off with a BIG breakfast of chocolate chip and banana pancakes. Soon after, we walked along the beach to the surf shop for stand-up paddle boarding. It was only about 56 degrees in Tofino, so everyone had to gear up in wetsuits to go out on the water. It was hard to put the suits on at first, but everyone got the hang of it quickly and they kept us super warm – this skill became handy as we changed in and out of our wetsuits almost 8 times in just 2 short days!

During paddle boarding, it windy which made it difficult to navigate, and the air was a little chilly, but everyone steered swiftly through the choppy water with only a few minor falls. Ella (our resident expert in most water sports) and Roberts were both fantastic paddleboarders and went close to the rocks to see starfish and crabs. Later that night Roberts said paddle boarding was “the most fun he’s ever had” which summed up our experience perfectly.

After paddle boarding, we had summer sausage, cheese, and veggie charcuterie for lunch, which was the perfect treat after a long, chilly morning on the water. JW loved the summer sausage and was making unique food concoctions with sausage, pita chips, and Chick-fil-A sauce. He passed on his love for summer sausage to the group, and it has quickly become a favorite amongst the kiddos.

Shortly after lunch, we headed to Cox Bay where we met our surfing instructors (Charlie, Becca, Lina, and Vincent). After a quick safety briefing and lesson on the basics of surfing, we hit the water. Suited up in our wetsuits, we were pros at braving the chilly water. JW, Wesley, Lily, John Henry, and Angus were a few of the first ones up on the surfboard and were crushing every wave. Seemed like naturals out there.

With her previous experience surfing in California, Lilly truly showed us how it’s done! Everyone got up on Day 1 of surfing, and our instructors were impressed by the ability and agility of our kiddos – and so were we! Don’t worry: to all those at home, there are many pictures and videos to come of all of the kiddos crunching the gnar!

After surfing, we drove back to camp and chillaxed. We have been on the move; it was nice to slow down (as we were now on surfer time) and just spend time with each other. We explored camp, met some new friends from Canada, and hung out in hammocks. Sarah braided most of the girls’ hair and Margot read her book during free time while Thayer and Lilly bought super cozy Tofino sweatshirts from the general store. We have become obsessed with spike ball, and Wes has become a pro spike ball player, showing all of our new Canadian friends how to play.

Henry and Kristin made ramen with veggies and tofu for dinner. To their surprise, the tofu was a huge hit! We went through 4 packs of it! After dinner, we cleaned up camp, hung out and got ready for moonup!

Our LODs Roberts and Lizzie led moonup on the beach and asked questions about our future goals and someone we look up to. Many of the students have goals of going to college, traveling, and continuing to make friends and memories – and many of their role models included many of y’all reading this very trip update!

After moonup, everyone played volleyball with a group of kids from Switzerland and Canada, and then we closed the evening with a big game of capture the flag. May May sprinted across the sand to take home the win for group 2!

Angus and John Henry were up all night laughing in their tent about everything and nothing. As usual, Henry slept through most of the noise, and Kristin filled him in this morning. Every night the group gets closer through late-night tent convos of “peak, valleys, and horizons”

Day 7 started off with a slow morning which was awesome because everyone got to sleep in! We woke up and made sausage egg and cheese sammies for breakfast with yogurt, cereal, and hash browns on the side. It was a feast! After breakfast, we geared up for surfing by putting on our wetsuits and chugging water to stay hydrated for the big day. The weather was a bit overcast but the waves were still gnarly. Everyone had a bunch of practice from the day before so they were ready to go. Three of our star surfers were May May, Sarah, and Elizabeth. Many of the students started getting cold and went to warm up on the beach, but Sarah, May May and Elizabeth kept paddling out to sea to catch the waves and ride them into shore.

Our surfing guides were from Canada and Australia and our paddle board guides were from England and Germany. They were awesome and everyone loved their high-spirited energy and accents. Angus thought it would be funny to start talking in a pirate accent and inspired the other boys to join in. Wes joined in and singing “the weatherman song.” After surfing we drove back to our campsite for a hot lunch to warm up from the inside out! It was PIZZA BAGEL time!!!!

Sarah Ella and JW were pizza bagel making rockstars! They put together an assembly line where Sarah and Ella would fry the bagel, while JW would dress it up with all the fixin’ (pizza sauce, cheese, and summer sausage). They were a huge hit! We went through 24 bagels in a little over 30 mins

Both our surfing and paddle board instructors pointed out Margot’s significant improvement over the two days on the water – earning our Most Improved Award. She never gave up, was the first one in the water and the last one out, listened to all instructions, and used them to improve her form and technique. The group learned a lot from watching Margot!

