Rafting the Squamish and bittersweet goodbyes!

July 26, 2022

It’s crazy to think that the end of our trip is almost here! As we head to our last adventure, white water rafting, the group has been reflecting on how fast this trip has gone by.

Day 11 consisted of an early morning, but because our group is so quick with packing up we had extra time to go to Tim Hortons (a classic Canadian Coffee shop)! With doughnuts in our bellies, we headed to our final ferry ride. On the ferry ride most of the group looked at pictures from the trip, laughing about the awkwardness of the first day and the silly pictures from all the activities. During the ferry ride, Mickey bought a little skate board and Makenna bought a cute Canada keychain to remember her time here. After the ferry we drove to our rafting place, and met our rafting guides who are good friends with Henry and Kristin! They love moondance and were super pumped to see us.

We quickly ate lunch, and geared up in our wetsuits and life jackets. We took a super bumpy 45 minute bus ride to the top of the river and drove past some incredible views and waterfalls. Our guides were making us laugh with their jokes and we sang songs most of the way up! Sadie and Simmons certainly took the lead with the vocals, and had everyone joining in at the top of their lungs. The guides (and other people) on the bus loved it and thanked us for the entertainment.

Once at the top of the Squamish river, we went over safety procedures and did a quick lesson on how to properly paddle. We were ready to go, so we loaded up in the boats at hit the river. During our ride we navigated multiple insane rapids, but they were no match for our two paddlers at the front of the boat, Ford and Porter, and Mickey and Frank. We also had an opportunity to get out of the water and swim, and everyone jumped in to float along! The water was only 4 degrees Celsius, but thankfully our wetsuits kept us warm.

The kids loved getting to talk to our guides because they were from Italy, Canada, and Ireland! They had incredible stories about places they’ve traveled and funny thoughts on American food and culture. Some of our fearless students (Ford, Mickey, Sadie, Lily, and Simmons) stood in the front of the boat and balanced as we were going down the rapids! It was a super fun time and we have great go pro footage of everyone navigating the big rapids. Especially watching Makenna and Lily’s faces during their first time rafting – priceless.

Shortly after our adventure, we arrived at an island off the side of the river where we unloaded our raft and started setting up camp. We were greeted by one of our guides with appetizers of cheese, crackers, fruit, hummus, veggies and chips. Logan said it was the perfect snack after all of our rafting! Additionally, our guides made us a huge jug of hot chocolate and Iced Tea which was delicious.

After we explored the island and set up camp, our dinner (prepared by our guides) was ready to be eaten! The food was AMAZING and we had Cesar salad, steak, salmon, and potatoes – with apple crumble for desert. Everyone was super excited about dinner, especially our seafood lovers, Porter and Sadie.

Later that night we had a campfire on the beach and did moonup with our guides – led by our LODs, Kirk and Carmen. We talked about how we’ve grown and what we’ve learned about ourselves. We sat by the fire for awhile chatting and sharing stories about young love and funny moondance memories. While half the group stayed by the fire to talk and stargaze, most of the girls were up by the dinner tent dancing to music on a little speaker. It was a night filled with songs, laughs, good convos, great views, and quality bonding. A night many of them will never forget! After we saw a few breath-taking shooting stars, we all headed back to our tents to get some rest.

The next morning we had yogurt, fruit salad, cereal, eggs, and bacon for breakfast! After breakfast, we packed up our tents, loaded up our rafts, and got back on the water for our second day of rafting. The weather was sunny and perfect, and it was a chill day because there were no rapids. During our raft float we talked a lot about our dream destinations of traveling and our favorite activities from the trip. Our guide was nice enough to let people try steering the boat, so Simmons, Mickey, and Sadie stepped up to the plate and tried it out! Our guide definitely made it look easier than it was because everyone was struggling to master the rowing technique! Just as Simmons seemed to be getting the hang of it, a huge log became apparent in our path and our guide took back over.

After our rafting adventure ended, we said bye to our guides and hit the road on our 3 hour drive back to America! On our drive, we passed a baby black bear on the side of the road! Julia thought it was so cool! About half way through our drive, we seamlessly passed through customs and eventually made to our campsite with ample daylight to set up camp!

At our campsite, we began to clean out our van, gear, cooler, and tents. After a bit of cleaning we started to get ready for dinner, but this dinner wasn’t normal because it was COOK-OFF NIGHT! We brought out every food item we had, split the group up into 3 teams, and told them to make dinner! Team: Ford, Sadie, Makenna, and Carmen made some delicious peanut butter & cinnamon apple tortillas. Team: Frank, Logan, Simmons, and Porter made a sweet and savory charcuterie board, and team: Mickey, Julia, Kirk, and Lily made a super yummy pasta with sausage and a big salad. Kristin also brought her chef skills to the table and made pesto chicken pasta and garlic pita bread. Everyone feasted and it was perfect because we got rid of a lot of leftover food!

