Greetings from Tofino!
June 20, 2024
Dear Parents,
We hope this letter finds you well! We’re having the most incredible time on our surf and paddleboarding adventure in Tofino. It’s hard to believe our trip is already winding down as we sail back to Horseshoe Bay. We’ve packed so much excitement into each day—it’s been unforgettable!
From the moment we arrived, Amelia and Wells amazed us all with their pancake-flipping skills. Maysey Sims created the most picture-perfect pancakes you can imagine, complete with whipped cream galore!
Our days at Chesterman Beach have been filled with laughter and new experiences. Each morning, we started with fun warm-up games in our wetsuits. You should have seen Amelia in action—despite being the smallest, she dominated the one-leg jumping knockout game.
Our surf instructors, who are truly awesome, taught us how to ride the waves like pros. George and Henry were shredding waves from the get-go, and Ella and Haven dubbed themselves “Surfer Barbies” as they glided effortlessly on the water.
After delicious lunches, we switched gears to stand-up paddleboarding. The afternoon was filled with friendly battles of pushing each other off the boards, which we all enjoyed. Maysey Sims even did a headstand on hers! We’ve grown to appreciate the cold waters of Canada more than we expected! Warm showers followed, and then we had a BBQ at Lil Ronnie’s, where the kids devoured their heart-attack Mac and Cheese. Maysey Sims and Ella showed great courage by volunteering to sing karaoke, although unfortunately, the night ended before their performance. Still, we were so proud of their bravery. We ended the evening under the moonlit sky at the beach, with hues of pink and purple painting the sky, and a meaningful moon up led by Wells and Amelia our LODs.
The next morning, Coleman and Ella treated us to Nutella and jelly crepes, which the group devoured eagerly. We started the day with stand-up paddleboarding, exploring the sea kelp forests where curious seals and gentle jellyfish live, feeling like discovering a whole new world under the waves. Henry fully embraced sea life and even tried a Moon jellyfish that Aaron, our guide, assured us was safe to eat. He’s officially a Moondance Kid now! The kids had fun flipping each other into the water, with Coleman pulling a prank on Kate by pretending to lose his paddle—when she went to help him, he flipped her! It was quite funny to see everyone end up in the water one way or another.
Last but not least, our final surf session at Chesterman Beach was epic! Haven and Ahna got to show off their somersault skills during warm-up as they raced neck and neck for the finish line! We enjoyed some hilarious sandcastle antics by Ford, who built a fortress around his beloved Crocs.
Amelia became a surfing superstar, proudly flashing her “hang ten” signs after every successful wave. And George? Well, he practically had to be dragged out of the water—he’s definitely caught the surfing bug! Wells showed great determination, catching every wave he went after.
We piled into the van with smiles on our faces. They grew even more when we saw another bear on our way out of town! We have seen all sorts of wildlife. It was bittersweet to leave our last activity and head to our last campsite. We had moon up and ended it with a big hug and swayed while singing our song of the summer “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson.
We can’t wait to share more stories and show you our newfound skills when we get home. Thank you for letting us embark on this amazing adventure—it’s a journey we’ll treasure forever.
Sending love from Tofino,
David, Kate, Sophia
Kayaking and Seals Galore on Vancouver Island!
June 17, 2024
Hi hi hi from our dreamy lakeside camp in Cumberland, British Columbia! Boy, is it beautiful here. Time to reminisce on our fabulous last few days… Where to begin? We last left off awaiting our grand travel day. Ford and Ahna led us onto the ferry to Vancouver Island, where we saw stunning ocean cliffs and got to sit back and relax. When we arrived at our BEACHSIDE campsite, everyone was blown away. Our LODs, Ford and Ahna, whipped up a delicious teriyaki chicken meal that did not disappoint.
