Final Update!
July 4, 2024
Greetings friends and family!
We are both happy and sad to share that the students have all safely boarded their flights back to the US. We truly experienced some of the greatest weeks of our lives together and as a group and we can’t wait to share all of our adventures with you all! While we wish our time as a group would never end, we are so grateful for the time we got to spend together.
Before saying our final goodbyes, we had another memorable adventure in Paris! We arrived to Paris via train in the afternoon and hopped on the local metro line to travel to our hostel. We made quick work of dropping our bags, changing our shoes, and hitting the streets before making our dinner reservations. Chuck knew just the thing to do to fill our time and that was visiting the Luxembourg Gardens! It was a beautiful garden and the perfect time of day to take lots of pictures and enjoy green space within the city. Dinner was at an Italian restaurant as we heard that the Italian food in Paris is actually quite exceptional. And that it was! We enjoyed pizzas and pastas and, of course, good company. After dinner we headed back to the hostel for a reset before hitting the town again to see the city of lights in its glory. Using a combination of walking and metro we hurried as Chuck told us “we’ve got to get to the river in time for the sunset!” We popped out of the metro tunnel to ground level right across from the river and we were bummed to see that the sun had already set – we missed it. However, little did the group know that Chuck and Annalee planned an evening boat cruise on the Seine and the “sunset at the river” was just a decoy to the real plan! As Chuck announced it, the group cheered and we immediately ran down to river level and to our boat to claim the best seats. The boat tour took us up and down the river and we gazed at the lights in all directions. Mid-way through the tour the boat turned around right at the Eiffel Tower and as the clock struck the top of the hour, it sparkled with lights that danced on and off over its facade and the Olympic Rings changed from their traditional colors to bright white. Anne Price got excited hearing that this summer’s Olympic beach volleyball will be held under the Tower. We capped off the night with Moonup led by Porter and Katherine in our tiny hostel room.
After a long night of rest, we prepared for our day out on the town by looking and feeling our best in fresh clothes. We stopped in a boulangerie as soon as we could and students ordered a variety of pastries including croissants, quiche, and bread. We then stopped at a coffee shop where we sat and enjoyed latte’s and cappuccinos. Well fueled, we hit the nearest metro station and popped out at the famous Louvre museum. This made Katherine’s trip! She was so excited to be where she has always dreamed of going. We admired the glass pyramid entrance and although the museum was closed (big bummer), we walked over to the side of the building that the Mona Lisa is displayed and we got as closer to the Mona Lisa than we ever have been before. The gardens led us toward our other destinations and Bevin noted how it felt strikingly similar to the DC mall but so much better. We finished our walk at the Arc and as we approached it we began to see popular stores but in x5 sizes. Gia lead the excitement of the group as this moment had been building for her! We enjoyed shopping store by store, window shopping the jewelry stores, and hit even a book shop where the most items were purchased. As hunger arose, we pivoted to a lunch spot with sandwiches and treats; almost everyone enjoyed a macaron of either raspberry, pistachio, or vanilla flavor. After lunch we stopped at a few more stores but focused on making our way back to the historical and culturally rich areas. This included the Musee d’Orsay where we spent the majority of our time looking at the impressionist gallery where works of Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh were displayed. Porter served as a great role model to really absorb the art and take time with it. And on our way out, we were glad Charlie suggested a walk toward the sculptures as we all really enjoyed it. We popped down into the metro again and popped back up at Norte Dame and did some poking around in hopes of finding Maggie & Chuck pinky rings. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in finding pinky rings but we did come across Shakespeare’s Corner Bookstore and street vendors with displays of art and souvenirs. With just a quick stop at the front of Norte Dame, we were off again and the metro whisked us away to our final dinner and banquet location. This traditional French restaurant was unassuming from the street but we dined in a grand room with 20′ plus ceilings with crown molding and mirrors that covered the mint walls. Many of us tried escargot for the first time and the majority enjoyed beef skirt steak for dinner. With the goal of Moonup at the Eiffel Tower in mind, we still kept our priorities straight and stopped at a gelato shop for dessert. It was the best gelato of the trip! We arrived at the Eiffel Tower in time for sunset and took pictures galore. Moonup was not feasible at the Eiffel Tower with the Olympics imposing closures on a majority of the surrounding green space. So we headed back to the hostel and cried and laughed and hugged each other as Charlie and Maggie led us in the most epic of final Moonups where we put closure to such a wonderful trip with an amazing group.