After a long day in the water, we headed back to camp to take hot showers. We had a pretty short turnaround time as we were trying to make it to a 6pm “reservation” at the local burger and fish ‘n chip shop! It was a much needed break from camp life. Everyone filled their bellies to the brim with cheeseburgers, Caesar salads, so many fries, and even some ice cream! We headed back to camp closer than ever, having spent almost two hours around the dinner table chatting, laughing, and so much more.

We packed up what we could and prepared for the early morning ahead – time to restock our Uhaul/ pantry and make it to rock climbing!

Ella and Thayer, our Leaders of the day started off the evening by saying the quote, “don’t count the days make the days count.” It was the perfect mid-trip quote to help everyone get into the mindset of living in the moment and making the most of the 2nd half of our trip.

So long for now, and Happy Father’s day!!

Sending all of our love,

Kristin, Henry, and all of the BCO A crew!!

Shoutouts are below!

JW: love you guys! Have a good Father’s Day!

Angus: can’t wait to see you guys happy Father’s Day dad!

John Henry: Love you all miss you so much, I’ll see soon. Happy birthday dad and happy Father’s Day as well!! Again love you all and tell teddy I love him.  Also I’m gonna miss juju so much this year.

Wes: miss you guys so much I am having so much fun. Happy Fathers Day Dad! Hope to see Gray Harrison Conner soon.

Roberts: I miss you all so much!!! I’m going to having so much fun and wish I could see you. I went surfing and had so much fun! Love you so much and say hi to the pets for me. P.S. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY DAD!!! ‍

Ella: Miss you guys so much, see you in five days. Happy Fathers Day. Say hello to Flounder, Archie, and Caesar.

Elizabeth: Miss y’all so much, happy Father’s Day! I am having so much fun, love y’all.

Thayer: Miss you guys so much, I am having so much fun! see you all soon, happy Father’s Day. I tried Caesar salad and pesto!

Sarah: Miss y’all so much. I can’t wait to come home but this trip is too fun! I hope that y’all had fun at the ranch and with all the fam. I hope that EA has not worn my clothes(Tell EA and Alice that I love them and miss them) AND HAPPY FATHERS DAY

Lilly: Hey guys! I miss y’all so much! I feel like I haven’t seen you all in so long. Please tell the family that I miss them and love them! Happy belated birthday Mom! And Happy Father’s Day!!

Margot: Miss you guys so much and have a great Father’s Day! I’m having fun! I’ll see all of you soon!

May May: Miss y’all so so much and have a great Father’s Day! I’m having more fun here.

Smooth Sailing in British Columbia!

June 13, 2022

Wow – We cannot believe 4 days has already gone by! Our group connected right off the bat and have been bonding ever since. Everyone successfully navigated the airport and many students flew for the first time by themselves! We taught students the power of living in the moment early on as we collected phones and watches early on so everyone could unplug and connect. Special shout outs to our airport champs, Thayer and Margot, who were at the airport for hours on the first day and remained in high spirits the entire time. After leaving the airport we got stuck in Seattle traffic, but had some great tunes, silly car conversations, road trip games, and get to know you conversations. We stopped for some yummy pizza from a local restaurant as we headed to our first campsite. While it was a bit rainy, we showed everyone how to set up a tent, explained the “Leave No Trace” (LNT) Principles, and talked about good exhibition behavior. While we were getting ready for bed, John Henry and Wes experienced their first interaction with wildlife as a raccoon got into John Henry’s protein bars located in his tent. It was an eventful evening of teaching animal protocols and the importance of making sure everyone’s “smellies” were stored in the van and uhaul – not in their tent. As we closed out the evening with Moonup, Henry and Kristin decided our first Leaders of the Day (LODs): JW and lily moody. As Moondance alumni, we knew they would set the tone for LODs, be good role models for the other students, and set us up for success on day 2!

Day 2 arrived and we took our first ferry ride to the San Juan Islands. We fueled up on yogurt parfait for breakfast and headed to our first activity, whale watching! On the whale watching tour we saw a mommy and baby orca whale and many seals. It was awesome! When we weren’t whale watching on the 4 hour boat ride, we played cards, napped, chatted about celebrities, favorite animals and sports. (Tennis and track seems to be a common theme in our group!)