After dinner we all did dishes and closed the evening with moonup led by our LODs, Sadie and Ford. We talked about what we would do if we got a million dollars and only 24 hours to spend it. Porter said he would invest in stocks and Julia mentioned buying a plane ticket and going on a trip with her family.

After moonup the group hung out for a bit more before going to bed to get ready for our final day: Banquet day!

It’s wild to think our final day is here! We started off banquet morning with Kristin making the group a ton of chocolate chip pancakes. Everyone feasted and Ford had about 6 pancakes! After breakfast, the group showered, packed up gear, cleaned the van, and organized our duffles to get ready for airport day! We then took a break to make tie dye shirts! Logan and Porter showed us they were tie dye PROS. It was super fun and everyone got creative with their color choices! (Especially Mickey who used every color…lol.)

With everyone’s bags packed and bellies full, we loaded up in the van and headed to the car wash! Simmons, Lily, Mickey, Makenna, and Sadie were our designated soap and power washers, and Ford, Frank, and Logan were our internal speed vacuumers. The van looked good as new, so we headed to goodwill to get our outfits for our banquet dinner! At goodwill, everyone else had a variety of miscellaneous shirts, shorts, shoes, and accessories! Simmons rocked the overalls while Mickey had a Pokémon onesie. The outfits were outstanding!

Once all dressed up for dinner, we headed to coconut Kenny’s for pizza and salad! The boys devoured the Meat Lovers pizza, and everyone in the restaurant was starring at our crazy outfits. After dinner we HAD to make a pit stop for ice cream, and then jammed out to Taylor swift as we drove back to our campsite.

We did our final moonup in the grassy field, led by Simmons and Julia, and watched the sun set over the trees. We talked about our favorite memories from the trip and how we’ve changed during our time here. Everyone’s answers were all super sweet and intentional and it was a great closure to the trip.

After moonup we laid out in the grass for about an hour watching the stars, and we saw SO many shooting stars! It was awesome and Sadie even mentioned her new favorite activity is star gazing.

Around 1am the group loaded up in the van and hit the road to the airport. Before arriving to the airport, we stoppped at an ihop for an early breakfast/late night snack! The group had mounds of pancakes to fuel up before their flights. After IHop, Henry and Kristin checked everyone into the flights and the group slowly started to say their goodbyes. There were lots of hugs, selfies, and tears, and you could tell everyone was going to miss this trip and BCO family. Everyone successfully made it on their flights and way home to their loved ones.

Thank you, families and friends, for joining us on our journey this summer! We’ve loved getting to know this group and cannot wait to see all they accomplish in the coming years.

Sending lots of love,

Henry and Kristin <3

Climbing, hiking, ice cream, and lots of laughing!

July 24, 2022

Hello from Comox Valley!!! The weather is sunny and 78 and our group is eager to get rock climbing! We started off our morning driving from Tofino to Cumberland, and almost everyone was asleep on our 3-hour road trip. Once we arrived, we quickly ate lunch and met our climbing guides for our afternoon adventure!

When we were at the rock walls our guides could tell the group would be naturals at rock climbing! Everyone was climbing up with ease and taking strong responsibility to make sure safety (& fun) was their priority. During our 5 hours of climbing, Ford took home the trophy for climbing the most routes. He would always be up on the wall trying a new path or on the ground helping belay someone else. Meanwhile, Porter and Kirk were some of our first-time professionals. You would’ve had no idea it was their first time with the way they were climbing up the most difficult routes with such little struggle.

Carmen and Logan were two of our all-star belayers, making sure people had enough slack and helping others navigate their footing on the walls. Sadie, Frank, and Mickey were easily our most ambitious, attempting to climb the toughest wall with a huge jump component! While no one was successful with the jump, everyone tried multiple times and there a few leaps that were super close.

Everyone in our group climbed and rappelled at least once, which was super rare and exciting to have a 100% success rate! Many of our girls were tired after a few runs, so Henry, Makenna, Lily, Julia, and Simmons sat and watched people climb, while also sharing silly stories. We could hear bursts of laughter about every 3 minutes!

After our long afternoon of climbing, we headed back to our campsite to set up camp. We had rice and chicken coconut curry for dinner and did moonup by the lake. We watched the sun set and talked about people in our lives who we “go to when we need help or advice.” Most of the group mentioned a parent(s) or sibling(s), so know you are loved and appreciated by your kids!

On the second day of climbing the group took on bigger walls and more challenging rappels. Mickey and Makenna mentioned they have never rappelled before, and they were two of our speediest rappelers! When people weren’t rappelling, they were climbing new routes that were a bit trickier, but they were no match for Sadie, Ford, and Frank. Kirk and Mickey were also dare devils in trying the new walls and saw every rock as an opportunity to go up!

While people were climbing, Lily and Simmons were singing and dancing to the Hamilton soundtrack – putting on quality entertainment for the people belaying. People were starting to get hungry so we decided to bring out our hidden snack: Z bars. One thing that we learned about this group is that everyone loves Z-bars and over 32 bars were gone within 30 mins! Clearly the group was hungry, so we decided to pack up the ropes and move to a new wall to have lunch and start our afternoon climbing adventure.