Parents and guardians,
It has been an absolute honor to spend time with each of your children these past three weeks. The fact alone that your child chose to spend three weeks of their valuable summer time on a Moondance trip speaks volumes to who they are. Getting to know them and see them for who they are was an honor and something we will hold dear to our hearts and remember forever. Across the board, these students have shared this is the best Moondance group they have ever been apart of. We feel incredibly lucky to have had such a stellar group of kids that clicked on day 1. Thank you for investing in this experience for your children.
Anne Price, Asher, Bevin, Cam, Charlie, Gia, Katherine, Maggie, and Porter,
Thank you for choosing Moondance. Thank you for showing up on this trip as your best selves. We saw each and everyone of your flourish on this trip and we feel truly honored to have shared it with you. We feel thankful to have gotten the opportunity to see you open up the doors of who you are and see each of you both give and receive nothing but love in doing so. You are each uniquely yourself and we have learned more about who we are and who we want to be because of our time spent with you. Remember that the feelings you had on this trip reside within you, and although this trip can never be replicated, things, people, and experiences in your lives will cause these same feelings to resurface. Think back to this trip when they do and use it as your reminder to lean in, fully, as yourself. You deserve to feel the way this trip and these people have made you feel. You are worthy of the love and acceptance you desire and you are a source of that love and acceptance for others.
We love you dearly and and here for you no matter the reason. We just have one final question for you…Are we thankful?
Big love,
Chuck & Annalee
Adventures in the Alps!
July 1, 2024
Hi Friends and Family!
This leg of the trip started with a long travel day, moving from L’Escala to Girona, to Paris, on to Geneva, and finally to Chamonix. We arrived at our refuge, which had the iconic chalet look with white stucco, carved wooden shutters, and flower pots displayed below windows and balconies. We arrived late in the evening, and our gracious hosts served us dinner immediately. We enjoyed delicious soup, bread, and whole chicken legs served with mashed potatoes, followed by raspberry yogurt for dessert. Gia and Katherine led Moonup at the dinner table. We learned about each other’s love languages and played a game of concentration to close it out. Rest was needed, and we fell asleep fast.
The next morning, we got our long-awaited view of Mont Blanc from our hostel balconies. The grandiosity of the mountain towered over us. We met with our guide, Christophe, at breakfast and hit the road right after that. We walked in our hiking boots with our backpacks on from our hostel to the local grocery store. Walking through the town of Chamonix felt surreal, with both the architecture of the buildings and the natural world around us. Our LODs, Anne Price and Asher, stocked us up on goodies from the store that would serve as our lunch, including baguettes, meats, cheeses, apples, nuts, dried fruits, and hippy roll-ups. From the grocery store, we walked to the corner and got on the bus that took us to the tram. The bus was filled with fellow English speakers, and we made friends with some folks from New Hampshire and Denver. We used our bus tickets for the tram as well and ascended 2500 feet to the top of a ridgeline. Once there, we took a moment to enjoy the view before embarking on the trail. We did a variety of climbing and descending this first day and continued to be in awe of Mont Blanc, with its fresh snow from the night before and the glaciers that filled in the sides with waterfalls streaming out from them. We walked over the famous Mont Blanc train tracks that can take people close to the top, and we used a short cable bridge to cross over a powerful waterfall. We enjoyed lunch at the top of a ridgeline with a beautiful view in all directions, with Mont Blanc towering above us in one direction and green valleys below us in the other direction. We walked slightly uphill from our lunch spot to a mountain pass, and from there, we could see the chateau below where we would be staying. We slowly and carefully made our way down the trail until we arrived in the village and at our chateau. After getting settled into our room, we enjoyed long naps while it rained outside and gelato in the courtyard. We awoke from our naps in time to take showers before having a delicious traditional meal of soup, omelette, and salad, which was followed by blueberry pie. We loved our first Moonup with Christophe and quickly wrapped it up in order to run over to the perfect viewpoint of the most beautiful sunset yet of the trip.
