Climbing to Surfing… What Can't they Do?!
July 26, 2024
Hello again from British Colombia 3A! These last few days have been chalk full of adventure and creating memories.
Our final challenge of Cumberland campsite was the infamous Devil’s Ladder: a massive one-hundred-foot wall overhanging the gorgeous Lake Comox. Wyatt, who was looking forward to this feat the most, went first rappelling down and ascending the wall with ease. Sooner after followed Blake, Winnie, Chris, Carr, and Rowan. The record for the fastest overall time going down and up was claimed by Rowan leaving us all in the dust. It was so awesome to watch each student overcome their nerves and take on this massive challenge, overlooking one of the most scenic views you can get while climbing. After an awesome morning of climbing and group games, we packed up our things and headed for the beautiful beach town of Tofino. Though the drive was long, the sights of Vancouver Island offer plenty of beauty to keep us occupied.
Once we made it to our campsite for the next several nights, Bella Pacifica Campground, we set out to check out the gorgeous beachfront view of the Pacific Ocean. LODs Holden and Wyatt made us a delicious dinner of smash burgers, mac n cheese, and aspargus. Everyone had more than enough to eat and so we set out to Moon Up out on the beach. The rising moon offered glorious light for us as we capped off a chocked full day of adventure.
Day 8 brought us a cloudy morning to begin our beach town adventures! We started the day with a hearty breakfast and met our stand-up paddleboarding outfitters for a long morning of exploring McKenzie Beach cove. The crew had a blast paddling out to the kelp forests, where we searched for crabs and even got to try a bite of delicious kelp fresh from the sea, which Mitchell thought was particularly delicious. After trying out some paddleboard yoga to no avail and playing games, everyone ended up in the water in our wetsuits and getting a good swim in before lunchtime. We stopped for a warm lunch back at the campsite of buffalo chicken wraps, Blake’s wonderful idea, to fuel up for our afternoon activity: surfing!
The group set out at North Chesterman Beach to learn how to catch some waves, and everyone did an amazing job despite some rough swells. With Max and George as our fearless LODs, everyone picked up the sport fast! After a few hours of both success and wipeouts, we retreated to take warm showers at the campsite and relax. George and Max cooked up some delicious fettucini alfredo with chicken pesto meatballs and broccoli, and we played spike ball at the beach and hung out in the hammocks. Everyone enjoyed a full moon on the beach that night and hit the hay to prep for another full day to come.
Day 2 of surfing and paddleboarding was brought to us by pure sunshine and clear skies. LODs Rowan and Blake cooked us some good old eggs and hashbrowns, and we took to the waters to surf this time first. I watched Carr, Chris, and Winnie caught a party wave as Wyatt and Holden body surfed in the cool water, watching pro surfers tear through the massive waves right next to us! It was an amazing morning, followed by warm BLTs at the campsite and an afternoon of relaxing paddleboarding. Today Victoria and Vivi perfected their paddle board headstands, while Chris and Blake won the titles of last man standing in our game of King of the Rock.
After a long day in the sunshine, the gang showered up and got ready for a special night on the town of Tofino. Everyone got to explore the surf town summer market, complete with live music and local shop vendors, and soon after ate dinner at the Wildside Grill. We even got a second ice cream stop for dessert at the legendary Chocolate Tofino! Everyone went to bed that night with full bellies and after sharing their gratitude for one another at moon-up, which was pretty special. There is truly nothing like a few days and nights in magical Tofino to create life-long bonds and teach you to appreciate the immense and stunning natural beauty that British Colombia has to offer.
It’s been so special to watch everyone come out of their shells and get to know eachother even better in the last few days. We have laughed, made amazing memories, challenged ourselves, encouraged one another, and opened up so far in this journey, and we know the final stretch of our trip will only bring more to share and reflect upon. Stay tuned!
Whale Tales and Mountain Trails: The Final Leg of Our Squamish Adventure!
July 22, 2024
“You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So… get on your way!” – Dr. Seuss
Time flies when you are having fun! Tofino was a blast but our final leg of the journey waited in Squamish. We had an early morning packing up camp and enjoyed some cereal before hitting the road to make our ferry. The road to Nanaimo created the perfect opportunity for everyone to catch up on some much needed sleep. On our ferry voyage back to the mainland, Vicky and Rowan spotted some humpback whales over the horizon. This was our first and only whale sighting of the summer, so we are beyond grateful that they chose to share this with the whole group. After a quick drive to our campsite, Klahanie Campground, we began setting up for our dinner activity: IRON CHEF.