During lunch we had a beautiful view of the mountains and a ginormous lake! Little did we know that we would be rappelling down the rocks to a small dock at the bottom of the lake. Henry was waiting on a paddle board at bottom of the rock wall to take pictures of the group and Kristin was up top playing music and helping with lunch.

Everyone rappelled down the 120-foot wall and climbed back up to the top! When Simmons went down, she brought Henry a sandwich that Lily and Julia made. Makenna and Logan were the fastest climbing up the rock wall and Makenna said it was because she was singing “All too well” by Taylor Swift while she was climbing up. Meanwhile, Sadie was singing “Love Story” while rappelling and the group was jamming to to some classic rock when waiting for everyone to finish up. Our guides said Ford had the best technical form when climbing up the wall and Mickey certainly had the best style – wearing duct tape glasses the entire time.

After rock climbing everyone was pooped so we decided to cool off and go to a local ice cream stop! Logan got salted Carmel and Porter got the berry vanilla swirl. Every flavor seemed delicious. Although we had ice cream before dinner, the group was still hungry and excited for our big cookout! We had burgers, Salad, Mac n cheese, watermelon, chips, and a bunch of other yummy stuff! After dinner we played a fun drawing / guessing game that showed people’s creative side and had everyone laughing. Carmen and Kirk showed that they weren’t the best doodlers, but their drawings certainly kept the game interesting!

We started settling down and headed down to the beach for moonup. On the way down the dirt path, Simmons wiped out and completely slipped. Thankfully, she was okay, and laughed it off like a champ. We did our moonup facilitated by our LODs, Mickey and Logan, and we sat on the beach and watched the sunset for over an hour. We all reflected on the past week and the silly and fun moments we’ve been having. Julia and Simmons started taking go pro videos and pictures to capture our last night in the comox valley, and It was getting late, so we all headed up to the campsite to go to bed and rest up for our hike the next day.

On our hike morning we got to sleep in and had bagels, hash browns, and sausage for breakfast! The weather was gorgeous, and we geared up with water and snacks for our hike. While on our adventure we saw a ton of dogs and walked around multiple stunning lakes. We talked about things we would wish for, shared stories about our friends, and laughed at all the singing Mickey was doing. After about 6 miles we headed back to the uhaul for lunch! People were pooped so we decided to head back to the campsite and end our hiking journey. On the way back, everyone took naps in van. Ford was so tired that when we got back to the campsite he went and laid in the grass and fell back asleep.

After about an hour of relaxing and recharging, the group played a few games, showered, and did laundry. Then, we went to a super fun ice cream shop for pre-dinner dessert! We jammed out in the car to Disney music and Lily was singing every word!

Later that night we had yummy tacos for dinner (with chips and queso, of course.) and ended the night with a Fun moonup and storytelling time. Carmen, Mickey, and Logan we’re making the entire group laugh with their story telling and side commentary. As the group got ready for bed, Sadie stayed up a bit to look at the sky and saw a shooting star!! She said she was so surprised she forgot to make a wish, but it was the perfect ending to a fun-filled day.

As our summer starts to wrap up, we want to send a big THANK YOU to ALL of our outfitters this summer. We would not have been able to have safe and successful fun without your guidance and expertise. We appreciate your love for the outdoors and your passion for helping others enjoy such beautiful spaces and thrilling activities. Henry, Kristin, and our BCO 3A kiddos wish you all the best on the rest of your summer adventures! Thank you, for everything!

Sending lots of love and we will see you so so soon!

Kristin, Henry, and the BCO 3A bunch!

Surfin’ Canada, Eh! 

July 20, 2022

Hello BCO 3A friends and families,

We have adventured far and wide, and are writing to your from CANADA!

Our 16-hour travel day from the US to Canada was nothing short of a movie! We started off the morning by waking up super early to catch our 8am ferry. However, when we arrived at the terminal, we found out that the 8am boat had been canceled due to technical issues! They told us we would need to wait in the standby line until the next departure at 11 am. With 3 hours of “free time” and nowhere to drive to, we decided to do what our group does best – sing in the car! During our 45 minutes of karaoke, we had Simmons singing Hamilton, Julia belting The Greatest Showman, Ford and Mickey jamming to “You’re welcome” from Moana, and everyone screaming “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. Simmons also entertained us with her original song “British Columbia.” All the tunes certainly made the time fly by, but there were still 2 hours left! We decided to walk around the town for a bit, write postcards, buy some stickers, and play games. Everyone’s favorite game is the dance game, and this round Makena and Lily were our final two dancers! They did a “Gru off” to see who the winner would be but tied because Mickey slid in with his “Vector voice.” (Clearly, our group LOVES despicable me!) As we were about to head on the ferry, the unthinkable happened: our van battery died. Thankfully, a nice man in the car next to us had jumper cables to help us and after a quick jump we were good to load up the boat! During the ferry ride the boys played UNO and munched on Mickey’s Dots pretzels, while the girls read books, made bracelets, and played card games! Since we had a 3-hour delay from the morning, we had to quickly get to our next ferry and cross the border!