Day 2 of our Tour du Mont Blanc was led by Charlie and Maggie, who checked in with Christophe before informing the group of what our day would look like. We left Miage and hiked up to another ridgeline, and once we popped over the top, we saw the most beautiful view with Mont Blanc behind us and more of the Alps in the distance, with bells ringing from the cows and a statue of the Virgin Mary. It was so beautiful, in fact, that Chuck and Annalee took several minutes to soak in the view before realizing the group had moved on. We then wound through the forest, letting trail runners pass us as they trained for the Tour du Mont Blanc race. Once at the top of the next ridgeline, we could see down to the town below, where we stopped for lunch supplies. Before hitting the town center, we came across a church that had an outdoor art display of a famous French artist, Samivel. We took at least 15 minutes wandering the small art park and enjoying the art. Once in the town center, we loaded up on lunch food for the next two days and stopped at a small bakery, where we got baguettes, loaves of bread, pastries, and cookies for the group to share. We walked along the river on our way out of town and cruised the mostly flat path until we reached an old church. We enjoyed the church and snacks before hitting the old and steep Roman road that would take us uphill for the next hour before stopping for lunch under a large tree in the woods, making the large roots our table. We conquered another stretch of uphill, which led us to a wonderful river spot where we stopped to sink our feet and faces into the ice-cold water and listen to music. From the river spot, we could see our destination, and we hiked as a group up to the refuge, which took about another hour. Upon arrival at the refuge, we saw our Denver friends that we met on the bus. Before dinner, we enjoyed showers and two lessons from our guide Christophe. His first lesson was one in taking time to reflect on our trip so far and share with others back-to-back, and the other involved learning how to use our crampons for our snow crossing we might encounter the following day. We enjoyed vegetables and pasta for dinner and topped it off with Moonup and another beautiful sunset.
Day 3 of our Tour du Mont Blanc was led by Cam and Porter, who proved to be the best duo of leaders for a day filled with both fun and focus. We hit the trail early and headed up to the snowy mountain pass. We stopped along the way at a beautiful view and took loads of pictures while also throwing snowballs at each other. We evaded the snow as long as we could, but as we got closer to the summit of the pass, snow travel was necessary. We stomped our feet into the snow, creating our own staircase of sorts as we walked up the snow. We successfully reached the top and had a bit more climbing to do ahead of us on and off the snow. It wasn’t enough snow to require the use of crampons, and that allowed us to slide down the snow and practice our skiing along the way. As we approached our high point and lunch spot for the day, we saw ibex no more than 30 yards away from us. We stuffed ourselves with more cheese, meats, chips, and granola bars like the day before. We also saw the Denver crew yet again, and we celebrated with them as two of them just got engaged at the top of the first pass! We stopped at the chateau below to fill up water, use the bathroom, and empty our trash. We then walked down, down, down to the road far below us in the valley. We walked along the road shortly as we arrived at our accommodation, known as the “Cheese Factory,” where we were spoiled with the traditional meal of raclette made by our guide Christophe and the dinner crew.
On Day 4 of our trek, we walked downhill from the Cheese Factory into the small village, where there was a grocery store just big enough to have our LODs, Gia and Bevin, help purchase lunch supplies and a bus stop that we would use to take a bus up the next valley to our trailhead. The bus driver was nice enough to take us further than his normal route, which we greatly appreciated as it was quite windy outside. We hiked in the wind up and up and crossed over a large river, where we wore our trekking boots around our necks and put on river shoes to cross. The water was so cold it took us some time to warm our toes up before we were ready to keep walking! We kept climbing and climbing, and we were surprised the rain held off until we were on the other side of the pass. At the top of the pass, we said hello to Italy, our fourth and final country to visit! We hopped back and forth and took pictures with one foot in each. We quickly made our way downhill to a nice mountain chateau that held some history of Mont Blanc and a wood-burning fireplace where we warmed up. We put our rain gear on as we ate possibly one of our best lunches yet outside, under the roof of the chateau. A long downhill stretch was ahead of us that would take us into Courmayer, Italy, where our hotel awaited us. We passed by some Roman Empire ruins and learned some history of the area from Christophe. We walked through a moraine, which was a wild sight for all of us as it looked like nothing we’ve seen before. We arrived at our bus stop with plenty of time to spare but quickly learned that Italians don’t operate on the same clock as the rest of us, which was as frustrating as it was hilarious. We ended up walking a bit further down the road to the next bus stop, and alas, we got our ride down to town. Our hotel was just a short walk away, and it spoiled us with fresh towels and cozy beds. We went out to dinner at a fancy pizza restaurant and played chess and trivia to top off the night.