The following morning, we were greeted by the one and only source: the sun, which George encouraged us to soak up on the beach. George and Masey Sims delivered an outstanding yummy breakfast to prepare us for our grand day of sea kayaking. It was a joy to watch our kids team up and absolutely kill it on our kayaks. Henry and Amelia were the dream team leading the pack. Ella and Ford almost saw a whale! …turns out it was just a rock 🙁 But our amazing guides led us to the famous seal rock, where we silently paddled by. Wells and Haven smiled ear to ear as we observed the cuteness of the seal pack basking and playing in the sun. Our favorite seal was spotted solo, bouncing around on a rock! We soaked up the sunshine on our private beach for lunch – it was spectacular. Pretending we were in the Mama Mia movie was the vibe, if you can imagine. Ford and George went for a splash, Henry and Wells went searching for crabs running around like Jack Sparrow, while Masey, Sims and the rest basked like the seals, with tons of sunscreen, of course!
Coleman and Haven, leaders of the day, woke everyone up with enthusiasm for a big day of waterfalls and errands. Wooohoooo! Despite a rainy morning, Haven and Coleman fearlessly led us to Elk Falls, where we saw a terrific, huge waterfall and danced in the rain. After lunch, we retreated to a laundromat for shelter from the storm, which the kids found fascinating. One thing about these kiddos is they make any activity a riot. I’ve never seen kids so excited to learn how to do laundry. They can’t wait to come home and do laundry for their families 😉 especially Henry!!! The group learned about Canadian currency, which we love because they call the coins Loonies and Toonies – how perfect!
The next day, Ella and Henry led us to our climbing spot where everyone practiced rappelling by themselves to prepare for the 100 ft Devil’s Ladder. What an LOD duo! They have big plans to open up a taco stand after their Michelin star dinner. On day 10, we woke up and did one more practice rappel. Ford claimed the title of belay master as he belayed everyone, including his leaders, making us feel safe and sound up on the practice walls. Coleman raced down a rappel faster than Spider-Man, and then we headed for the BIG one! Everyone did great! Although scared at first, we took turns rappelling down and climbing back up while the rest of us cheered from the top of the rock. Amelia and George surprised everyone with their fastest rappel down yet! Henry left us with our jaws dropped as he climbed every single available wall with great strength and attitude.
Now we’re headed to Tofino for our final activity: Surfing and SUP!! On the way there, we had mountain views with stunning lakes. We even saw a bear enjoying the breathtaking views. Time is flying by, but we’re hoping to make the most of our newfound friends.
Catch y’all in Tofino,
Sophie, Kate, David 🇨🇦🌊🏄♀️
Greetings from the Beautiful Squamish Area!
June 13, 2024
Greetings from the Beautiful Squamish Area!
We are just getting blown away by the 360 beauty surrounding us here. We had a special first night with pizza for dinner and our first moon up was held at the beach near our campsite in North Washington. We discussed how we wanted our two weeks to go as a group while watching the sunset behind the San Juan islands. The next day we crossed the border, each of us checking “go to canada” off the bucket list. Our leaders of the day Wells and Haven challenged us all to hike the Chief, a monstrous climb on day 1, and cheered us on all the way up. We made it to the summit after climbing 2,200 feet (talk about a climb) with no doubts except for Henry’s clementine that unfortunately took a tumble off the summit. This was no small feat for our group of beasts so we had to celebrate with some much needed Canadian slurpees!!!
As we arrived to our beautiful riverside campsite, #WECAUGHTCLAY! We enjoyed a great American burger dinner to welcome our photographer, Clay, to the group and get ready for rafting. Maysey Sims and Ella braved the front of the boat taking on all the humongous waves. George and Coleman led the other raft to success with strong leading paddles all the way down the absolutely beautiful Elaho river. The monster rapid, “50/50 chance”, sent Ford for a swim, but no fear, Coleman was there to save the day and quickly grabbed his buddy back into the raft filling the boat with laughs and smiles. Our RAD guides led us to a waterfall of pure glacier water to drink. Ahna and Amelia took big gulps and reported it was the purest, best sip of water they had ever had, so we all had to follow and boy were they right! We ate like grizzlies dining on steak, salmon, mashed potatoes and more! We ended the night with a riverside moonup surrounding Wells’ grand beach fire that he tended to like a master alllllllll night.