Thankfully we had a safe and speedy border crossing into Canada and made it to our ferry with 15 minutes to spare! After the ferry, we drove 3 hours down a beautiful scenic road to our campsite in Tofino! While most of the group was relaxing to good car tunes and looking out at the mountains and ocean water. Carmen was taking her 4th nap of the day! Travel days always are a great way to recharge, so we were glad she was taking advantage of the down time. Once at the campsite we had a late dinner of quesadillas, guac, chips, and salsa, and set up our tents to get ready for bed. We headed to the beach to do moonup and we’re surprised by the most beautiful sunset! We ran around the beach, took pictures near the water, and enjoyed the perfect weather and views. We did moonup on the beach, led by Porter and Makena, and then hit the hay to get ready for our big day of surfing and paddle boarding! The next morning Kristin woke up early and made everyone chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. The group feasted and it was a great start to our busy morning. After breakfast we walked down the beach to begin our stand up paddle boarding lesson. Most of our group has paddle boarding before, so everyone was excited and eager to get out on the water.

When we were out on the water, Ford was one of the first people to fall off his paddleboard, and quickly after, Kirk lost his balance and plopped in the water. We all laughed as soon people were falling off left and right. (Julia and Simmons were even jumping off!)  We paddled way out to a different beach and saw some starfish on nearby rocks. We also did a bunch of fun paddleboard activities such as “bumper boats” and yoga! Lily, Carmen, and Henry showed off their yoga skills and Lily even tried leaving a session on the paddle boards! We have learned that Carmen is one of our headstand pros, and she stayed balancing on the board for more than 10 seconds! Logan also tried doing headstands and Sadie showed us this really cool move that looked like a spider. After yoga was over, the group decided to splash around in the water, do some Tik Tok, dances and take silly photos. It was a super fun morning of games, relaxing, and paddle boarding. After paddle boarding we headed back to the campsite for lunch and had a spread of chips, dip, sandwiches, and mac & cheese. The group fueled up and we headed off to a new beach to hit the waves. Once we’re at the beach, we met our surf guides and geared up in our wetsuits. We went over safety instructions and how to surf, but many people in our group have surfed in awesome places before such as Costa Rica and California. Our instructors knew this group would be good so we quickly did a warm up game and hit the water! Logan had never surfed before but was a natural! Mickey was also showing off his sick tricks in the water. After an incredible first surfing session, we hit the town and the kiddos explored local shops. Ford bought an awesome hat from the surf shop, Julia and Simmons bought matching fuzzy pants to sleep in, and the boys bought a hacky sack so they could keep play “Death Hack”- some have been damaged in the process! After town, we had a yummy dinner, hung out on the beach, Moonupped, and watch the stars. It was all around an incredible day on the incredible beach of Tofino. We went to bed with full hearts and full excitement for another day out on the water.

Day 7 and we are feeling pumped for SUPing and Surfing. The weather in Tofino has been incredible, the best we’ve seen. This group is for sure soaking all those rays. We had a chill morning, similar to those that pro surfers have. We had a yummy breakfast and relaxed before an intense surfing session. Carmen spearheaded a bracelet-making session, Frank and Porter were fast learners, making their first bracelets ever. We wet-suited up and hoped in the van to head to Cox Bay! We met our surfing instructors, did a quick safety briefing as water conditions had changed. When we walked to the beach, it was so misty and foggy but as we got out and, on our boards, the sun peaked through and it turned into an incredible morning on the water. Everyone was looking great out on the water, Mickey led the paddle out into the surf zone, as our resident surfing pro, everyone looks to him when choosing waves. Kirk, Julia, and Logan worked on their form getting up on the board while Simmons, Sadie, Makena, Lily, and Frank worked on controlling their speed on waves.

After an incredible final surf session, the group headed back to camp for a yummy lunch: homemade pizza bagels! We had some downtime before paddle boarding and we read, made more bracelets, and threw the frisbee. On the paddle boards, we soaked up the sun, did some yoga, and explore the kelp forests. Porter, Henry and Ford even paddled through a surges channel with our instructor Josh. The conditions and currents were stronger so we anchored our boards in kelp and chatted! Once back at camp, we got creative with showering and used our Nalgene to rinse the salt out of our hair and off our bodies. We were getting ready for our local food stop! That night we feasted in beef, chicken, tuna, and salmon burgers, tons of fries and some of the best ice cream ever. It was such a treat and we loved experiencing Tofino. As we headed back to camp we planned our highly game of “Werewolves,” a spin-off of the popular game “Mafia.” Mickey narrated as Gru and nailed his impression. Some little girls on the beach came up to the group and asked Mickey if he was Gru- his impression is clearly flawless! We finished the night off with Moonup and hit the hay early so we felt ready for climbing tomorrow.