The next morning, we woke up to the smell of croissants filling the hallway and staircase. This was the best breakfast yet, with delicious made-to-order Italian coffee. Our LODs, Anne Price and Asher, set the tone for the day with an awesome morning huddle, and we hit the town to check out some shops before getting on the bus that took us through the famous Mont Blanc tunnel back to Chamonix. Back in Chamonix, we stopped at our hostel to drop our bags before heading downtown to a popular burger joint called Poco Loco. Some members of the group said it was the best burger they had ever had! Christophe took us on a short walking tour of Chamonix before leaving the group, which brought some tears and lots of hugs. We then hit all the shops, and we all found souvenirs to take home with us, including posters, books, and t-shirts. We played games in the park before dinner and held Moonup in one of our hostel rooms. It was hard to leave Moonup as we feel so glued together at this point.
We are now on our way to Paris after having breakfast at a bakery in Chamonix this morning. Katherine and Porter are our LODs today, and we are excited to see them “drive.” We are ready to take on Paris and make the most of our roughly 36 hours there before heading home. We are already having a hard time thinking about our time together coming to an end, but for now, we try to remain present and have a blast!
Annalee and Chuck
Fun Times in L'Escala!
June 25, 2024
Hello Friends and Family!
We have spent the past three days in L’Escala, Spain where we enjoyed beaches and sea kayaking.
We arrived at Punta Mila in L’Escala, Spain in the mid afternoon and were amazed to see our accommodations. As our host showed us the way to our campsite we walked past a swimming pool, cabin like tents, palm trees, and the weather was WARM! We could feel the ocean in the air. At the campsite we shared bungalow style tents that were perched on wooden platforms and came with lots of cooking supplies for some home cooked meals that we would be making over the next few days. As we got settled in, we crossed paths with another Moondance group and Cam & Asher were able to talk to their siblings. We walked about 15 minutes to the closest grocery store and Gia instantly sprang into action as she excitedly took responsibility for the grocery shopping for the tacos she and Katherine decided would be for dinner. Once back at camp, Annalee cooked and assembled the taco bar as the crew sat and chatted with each other while playing cards or making bracelets. After Katherine and Gia led Moonup, we headed to bed relaxing into the camp lifestyle.
Our first day at Punta Mila we headed to the beach first thing after Chuck made a breakfast of eggs, sausage, coffee, bagels, cream cheese, cereal, and more. With AP and Charlie leading the day, we met our sea kayaking guides Giffrey and Tony and they gave us instructions and a safety briefing before we hit the water. The beach was absolutely beautiful with the classic Mediterranean white stucco houses, sprinkled with magenta flowers as a pop of color and perfectly turquoise blue water with sail boats floating in the bay. Our guides led us close to the edge of the water where waves crash against tall cliff faces of orange, white, and yellow rock. We went in and out of caves and saw bats and sea tomatoes. We stopped for a break on a small beach tucked into a cove. The winds picked up as we left our break spot to head to a natural arch that we kayaked through and then back to where we started. We stopped kayaking around lunch time and leaders Chuck and Annalee surprised the group with lunch out! We sat at the beach side and ate a variety of foods including burgers, pizza, pasta, salad, and Charlie, Cam, and Maggie created a loophole to also have paella! After lunch we headed back to camp and enjoyed pool time where everyone took naps in the sun. We collected laundry, making sure everyone would have fresh clothes for the next trekking trip coming up. Charlie and AP decided on pasta and pesto, marinara, and alfredo sauce with broccoli for dinner. After dinner we rolled right into Moonup and afterward we ran into the other Moondance group again and the groups mingled for quite some time.