Each group was organized into trios and tasked with using a select few ingredients to make a meal worthy of the big prize. Blake, Christopher, and Carr presented their take on street tacos: seared summer sausage, fresh corn, shredded cheese, and buffalo sauce. Vicky, Holden, and Max made an American classic: Hotdogs, baked beans, crispy hashbrowns, and apples with Nutella for dessert. Winnie, George, and Rowan (AKA Team George) took on stir fry full of delicious veggies and seasoned shredded chicken. The win was claimed by Michell, Vivi, and Wyatt (AKA team Meep) with a spread that would make your head spin: A baked potato bar with sour cream and shredded cheese, a charcuterie board with a decorative salami flower, a side Caesar salad, and Nutella oreo gram crackers for dessert. This was the hardest decision process we leaders have ever encountered and we are so proud of all the hard work everyone put into the competition.
The following morning, we packed up camp and started heading towards our outfitter to set out on our overnight rafting adventure. The Squamish River was the perfect height for just enough rapids to get us rolling. Every wave splashed our group, refreshing us with freezing cold water. Once we got to our island campsite, we were treated to an incredible spread of snacks and beverages provided by the outfitters. Dinner was the best of all: steaks, potatoes, salmon, salad, and garlic bread. For dessert, we were treated to granola and wild berries topped with whipped cream. We had Moon Up as the sun set behind the gorgeous mountains behind us.
Our morning voyage was much tamer than our previous day, but this calm float allowed us to reflect on how incredible this trip had been. Looking at the mountains as we cruised our way back to base camp gave us all perspective on how small we are and that life’s beauty is just waiting for us to take it in. We made it to shore and everyone was so helpful getting the outfitter’s gear packed up before heading back to base camp.
The final big activity is climbing up to Cheif’s peak. LODs Vivi and Chris did an awesome job leading the way up the steep trail and making sure everyone was together. This trail is no easy task and the group did an awesome job in the face of a hefty task. Wyatt led a game of 20 questions to help the time go by and maintain morale as we reached the peak. The view was breathtaking. Everyone was shocked at how far we had come and realized how much power they had when they put their minds to a challenge.
We made it back to our campsite and set up camp for our final night in tents. Chris and Vivi took control and organized a delicious dinner of spaghetti with garlic bread and Caesar salad for dinner. Winnie, Carr, and Mitchel joined on cook crew for extra support and to make the dinner cooking process more efficient. After dinner, our LODs treated the group to a surprise Oreo cake! The cake disappeared as soon as it was introduced and we cleaned our things before our final outdoor Moon Up. We watched the stars as we looked back over our trip and talked about all of our favorite memories. A beautiful end to a full and prosperous adventure.
On our way to Seattle, the group was treated to donuts from Tim Horton’s before we crossed the border back into the States. We stopped at a car wash where the gang took turns scrubbing and spraying the dust and grim off the van. Blake took charge of cleaning the interior. His expertise was deeply appreciated and made the cleaning process far more effective.
We stopped in to get some outfits at a local Goodwill. Max, Vivi, and Rowan went for a “Dad” theme wearing cargo shorts and goofy shirts. Wyatt and Holden found some sweet jerseys and silly hats to complete their banquet attire. Carr, Vivi, Winnie, Chris, and Mitchell all went for matching Fast and Furious PJ pants with oversized Hawaiian shirts. George and Blake kept it simple. George bought a pair of slides and Blake bought a classy fedora. Sometimes less is more.
For dinner, the kids were deeply dismayed to find out that we would be stopping in at Seattle classic: CHICK-FIL-A!
Everyone was treated to a full meal and milkshake of their choice. There were no leftovers. After drawing many confused looks at the Chick-fil-A, we packed back into the van and headed to the hotel for our final Moon Up. We laughed and cried thinking back on all the wonderful memories we made along the way and how special this group was. These summers are so incredible and Moon Up is such a gift that we can all share together.
Fun Times in British Columbia!
July 16, 2024
Hello hello from British Columbia!
Summers like this are what growing up is all about. It is such a gift to travel the great unknown with a group of new faces ready to take on any challenge that comes your way, and that is certainly what our spontaneous and go-getter BCO 3A group is all about.