Peace and love for now! We will miss Tofino but are so excited to spend time climbing and exploring Comox Valley. Stay tuned below for messages from your kiddos!

Henry, Kristin and the whole BCO3A team

Simmons: Hey mom and dad I’m slaying. I am having so much fun! Thank you letting me come on this trip. Love and miss you. Also Mom please bring my Birkenstocks and green aviator nation pants to the tournament.

Lily: Hey mommy and dad, I miss you so so so much! I’m having a really fun time and am going on very cool experiences. We went surfing yesterday and today and I shredded. I miss y’all and love y’all so much and I can’t wait to see u in 7 days! Byeeeeeee

Sadie: Hey mom and dad! The trip is going so well! We’ve been doing so many cool things, like yesterday we paddle boarded and surfed, and we’re going to again today! I’m having a lot of fun just hanging out with everyone too. I hope y’all’s trip is going well also! Love and miss y’all!

Logan: hey mom,dad,Riley and cooper. I’m having so much fun and did a great job surfing!! Canada is super cool and I’m so glad u sent me on this trip. I miss y’all so much,I hope everything at home is good!love y’all so much and see you guys soon!!

Julia: hi mom and dad! I am having so much fun and was a pro at surfing yesterday. We have done some supper cool stuff. Today we are surfing and paddle boarding again today.  Miss you all a lot and hope you are doing fun things at home or wherever you are! Miss you and see you guys soon!

Makena : hey mom, dad, homer, ruby, and Gus. I’m having a lot of fun here and I loveeee surfing. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!MISS AND LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH AND HAVE THE BEST DAY EVER TO THE BEST MOM!!Today we surf and paddle board again. When you pick me up could you please bring Homer and good food. Miss everyone a lot, but I will see y’all soon. Love y’all!

Carmen: Hey mom and dad, I’m having so much fun in Canada with surfing in the water and paddle boarding. I miss y’all so much. Thank you so much for this special tip. I can’t wait to come home to cruiser and boo. Hope y’all are having a great time in Canada on your “backroads” trip. Tell Sam I miss him and hey. -the favorite child Carmen

Mickey: Hey mom and dad, I am having so much fun here. The leaders are so great and right now we are surfing. I am SO excited for Fiji and surfing. How is  pio? I made as you so much and I am so excited to come back to the atl and see y’all!

Porter- Hey mom and dad, I’m having a lot of fun here. Yesterday we went surfing and paddle boarding and we are doing the same today. Are leaders are so great an I am so glad that I came. I hope that you are have a great time, and I can’t wait to see you!

Frank – Hey mom and dad, I am having a great time In British Columbia. We just had our first day of surfing which was fun and rock climbing is soon to come. I hope y’all are all doing well and I am excited to catch up soon

Kirk- hey mom and dad I am having a lot of fun here surfing and paddle boarding are almost over ok I love you bye see you later.

Ford- Hi mom and dad. I am having a lot of fun here surfing and paddle boarding. Our leaders are really great and nice and Canada is great. It has been really great and I am excited to see you again soon

Surfs Up in Tofino!

July 20, 2022

Surfin’ Canada, Eh!

Our 16-hour travel day from the US to Canada was nothing short of a movie! We started off the morning waking up super early to catch our 8am ferry. However, when we arrived at the terminal, we found out that the 8am boat had been canceled due to technical issues! They told us we would need to wait in the standby line until the next departure at 11 am. With 3 hours of “free time” and nowhere to drive to, we decided to do what our group does best – sing in the car! During our 45 minutes of karaoke, we had Simmons singing Hamilton, Julia belting The Greatest Showman, Ford and Mickey jamming to “You’re Welcome” from Moana, and everyone screaming “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. Simmons also entertained us with her original song “British Columbia.” All the tunes certainly made the time fly by, but there was still 2 hours left! We decided to walk around the town for a bit, write post cards, buy some stickers, and play games. Everyone’s favorite game is the dance game, and this round Makena and Lily were our final two dancers! They did a “Gru off” to see who the winner would be but tied because Mickey slid in with his “Vector voice.” (Clearly, our group LOVES Despicable Me!)

During the ferry ride, the boys played Uno and munched on Mickey’s Dots pretzels, while the girls read books, made bracelets, and played card games! Since we had a 3-hour delay from the morning, we had to quickly get to our next ferry and cross the border! Thankfully we had a safe and speedy border crossing into Canada and made it to our ferry with 15 minutes to spare!

After the ferry, we drove 3 hours down a beautiful scenic road to our campsite in Tofino! While most of the group was relaxing to good car tunes and looking out at the mountains and ocean water, Carmen was taking her 4th nap of the day! Travel days always are a great way to recharge, so we were glad she was taking advantage of the down time.

