Surf, Sun, and Sail: CAL 3C's Epic California Finale!
July 26, 2024
Hi everyone! Writing to you for the final time! We truly cannot believe our time here in California has come to a close. Last time we checked in with you, we had just completed our journey to the Portola Redwoods, where we spent the end of our trip.
After a great night’s rest, we started with a lazy morning full of chocolate chip pancakes and fruit. Everyone slept in and took their time getting up and ready for the day. After a quick dance party, we hopped in the van to head to Pacifica for an afternoon of surfing. Once we were suited up we learned the ins and outs of paddling and popping up before jumping into the Pacific Ocean! Hunter was so excited to show off his surfing skills and he did not disappoint! Poppy kept the morale high and cheered everyone on as they came out of the water. Once we wrapped up in the water we got a quick bite at the most scenic Taco Bell in the United States, which was right on the beach! After a great day on the water, we headed back up through the redwoods back to our campsite. Once we returned, we organized camp and played “who’s whose” with the miscellaneous belongings we found! For dinner we did Iron Chef and had a draft for the teams. Georgia led her team by directing jobs and making sure everything tasted delicious. Louisa and Louis served their team’s hosts and put on quite the performance, leading their team to a victory! We closed out the night with a sweet Moonup before zipping into our tents under the stars.
The next morning we were up and at ’em for our last full day together as a group. We headed down from the redwoods and back to Pacifica to surf the waves one last time. Some brave kids headed out to the lineup and learned how to drop into the waves that were breaking. Others stayed closer to shore to hang ten. CC showed everyone how she could do a forward roll on her board while surfing the wave and Spencer consistently popped up on the waves! Finn and Owen ended the day by body surfing and jumping through the waves together. We wished our guides goodbye and headed for our next activity.
We headed up to Sausalito to meet Capitan Efe to go sailing around the San Francisco Bay. Cash steered the boat as we glided underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Everyone laid out in the sun for a bit and looked for porpoises and seals in the water. Once we were back on shore, we piled back into Martha and headed to the Golden Gate park for a bit. It started to set in that it was our last night and talk of when we would see each other next began. We sat and talked about what trips we wanted to do and our plans for the next year. Our next stop was Goodwill to snag some snazzy outfits for our banquet dinner. Gray showed out in his attire and hat, and Katharine went for the frat boy look, which she rocked! We headed over to our banquet dinner in Woodside where everyone was so excited to be served with a menu! After a delicious dinner we snapped a few group photos and cleaned out Martha one final time. We headed back up through the trees for our last time and got all of our things ready for the morning. We circled up one last time for Moonup where we talked about what we have learned on this trip and shared our final “nugs.” We closed out by passing the pulse around the circle and sharing things we’ll miss from the trip. Tired eyes headed to bed while some others tried to stay up all night.
Only a few hours later, it was time to head to the airport. We loaded the U-Haul one last time and headed for the San Francisco airport. As each student was escorted to their gates, the goodbyes got harder and harder, but we kept reminding one another that it is not goodbye, it’s simply a see you later! We cannot express how special your children are and how much of an honor it was to lead them through California for the past two weeks. Our trip would not have been the same without each and every one of them and we can’t wait to continue to watch them grow as leaders. Here’s to “see you laters” instead of “goodbyes”
All the love, one last time,
Kate, Cass, and Sam
Life is good in Tahoe!
July 22, 2024
Greetings everyone!
Writing to you with our time in Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe behind us! We have had the best past few days, and our group has continued to grow into a family. After we last checked in with you, we settled into our campsite in Mammoth, which quickly became a fan favorite. Our first night was a quick one, as we pitched camp, ate dinner, and headed to bed, racing the daylight.
Our first full day in Yosemite began with breakfast in the car so that we could get into the park as quickly as possible. Our first stop was to see and touch El Capitan! We took a short hike up to the base, where we ate lunch and climbed around on the rocks for some great photos! Next, we headed into Curry Village to grab some ice cream and merchandise before our afternoon hike. We made our way over to the Nevada Falls trailhead and got our backpacks ready to hike. The kids were so enthusiastic and couldn’t wait to see what was waiting for us at the top. Everyone rocked the uphill section, which led us to the most amazing waterfall we’ve ever seen! We kept going up to the very top of the waterfall, where Gray and Cash found a natural sliding rock! All of the kids were so excited to try it out, and it became the highlight of our day. We headed down after some great fun and piled into Martha for our drive out of the park. Right before we hit the exit, Sam pointed out a secret tunnel with a really cool view, so everyone hopped out to see it! It was quite the side quest! As the sun began to set, eyes became sleepy, and the van got quieter as most of us took a nap on the way home. We zipped into our sleeping bags as soon as we got back and dreamed of the first day of rock climbing.