The next day we were very excited to sleep in and the students took advantage of that! French toast with fruit and maple syrup was served hot and fresh for the students. At a leisurely pace we made our way down to the beach and Bevin & Porter chose our home base. We enjoyed bathing in the sun and swimming out in the clear blue water. Chuck took Charlie, Asher, Katherine & Porter out to where it was deep enough to wonder how deep it really was and Porter impressively swam down and was able to touch the bottom while Charlie watched. After hours in the sun, our hunger grew and the group made their way back to camp where we filled a picnic table with meats, cheeses, breads, fruits, and veggies as a kind of charcuterie board. Naps and showers were next on the list as we indulged in our rest day. However the rest had to come to an end as the competitive and creative minds of the students were called on as Chuck and Annalee challenged them to a night of Iron Chef, a Moondance staple. Using a random generator, the group was split in two with Gia, Bevin, AP, Asher, and Maggie as “Team 10” and Charlie, Porter, Katherine, and Cam as the “Bulldogs.” Strategy immediately ensued and students discussed with their groups on the way to the grocery store. Students were given 20 minutes to have everything they need in their shopping carts and at the register to check out. Back at camp, teams were given 10 minutes of prep time to create their work stations and grab the utensils they need. The cooking competition kicked off with an appetizer round that started with the trivia question “What network does Iron Chef air on” which determined which team would have the lighter first to start their stove tops. Hilarity ensued as Maggie directed her team into action and Charlie established respect by referring to each of his teammates as “chef.” Bevin and Gia locked in on making an amazing mango, corn, and black bean salsa. Cam proved to be our resident expert as she made a roux to get the Mac ‘N’ Cheese started. In the entree round, Asher and AP held down the stove top preparing chicken to go inside the quesadillas. Meanwhile, Katherine took her job seriously as the sandwich artisan, carefully placing rosemary in each sandwich, and Porter surprised us with his plating skills as he prepared the plates that the bowls of Charlie’s soup would be presented on. Judges Chuck and Annalee were very impressed with not only the taste of all dishes, but also the teamwork and dedication that went into the evening. Ultimately, it came down to a gut decision for the judges and the Bulldogs were crowned the winner of Season CHA Episode 3B of Iron Chef. After Moonup, led by Porter and Bevin, Chuck surprised the group with a trip to the beach to join in on the Sant Joan celebrations, one of the most important holidays for Spaniards in this region of the country. The group sat to watch fireworks on the beach while Maggie and Cam danced to familiar American music coming from a nearby restaurant. After about an hour, we headed back to camp to get some rest before our second day on the Mediterranean Sea!
Our second day of kayaking began first with a van ride down the coast to a different beach. We enjoyed this day of kayaking a bit more as it was a bit more interactive as we wound through rocks and waited for waves to allow enough water to squeeze through some spots. We paddled to a beach and Charlie didn’t hesitate to go snorkeling where he saw another snorkeler working on catching an octopus. After lunch and getting warm in the sun, we all found ourselves jumping in for a snorkeling session where Porter found a starfish, and Katherine found crabs along the rocky shore. It was an easy paddle back to where we began and once back at camp we hustled to make it to our cooking class on time which was held at a local restaurant. Maggie and Bevin made a bread appetizer. Porter and AP made pesto from scratch that they spread on salad wedges. Katherine and Cam made guacamole. Gia cut tuna and made tuna tartare. Charlie & Asher made paella in the kitchen. We were well equipped for this cooking class as our Iron Chef night had our cooking skills well primed.
After our cooking class dinner we went up to the local castle to take pictures with a beautiful view looking over town, the ocean, and the Pyrenees mountains in the distance. Maggie and Cam held Moonup there for us which started with a one footed competition. We slowly made our way back down to town and then to the campsite. We packed our bags and enjoyed an early night in.
We are now making our way to Chamonix for the Tour du Mont Blanc on a combination of trains and buses. We are very excited to get back to trekking and seeing what Chamonix and the Alps are all about!
Wish us well as we take on the great Mont Blanc!
Chuck & Annalee
Fast times in the Pyrenees!