Once at the campsite, we had a late dinner of quesadillas, guac, chips, and salsa, and set up our tents to get ready for bed. We headed to the beach to do Moonup and we’re surprised by the most beautiful sunset! We ran around the beach, took pictures near the water, and enjoyed the perfect weather and views. We did Moonup on the beach, led by Porter and Makenna, and then hit the hay to get ready for our big day of surfing and paddleboarding!

The next morning, Kristin woke up early and made everyone chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. The group feasted and it was a great start to our busy morning. After breakfast, we walked down the beach to begin our stand-up paddle boarding lesson. Most of our group has paddleboarded before, so everyone was excited and eager to get out on the water.

When we were out on the water, Ford was one of the first people to fall off his paddleboard, and quickly after, Kirk lost his balance and plopped in the water. We all laughed as soon people were falling off left and right. (Julia and Simmons were even jumping off!)  We paddled way out to a different beach and saw some starfish on nearby rocks. We also did a bunch of fun paddleboard activities such as “bumper boats” and yoga! Lily, Carmen, and Henry showed off their yoga skills and Lily even tried leaving a session on the paddle boards!

We have learned that Carmen is one of our headstand pros, and she stayed balancing on the board for more than 10 seconds! Logan also tried doing headstands and Sadie showed us this really cool move that looked like a spider. After yoga was over, the group decided to splash around in the water, do some Tik Tok, dances and take silly photos. It was a super fun morning of games, relaxing, and paddle boarding.

After paddleboarding, we headed back to the campsite for lunch and had a spread of chips, dip, sandwiches, and mac & cheese. The group fueled up and we headed off to a new beach to hit the waves. Once we were at the beach, we met our surf guides and geared up in our wetsuits. We went over safety instructions and how to surf, but many people in our group have surfed in awesome places before such as Costa Rica and California. Our instructors knew this group would be good, so we quickly did a warmup game and hit the water!

Logan had never surfed before but was a natural! Mickey was also showing off his sick tricks in the water. After an incredible first surfing session, we hit the town and the kiddos explored local shops. Ford bought an awesome hat from the surf shop, Julia and Simmons bought matching fuzzy pants to sleep in, and the boys bought a hackey sack so they could keep playing “Death Hack”- some have been damaged in the process!

After town, we had a yummy dinner, hung out on the beach, had our Moonup, and watched the stars. It was all around an incredible day on the incredible beach of Tofino. We went to bed with full hearts and full excitement for another day out on the water.

Day 7 and we are feeling pumped for SUPing and Surfing! The weather in Tofino has been incredible, the best we’ve seen. This group is for sure soaking all those rays. We had a chill morning, similar to those that pro surfers have. We had a yummy breakfast and relaxed before an intense surfing session. Carmen spearheaded a bracelet making session, Frank and Porter were fast learners, making their first bracelets ever. We wet-suited up and hopped in the van to head to Cox Bay!

We met our surfing instructors and did a quick safety briefing as water conditions had changed. When we walked to the beach, it was so misty and foggy but as we got out and on our boards, the sun peeked through and it turned into an incredible morning on the water. Everyone was looking great out on the water, and Mickey led the paddle out into the surf zone. As our resident surfing pro, everyone looks to him when choosing waves. Kirk, Julia, and Logan worked on their form getting up on the board while Simmons, Sadie, Makena, Lily, and Frank worked on controlling their speed on waves.

After an incredible final surf session, the group headed back to camp for a yummy lunch: homemade pizza bagels! We had some downtime before paddle boarding and we read, made more bracelets, and threw the frisbee. On the paddle boards, we soaked up the sun, did some yoga, and explored the kelp forests. Porter, Henry, and Ford even paddled through a surge channel with our instructor Josh. The conditions and currents were stronger, so we anchored our boards in kelp and chatted!

Once back at camp, we got creative with showering and used our Nalgene to rinse the salt out of our hair and off of our bodies. We were getting ready for our local food stop! That night we feasted on beef, chicken, tuna, and salmon burgers, tons of fries and some of the best ice cream ever. It was such a treat and we loved experiencing Tofino.

As we headed back to camp, we planned our highly game of “Werewolves”, a spin-off of the popular game “Mafia”. Mickey narrated as Gru and nailed his impression. Some little girls on the beach came up to the group and asked Mickey if he was Gru- his impression is clearly flawless! We finished the night off with Moonup and hit the hay early so we felt ready for climbing tomorrow.

Peace and love for now! We will miss Tofino but are so excited to spend time climbing and exploring Comox Valley.

Stay tuned below for messages from your kiddos!

Henry, Kristin and the whole BCO3A team

Simmons: Hey mom and dad I’m slaying. I am having so much fun! Thank you letting me come on this trip. Love and miss you. Also, Mom please bring my Birkenstocks and green aviator nation pants to the tournament.

Lily: Hey mommy and dad, I miss you so so so much! I’m having a really fun time and am going on very cool experiences. We went surfing yesterday and today and I shredded. I miss y’all and love y’all so much and I can’t wait to see u in 7 days! Byeeeeeee

Sadie: Hey mom and dad! The trip is going so well! We’ve been doing so many cool things, like yesterday we paddle boarded and surfed, and we’re going to again today! I’m having a lot of fun just hanging out with everyone too. I hope y’all’s trip is going well also! Love and miss y’all!