The following morning, we cooked up some oatmeal and fruit before heading back through the Yosemite gates to begin our rock climbing session. We met our guides Jake and James, got all of our gear, and headed up to Puppy Dome to tie in our ropes. Everyone learned the knots and how to belay one another before we were up and away on the wall! Hunter and Finn worked together, each taking turns climbing and belaying one another! After an awesome day of climbing, we headed into the town of Mammoth for some much-deserved ice cream and some shopping. Some bought their siblings and parents gifts, while others decided on a stuffed animal to commemorate our time in Yosemite. We headed back to camp to cook up some taco bowls for dinner. Spencer did a great job on the cook crew, and everyone was stuffed by the end of dinner. We shared a special Moonup under the stars and headed to bed to conclude another great day in California.
Our last day in Yosemite started with cereal, per the LOD’s request, to fuel up for our final drive into our new favorite national park. Our guides, Benton and Glen, led us up to Prospect Dome, and everyone got geared up to learn how to crack climb, which is where the routes are a little trickier and the climber uses the crevices as footholds. Louis stepped up as a leader, making sure everyone got up the wall and that the vibes were high throughout the day. We headed over to a lake near Prospect Dome for a quick dip after a morning in the sun to close out our time in Yosemite. Our final hours in the park were memorable, and we are so grateful for our time spent there!
The next day, everyone eagerly woke up, ready to pack up camp and head to Lake Tahoe! We bid Mammoth farewell and hit the road for our next adventure! Our first stop in Tahoe was on the south side, where we hit Angora Lakes to go rock jumping! We packed in lunch and hiked up to the lake, where we were greeted with the most stunning views. We found a jumping rock and a place to tan and hung out for a couple of hours! We completed the drive up to Truckee, where we pitched camp at our favorite campsite of the trip! The boys went and explored the river while the girls helped get everything organized for the next couple of days. Owen and Katharine cooked up some burgers, mac n’ cheese, and watermelon, which was a fan favorite. We had an all-hands-on-deck clean-up in the river, which eventually turned into a dance party. After Moonup and some s’mores, we were off to bed!
After a few early mornings in Yosemite, everyone slept in on our first morning in Tahoe. We had chocolate chip pancakes and fruit for breakfast and packed up our backpacks for the day before heading out. Our first adventure of the day was kayaking, where everyone worked with their paddle partner to paddle four miles through the beautiful Lake Tahoe. Georgia was her boat’s captain, commanding the water and keeping everyone’s energy high. We stopped for lunch along the beach, where we also skipped some rocks and laid out for a bit. Following kayaking, we headed into Tahoe City for some milkshakes and a bit of shopping. We did a rain dance to keep the rain away, which luckily worked! After we walked around, we found ourselves by the water, where some of the boys fished and we all hung out together. Poppy surprised everyone with pizza and cookies for dinner, which the kids were over the moon about! With big smiles and happy hearts, we headed back to camp, where everyone jumped in the river to conclude the day. At Moonup, we discussed events that have shaped us into the people we are today and closed out by singing our favorite song, “Until I Found You,” together.
The second day in Tahoe was a productive morning, as we packed up camp, organized our duffels, cleaned out Martha, and got ready for the day ahead. We made breakfast sandwiches on bagels before hitting the road back to the lake. Louisa is always the one to ensure everyone has everything packed or if anyone needs anything! Once we were back at the lake, we hopped on paddleboards and paddled out from the beach. CC jumped around from board to board, keeping everyone entertained! We ate some lunch, threw on dry clothes after the best few hours on the water, and were on the road yet again! We headed back to the coast for the end of our trip but had to stop for a quick dinner at In-N-Out first! The kids were so excited and happily put on the hats to enjoy their meal!
We are now in the Portola Redwoods for the remainder of our trip! We truly can’t believe we are only a couple of days away from sending these kids back to you!! This group has become such a tight-knit family and truly loves each other like siblings. Your kids are extraordinary, and we are so grateful for the time we have been able to spend with them! It’s hard to believe there will only be one more update following this; our time has flown by! Until next time!
All the love,
Kate, Cass, and Sam
Reporting Live! Our First Few Days in California!
July 17, 2024
Hi everyone!! Kate, Cass and Sam here reporting with the long awaited first trip update! The past few days have flown by as we have gotten to know one another while beginning our exploration of California! Airport day ran as smoothly as it could and we couldn’t have been more excited to have twelve new faces piling into our van. We immediately headed to Bakers Beach to stretch our legs after being in the airport all morning! We then headed across the Golden Gate Bridge to our first campsite where we surprised the kids with pizza, a Moondance tradition for the first night! All of the kids then learned how to pitch tents and successfully set up camp for the first time! We had a special first Moonup where Sam introduced the “Nug Jug”, a meaningful part of Moonup every night where we encourage the group to share compliments and positive things that have happened throughout the day!