While most of us were on the whale watching tour, Roberts and Henry stayed back on the dock so Roberts could partake in his national academic championship competition. After 3 rounds of competing via google meet, his team made it to the finals and won! The whole group was so excited for him and we celebrated that night with an amazing lemon chicken pasta dish made by Wes, JW, and Margot. The kids were surprise by their cooking abilities at a campsite and JW said it was “one of the best meal ever!” After dinner, we had some troubles getting ready for bed because our van and uhaul were stuck in the mud. Thankfully we had our army of twelve 8th and 9th graders to help us push it out of the mud. It was a fun moment of group bonding and to top it off, we saw a HUGE rainbow over our campsite at the end. It was a moment of Moodance magic. That evening, everyone learned how to pack their duffels efficiently and we prepared our dry bags for our sea kayaking journey. That night, our Moonup was led by Lilly and JW who told us a quote about overcoming adversity – perfect given our uhaul and mud situation. They chose Margot and Wes as our next LODs and we went to bed that eager to sea kayak the next day.

Day 3 was a fun day because it was Elizabeth’s birthday! Henry and Kristin decorated the near by volleyball net and sang Happy birthday as she arrived at breakfast. We made breakfast sandwiches and surprised the group with donut holes. After breakfast we hit the road and headed to the harbor for our sea kayaking. The kids were super stoked to get out in the water. We learned some basic kayaking etiquette, packed up the boats and launched off the doc into the water! We paddled along the coast line and our guides, Marc and Paul, informed us about the island around, including cool stories about Oprah and Chris Pratt’s homes on the island. We joked about being their house guests and just paddling up and walking in. As we were paddling we saw SO MANY STAR FISH!!! All different kinds and colors. After a few miles of kayaking we stopped on a little beach for sandwiches for lunch. Henry and Kristin quickly learned that there we some big fans of salami in the group as Wes was eating it by the stack. We had some PB and J for desert as we were about to approach a tough paddle against the current and winds. We tried to stay together as much as possible but John Henry and Margot lead the charge with Thayer’s Kayak close behind. Ella and Roberts leveraged teamwork and Ella’s inner-driver came alive as we soon realized she is a kayaking pro. Angus’ boat held the rear and kept the back group close which was super helpful in our rocky water conditions.

Everyone was relieved to get to our campsite after our hard paddle, and the kiddos played football, basked in the warmth of the sun, and learned how to slack line. Henry and Kristin surprised Elizabeth and the group with a post football snack of bday cookies! It was some good fuel before our yummy chicken tacos that we had for dinner. Also, the Guacamole was a hit and we went through two tubs in less than an hour!

As we were pampered by good food and good convos, our LOD’s Margot and Wes crafted a great Moonup to end our first day on the water. We talked about our dream travel destinations and our favorite cookies, as we laughed about the cookie crumbs we ate earlier in the day. Our guides Marc and Paul surprised us with a camp fire, and we had birthday s’mores to close the evening. We saw that May May is an expert marshmallow maker- and we all learned a lot about the art of burning them the “right way.” Our relaxing and indulgent afternoon revitalized us for our day of paddling ahead and set us up for some “big sleeps.”

We all woke up the next day surprised that it had rained as we all slept so well. With a record-breaking camp breakdown time we enjoyed an incredible oatmeal buffet which included our cookie crumbs and an array of toppings. The crossing we had done the previous day was completely flat,  and Sarah said it felt like we were on a lake. Sarah and angus led the charge that day as we saw even more starfish, some jelly fish, and even a seal! As conditions were easier to navigate and the group felt more comfortable in the kayaks and we made it back to roche harbor in time for lunch. We had Incredible BBQ chicken sandwiches and then we unpacked our dry bags and repacked our duffels. Everyone had some time to walk around the island and then Henry and Kristin surprised the group with some delicious ice cream! We sat in the grass by the harbor as we reflected on our sea kayaking adventure.

After the long day we made it back to the campsite and set up camp quickly so we could play games and continue to connect as a group. After the “pinecone” game, everyone got the chance take a SHOWER! We were all very salty and it felt great to wash off. Our cook crew Sarah, MayMay, and resident chef JW made incredible Mediterranean bowls with quinoa, chickpeas, cucumbers ( which are a group favorite), hummus and so much more. Ella was in food heaven this meal. As we finished the night, it started to drizzle, but we had a great Moonup where we talked about friendship and what we most look for in friends ( consistent themes of loyalty and kindness- two very prevalent qualities in all of our group members). We prepared for a long travel day ahead as we embark on our journey to Canada! Because of COVID and all of its impacts, our journey may be longer, but we are headed into our van and ferry rides as a unified team that laughs all the time and works super well together. An early night to prepare our bodies, minds, and souls for the journey to Canada in our VAN-ada.

To the many more laughs and adventures ahead,

Kristin and Henry

Touched down in Seattle!

June 9, 2022

Hello British Columbia Families!

We just heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Seattle. The trip is off to a great start and headed to their first campsite, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventures.

Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips but we will be posting up to three trip updates throughout the next couple of weeks! This will allow you to follow along with the trip and the students will also give a special shout out mid-way through! You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to this summer!

-Moondance HQ