After we assembled our crew of adventurers, we left the airport ready to take on our journey to British Columbia! The gang settled in for a long car ride to Bay View State Park- the first stop of many. We indulged in the local cuisine: pepperoni and cheese pizzas with a side of Caesar salad from Pizza Factory. Once everyone had plenty to eat, we set up our tents and booked it to the beach to watch the sunset over the water, skip rocks and throw the frisbee around. As the sun sank beyond the horizon, everyone sat in awe of the beauty the great Northwest has to offer. The best way to end the first chapter of our trip.
5:26 am- the sun begins to rise and provides a natural alarm clock for our rag tag gang of campers! LODs Rowan and George started our morning off with cooking some breakfast while everyone else packed up camp. George cooked us some delicious crispy bacon as Rowan scrambled the eggs. Not a crumb was left behind! We hit the road early to cross the border into Canada and make it to our first activity of the trip: canyoneering!! Everyone met our Québécoise guides, strapped up on their wetsuits, harnesses, and helmets, and learned to rappel down waterfalls. Vivi and Winnie helped vlog our day on the GoPro and cheered on their new friends as they safely made their way down the first rappel. Holden and Blake couldn’t get enough jumping into a natural water pool and zip lining down the canyon, and the whole group dominated the 100 foot rappel at the finale. After our canyoneering adventure, we thanked our guides and drove to our next campsite: Golden Ears Provinicial Park. The kids set up camp, tossed the football around, and all took a dip into the frigid but rejuvenating glacial stream on site. Our LODs helped cook pasta with red sauce for dinner, and we had moon up and hit the hay for another early morning.
The gang woke to sunlight beaming through the pines and got going early to make our ferry reservation over to Vancouver Island. LODs Max and Mitchell started us strong with a group huddle before the drive, and before we knew it we were aboard the ferry! The kids had fun playing games, exploring the ferry, and looking for whales from the passenger decks for a few hours until we docked. Before continuing our travel day journey, we stopped for lunch and kicked the soccer ball around on a local sports field to get some energy out. After another hour or so and many van questions games, we took a very quick ferry over to Quadra Island, a beautiful and more remote spot ideal for sea kayaking! When we arrived, the crew set up camp and headed for the beach, jumping in the refreshing bay for their first taste of salt water. Max, Blake, and Don played some sand volleyball while Carr, Christopher, and George scouted the perfect spot for their eno hammocks. Dinner this night was asian stir fry with chicken and vegetables, which Max and Mitchell seasoned to perfection. We had moon up on the beach and enjoyed some of Annabel’s guitar tunes as the sun set.
After a long ferry day prior, our Day 4 brought nothing but blue skies and light winds, perfect for sea kayaking! Today’s LODs Winnie and Christopher made a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns to fuel us for our ocean adventure before hopping in the van to meet our guides. Once we arrived, we slathered up in sunscreen and filled up our waters for a day on the kayaks. Everyone paired up for a double kayak and hit the water, paddling across the open bay and along the rocks to beautiful Turtle Island. We stopped to explore, lay in the sun, and eat a delicious and healthy lunch of quinoa salad and hummus provided by our outfitters. Rowan and Victoria befriended a curious seal that was swimming out in the water right in front of us, and Wyatt pointed out a bald eagle as it swooped down to fish for its own lunch as well. It was truly a magical moment! After our break, we chugged some water as a group and paddled back slowly to the docks. After returning our gear, we thanked our guides and headed back to the campsite, a 10 minute drive during which Mitch and Vivi serenaded us with Hamilton and Greatest Showman songs, and had a chill evening of warm showers, card games, and making dinner. Winnie and Chris cheffed up the favorite dinner yet- homemade pesto spaghetti with chicken basil meatballs and asparagus! Everyone ate sitting in our crazy creeks and chatted as the sun slowly set. After a group clean up session, we had our second moon up by the beach, where we all gave each other funny nicknames and learned everyone’s favorite childhood memories. After a long day in the sun, the group went to bed easily under a blanket of stars.
What a fun and exhilarating first four days of the trip this has been! We have had such a blast getting to know this dynamic, entertaining, and adventurous group of kids, and we cannot wait to get to know everyone even better. Stay tuned for more stories, memories, and reflections from BCOA as we get deeper into this trip!
Until next time,
Annabel, Don, and BCO 3A <3
Safe Arrival in Seattle!
July 11, 2024
Hello British Columbia Families!
All students have landed safely in Seattle and the group is headed to their first campsite this evening! Their leaders are so excited to have everyone together, and we are excited to keep you updated on all the awesome things to come on their trip.
-Moondance HQ