Logan: hey mom, dad, Riley, and cooper. I’m having so much fun and did a great job surfing!! Canada is super cool and I’m so glad u sent me on this trip. I miss y’all so much, I hope everything at home is good! love y’all so much and see you guys soon!!

Julia: hi mom and dad! I am having so much fun and was a pro at surfing yesterday. We have done some supper cool stuff. Today we are surfing and paddle boarding again today.  Miss you all a lot and hope you are doing fun things at home or wherever you are! Miss you and see you guys soon!

Makena : hey mom, dad, homer, ruby, and Gus. I’m having a lot of fun here and I loveeee surfing. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! MISS AND LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH AND HAVE THE BEST DAY EVER TO THE BEST MOM!! Today we surf and paddle board again. When you pick me up could you please bring Homer and good food. Miss everyone a lot, but I will see y’all soon. Love y’all!

Carmen: Hey mom and dad, I’m having so much fun in Canada with surfing in the water and paddle boarding. I miss y’all so much. Thank you so much for this special trip. I can’t wait to come home to cruiser and boo. Hope y’all are having a great time in Canada on your “backroads” trip. Tell Sam I miss him and hey. -the favorite child Carmen

Mickey: Hey mom and dad, I am having so much fun here. The leaders are so great and right now we are surfing. I am SO excited for Fiji and surfing. How is pio? I miss you so much and I am so excited to come back to the atl and see y’all!

Porter- Hey mom and dad, I’m having a lot of fun here. Yesterday we went surfing and paddle boarding and we are doing the same today. Our leaders are so great and I am so glad that I came. I hope that you are have a great time, and I can’t wait to see you!

Frank – Hey mom and dad, I am having a great time In British Columbia. We just had our first day of surfing which was fun and rock climbing is soon to come. I hope y’all are all doing well and I am excited to catch up soon

Kirk- hey mom and dad I am having a lot of fun here surfing and paddle boarding are almost over ok I love you bye see you later.

Ford- Hi mom and dad. I am having a lot of fun here surfing and paddle boarding. Our leaders are really great and nice and Canada is great. It has been really great and I am excited to see you again soon

Whales, Sea Kayaking, and San Juan Island

July 17, 2022

Wow – it’s already been 4 days and you would think our group has been friends for months! The girls and guys clicked instantly, and it’s been nonstop laughter and fun since day one.

Our first day consisted of everyone safely and successful arriving to the airport! Logan was a champ for being our first person there and waiting for everyone to land. Once everyone was in the airport, we played a “picnic name game” to get to know everyone, and then, we hit the road to our first campsite! With some good car jams and road trip snacks (Aussie Bites), we were fueled up and made it to our destination in no time.

When we arrived at the campsite, we first showed everyone where the water and bathroom were located, and then gathered around to learn how to (properly) assemble a tent. We have three Moondance Alumni on our trip (Mickey, Carmen, and Frank), so they were professionals at tent set up. We also have some people in our group who have never really camped before, so it was the perfect balance of our vets helping the newbies! After camp setup, we talked about safety protocols, group expectations, good expedition behavior (EB), hygiene, and leave no trace principles.

The group had quite a bit of energy, so we went to a nearby field to play a big group game of capture the crazy creek (with BCO B), spike ball, and the question game. It was a great way to run around and see people’s competitive side.

After group games we had yummy pizza for dinner and slowly started to wind down for the evening. Everyone put on some extra layers, grabbed their headlamps, crazy creeks, water bottles, and we headed to the beach for our first moonup!

For those who are unfamiliar, moonup is a moondance tradition that happens every night. It’s led by our Leaders Of the Day (LODS) and the group shares a quote, talks about highs and lows from the day, answers fun and serious questions, and gets to form community and connections through intentional conversations in a safe space. It’s super special and what makes Moondance so magical!

Our first moonup was led by Henry and Kristin and it was amazing because we got to sit on the beach and watch the sun set. The questions of the night were “why moondance/British Columbia?” and “what is your B+ super power.” Everyone had unique answers, such as Mickey’s B+ superpower which was “instead of flying you could only levitate a few feet off the ground.” Based on the group dynamics and answers, Henry and Kristin knew this was going to be a great group! After moonup everyone was exhausted from the day, so we headed back to camp and hit the hay.

The second day we woke up a bit early to catch the 9am ferry to Friday Harbor. Unfortunately, our reservation was for a later time, so Henry stayed behind with the van while Kristin and the crew headed on the ferry. On the ferry, the majority of the group played cards and bought soft pretzels to munch on. Makenna and Lily took naps, and Carmen made a friendship bracelet! The ferry had beautiful views of the San Juan islands and it was super relaxing.