We spent our first morning together playing games and getting to know each other before having a delicious breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and fruit. Gray and CC were our first members of the cook crew and immediately stepped up to make sure we cooked the best first meal possible! After breakfast, we all piled back into the van for our first town visit to Sausalito! We walked around the city, ate delicious gelato, and started picking up souvenirs to remember our first full day. We enjoyed lunch on a beach in Sausalito while watching sailboats come into the docks. We then headed back to camp where we spent the afternoon making bracelets, throwing the football and frisbee, and shared a dinner of steak sandwiches. Dinner was followed by a campfire with s’mores and our second Moonup!
Our second full day together began with bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches before the kids learned how to break down camp! Louis showed his leadership skills by stepping up to help duffel shuffle, a task where we load or unload all of our duffles from the U-Haul. After doing our final sweep and learning about the leave no trace principles, we headed to Point Reyes to explore the national seashore! Our hike to the lighthouse was made up of 313 stairs that the kids absolutely crushed. While at the lighthouse lookout, Spencer pointed out a pod of humpback whales to the group! On our way up from the lighthouse, the boys spotted a coyote in the distance. We all stopped to watch while Owen narrated the scene for the entire group! We then hopped back in the van and headed towards our second campsite of the trip! After successfully pitching tents and setting up our new campsite, we all took a dip in the river to cool off from the summer heat. Georgia proudly swam all the way across and encouraged others to join her! For dinner, we had chicken and cheese quesadillas alongside guacamole and chips while we continued to explore our campsite! Finn spent the rest of the evening helping everyone hang their hammocks so the kids could all sit in them together! We closed out the night with moonup and tucked into our sleeping bags to get ready for our first day of rafting!
The morning started off strong with cinnamon roll pancakes where Louisa served as a member of the cook crew and created a homemade cinnamon sugar icing to top them all off! We loaded up on sunscreen and headed to the Great American River to hop in our rafts! Our first day on the river was full of class two and three rapids, boat games, and paddle high fives! Cash encouraged everyone on his boat to paddle hard by leading chants after every big rapid! After being in the sun all day, everyone was excited to get back to our campsite! We spent the afternoon relaxing in hammocks, skipping rocks, and taking river showers. Our outfitters cooked us an incredible dinner of steak, chicken, and pasta followed by warm brownies! Hunter dominated in a game of ninja and helped kick off our epic dance party filled with fun music and glow sticks. We then had a special MoonUp where Katherine and Louis, our LOD’s for the day, shared the most memorable Nug Jug story together! Many ‘nugs’ were shared before closing out MoonUp and getting some rest before our next day of rafting!
Our second day of rafting was an early morning, but we were greeted with the most delicious breakfast from our guides before packing up camp and heading back out on the river! Poppy showed her enthusiasm as lead paddler by cheering for the group through every single rapid! We enjoyed lunch on the river, solved riddles in our boats, and took a few swim breaks before heading onto our next adventure!
We are on the way to spend our next few days exploring Yosemite. We truly cannot wait to see the bonds this group will continue to build throughout this trip! We are so grateful to the memories we are experiencing together and cannot thank you enough for sharing your incredible kids with us!
Signing off for now!
Kate, Cass and Sam
Hunter: Hi Mom I miss you! See you in seven days!
Cash: Hey fam, miss you so much! See you when I get home! Love you
Gray: Hi my dearest parents and siblings. I love you all! I’m having the time of my life!
Poppy: Hey Fam! I’m having the literal the best time of my life! Love you all!
Owen: Hey Mom and Dad! Today I’m going climbing! I’m having so much fun and I can’t wait to see you!
Spencer: Hi Mom and Dad, miss you! I am having the best time! Our group is the best and have become my best friends! Love yall!
CC: Hey Mom and Dad! I miss y’all so much! Happy late birthday Mom! Our group is the best and I love my leaders! Love y’all!
Finn: Hi Mom and Dad! How are you? I’m having a great time! Miss you!
Georgia: Hi Mom and Dad I’m having so much fun!! I will see you in seven days! Love you!
Katharine: Hi Mom and Dad! I miss y’all but I’m having so much fun! Love you!
Louisa: Hi guys! I miss y’all so much but I’m having so much fun!! Stay safe and I’ll see you soon! Ps. Can I please have a bunny?
Louis: Hey Mom, having a lot of fun, miss you!
Safe Arrival in California!
July 11, 2024
Hello California Families!
We heard from our leaders last night that the group has landed safely in San Francisco and is headed to their first campsite! The group is excited to finally be together, and we are so excited to hear more about their adventures over the next couple weeks!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next two weeks! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