Henry and Ford woke the group up river guide style: banging pots and pans together. This was quite the awakening. Our raft guides gave us the proper Canadian welcome with maple syrup French toast breakfast that showed us what all the hype was about. We floated down the last section of the Elaho soaking in the breathtaking scenery and said heartfelt goodbyes to the rafting guides. We headed to our next home for a couple nights and arrived to “the most majestic campsite” as George described, full of the tallest beautiful trees. Ahna, Haven, Maysey Sims, Amelia and Ella frolicked like fairies through the mossy green fields. Our Leaders of the day, George and Maysey Sims, cooked a scrumptious pasta dinner for everyone. We had a special moonup surrounded by the trees and took our full bellies to bed to prepare for our big day canyoneering.
With a big day ahead of us, LODs Coleman and Ella woke up the group with exciting news that we were headed to a day full of rappelling through waterfalls! They cheffed up a great breakfast and we jammed to the Mama Mia soundtrack, which the boys said they didn’t like but we caught them singing along to. Our Canyoneering guides helped us wash away all worries for this new activity and we fully embraced the cold. What a day. Ahna, Haven, Amelia and Wells conquered big fears and grand heights with great courage throughout our day. George had the most epic first descent that had the whole crew laughing as we saw his big smile fill with water!! What a sight. One by one, led by Henry and Amelia, our brave crew rappelled down a 100 ft waterfall. We all swam under the waterfall to end the activity. It was a moment that will be a special memory. We warmed up with hot chocolate and an extra special moon up. We are so proud of the friendships that have formed, the fears that have been faced and the memories that are already being made. Can’t wait for more fun as we ferry over to Vancouver island, hopefully we will see some bears dancing in the distance and whales on our kayaks. Talk soon!!
Bye from Canada,
Kate, David, & Sophie
Words from the kiddos:
Amelia-
“I hope you guys are doing great. Happy Father’s Day dad, I hope you guys are having fun on your trip. From Amelia”
Ahna-
“Hey Mom and Dad and Layla,
I miss you guys so much! I know I won’t be there for Father’s Day but I love you dad. I love you all.
Love Ahna”
Haven-
“Hey Mom+Dad+Larken+Amalie+Tripp,
I miss y’all so much! I’m having so much fun at camp! It’s a bit early but happy Father’s Day dad! Love you guys so much!
Love Haven”
Maysey Sims-
“Hi Dad, Ellen, Walker, Zach, and Mom,
I miss y’all so so much!! I hope things are great for you guys, I’m having such an amazing time at camp. I love it here but I miss you guys. Love y’all!
Love, Maysey.”
Ella-
Hi Momma & Dadda!
I miss y’all so much but am having so much fun here! I love y’all and happy Father’s Day dadda! Slay the day Momma.
Love Ella”
Wells-
“Hey parents,
Miss you guys a ton, but the trip is really fun. Happy Father’s Day dad
-Wells”
Coleman-
“Hey Mom, Dad, and Jack!
I miss you all a ton but I am loving the trip! I can’t wait to see all of you, and wish a late Father’s Day to you dad!
-Coleman J”
Ford-
“Hey mom, Hey dad I miss you guys so much! I am having a great time! Happy Father’s Day dad!
Love Ford H”
Henry-
“Hey mom and dad the trip os really good. I am having a lot of fun. Happy Father’s Day! I got you a gift.
Love Henry”
George-
“What’s up guys. I might be considering moving to canada in the sumertime. I miss you.
Love George the favorite”
Safe Arrival to Seattle !!!
June 7, 2024
Hello British Columbia Families!
All students have landed safely in Seattle and the group is headed to their first campsite this evening! The trip is off to a great start and we can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure.
-Moondance HQ