After the ferry ride, we had some free time before our whale watching tour! Everyone walked around the town and explored, and a few people came back with little treasures. Simmons, Julia, and Carmen bought mini water guns, and Mickey got Pokémon cards. (Unique purchasing choices, but high-quality entertainment.)

While waiting for our ferry, we chugged our water to the song “Thunderstruck” to make sure no one was getting dehydrated. We played the game “screaming toes” and snacked on some pita chips and guac to hold us over before lunch. On the whale watching tour we saw so many whales!! We sat outside in the nice 70-degree weather and relaxed on this giant “hot tub” seat. The whales got super close to us, and everyone was taking pictures! It was awesome and our guides said we were lucky we stopped the boat where we did.

After the whale watching tour, we went back to our campsite to swim in the lake. Lily, Simmons, Makenna, and Sadie all swam out to a little dock in the middle of the lake. While on the dock, they saw a snake! It was hilarious watching them scream and freak out while strategizing how to quickly escape. Most of the others were either wading in the water or playing giant games like chess, tether ball, and ping pong.

After everyone swam, we headed back to the campsite for dinner which was a pasta bar! It was super yummy, and Frank, Porter, Makenna, and Logan helped make it! After dinner we started winding down for bed and did moonup, which was led by our LODS, Carmen and Mickey! It was the perfect closure to the evening, and we went to bed ready for sea kayaking the next day!

On day 3 we had a leisurely morning of sleeping in. Kristin woke up the group by playing Miley Cyrus and Henry made eggs, sausage, and Hashbrowns for breakfast!

After breakfast we packed up our gear in dry bags and headed to a local sculpture park! It was super cool and some of the sculptures were priced at over $30,000. Our exploration of the artwork ended we ate lunch and played a bunch of group games (zoo, screaming toes, big booty and moo offs!) After lunch headed on our sea kayaking adventure and quickly found out that Kirk and Lily were our speediest kayakers! Everyone was great though and kept up to speed the entire time.

Overall, this group absolutely crushed sea kayaking and we were coasting with the current. The highlight of our trip was that we got to see Orca Whales from our kayak! Our guides were saying it was super rare to be so close, and it was definitely and unforgettable experience.

After a couple of hours of sea kayaking, we finally made it to an island to set up camp! At our campsite, Simmons told a hilarious story about losing a $100 bill in Newark and all of the girls did a tik tok dance on our walk around the island. The boys discovered a new game called hacky sack attack and played for hours. Kirk and Ford were pros at the game, and it’s become their new favorite! We had chips and salsa, and a taco bar for dinner, and ended our evening with moonup and s’mores by a campfire. Our LODS, Logan and Frank, included our guides in the moonup and it was a night of giggles, quality time, and good convos.

On our second day of sea kayaking, we had a slow and relaxed morning. When Carmen woke up, she found out she had marshmallows in her hair from the night before. Lol. Our kayaking guides made us an oatmeal bar, yogurt, and granola for breakfast – it was delicious! Logan was in heaven with the oatmeal and fresh fruit. Since we had some extra time, Simmons, Julia, and Logan suggested we make a fire! They collected the sticks, assembled the wood, called themselves “women in STEM” for starting our fire.

Mickey and Simmons are our comedians among the group, always keeping us laughing with their dance moves, stories, and quick side commentary. Today they were “paddle pairs” in the kayaks, and their singing and games kept the group motivated! One of the games we played was “would you rather” and Simmons asked the group “Would rather sweat nacho cheese or have a long belly button that swings when music plays.” Everyone laughed and the majority of the group picked nacho cheese.

In the other kayaks, Julia, Carmen, and Kristin talked a lot about high school traditions, siblings, pets, and traveling. Meanwhile, Kirk and Logan were asking our rafting guide questions about the wildlife in the area and sharing (good) bad jokes.

After we got back from kayaking, the group had some free time and the chance to shower! Simmons, Julia, and Logan went on a run, the boys decided to play death sack, and then, most of the group took advantage of the free hot showers. (The boys all decided to not shower and stay smelly for the week!)

Later that night, Henry made Mediterranean bowls for dinner, and the group devoured the veggies, hummus, and pita chips. After dinner, Kristin led a Dance-Off party where Porter, Ford, Simmons, Sadie, and Makenna made it to the final 5. The game paused and will be contributed tomorrow – so see our next trip update for the winner! As the sun was starting to set, the group got ready for bed, and we surprised them with cookies! After our sweet treat we headed to the grassy field for moonup, led by Lily and Kirk. We talked about our favorite games and who is someone who makes us happiest.

Before bed, Henry led a mafia zombie game that got super-heated, but was full of belly laughs! The group was starting to get tired, so we headed back to the campsite and went to bed. We have an early morning tomorrow and a long travel day, so with lots of rest we’ll be ready to go!

We’re on our way into Canada and our group is SO excited!! We’re having a blast and we can’t wait to tell you all about our next adventure.

Sending lots of hugs, laughs, and well wishes.

Love,

Kristin, Henry, and our silly little BCO fam.

Touched Down in Seattle!

July 13, 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