June 22, 2024
Leaders Chuck and Annalee are so excited to finally have our group all here and are feeling ready to kick off our adventure together! After everyone arrived safely in Paris, we quickly said our first hellos and started our day of travel to Luz, France. To get to Luz, France, we took one shuttle, two trains, and two vans. The airport shuttle took us to the correct terminal, where we transferred onto the metro line RER B, which took us from the airport into Paris. Once in Paris, with all our gear in tow, we walked the streets of Paris admiring just how French everything looked as on-lookers clearly admired our backpacks and untraditional streetwear. As we made our way through the streets and toward our next train, we stopped at a crepe & panini shop and very much enjoyed our first taste of French cuisine. We approve! Just outside the train station, a local makers market was in full swing, and with our spare time, we wandered and sat in the sun. The next train was much nicer, less crowded, and a smoother ride than the metro. We took this long train ride to Lourdes as an opportunity to nap and get to know each other better. Once in Lourdes, we met our Pyrenees trekking guides, who drove us to our hotel in Luz St. Sauveur. We were blown away by the beauty of the mountains and the blue water of the river flowing through the valley. Our cute hotel surprised all of us with its mini balconies and sky windows. We ate to our belly’s were content at a local pizza shop just a 15-second walk down the street and met the owner’s dog, Tishka, who enjoyed us just as much as we enjoyed him. Following dinner, we rolled right into our first Moonup, all sharing why we are here and which section of the trip we are most looking forward to. Lots of excited trekkers and sea kayakers in this group!
After a full night of rest, we woke up feeling less jet lag than the day before. We had a slow morning and enjoyed breakfast in our pajamas. Breakfast included fresh croissants, fruit, espresso drinks made to order, local honey, and yogurt, and we all gawked again at how cute the hotel was. We set off on a day hike recommended by the hotel owner with Anne Price and Charlie as our leaders of the day (LODs). The mountains impressed us with their snow-capped peaks and lush forested slopes. Once on the trail, we looked down at the town of Luz and were surprised by how large the town was given how small it felt below. We met a donkey along the way, and trail talk and games like “connections” commenced. We stopped at old bridges along the way, and at one point, we were able to walk up the slick rocks just a bit to see a small waterfall. Asher took this as an unintentional slip and slide, and we all laughed when he said the water just looked so good he had to get in. Back in town, we grabbed picnic items from the local grocery store for lunch. We enjoyed French fruits, baguettes, cheeses, and meats as we sat next to what seemed like an impossibly old church. After an hour or so of free time, which most of us took as an opportunity to take alone time and nap off the remaining jet lag, we gathered to learn what to pack in our packs and how to pack our packs for our trekking in the Pyrenees that started the next day! We had dinner at a local restaurant just a 10-minute walk away from the hotel. We enjoyed the French classic of crème brûlée for dessert. We huddled on the floor of the small lobby of our hotel for Moonup and shared and laughed together before a long night of rest.
We awoke to the smell of freshly baked croissants and headed downstairs with our trekking packs ready to go. We met Mandy, our trekking guide, whom we would soon come to love dearly, and she joined us for our morning huddle that Maggie and Asher led as our LODs for the day. They prepared us with the details of the day and made sure everyone had what they need. After about a 30-minute van ride, we arrived at our trailhead, where grazing sheep greeted us. We circled up with Mandy who gave us a description of the day and week of trekking ahead of us. This first day included a decent climb and a longer descent. We met marmots along the way, heard birds chirping, crossed babbling streams, and enjoyed each other’s company and more trail conversations. At the top of our first climb, the fierce winds didn’t stop the group from taking a photo with the amazing view that included mountain tops and ridge lines in the distance and a high alpine lake below. We hiked down out of the wind and ate lunch in Spain! Lunch included baguettes, cheese, meat, and Annalee’s favorite “hippy roll-ups” by the lake. A game of trivia determined who was in line for lunch. Our descent down to our Refugio included grand and beautiful views. We arrived at the Refugio with enough time to enjoy free time to ourselves and to sit as a group to share personal and group goals. Those of us who know some Spanish were excited to start hearing and speaking in the new native tongue. Dinner included an Alfredo pasta course to start, then fries and sausages (aka salchiches y patatas fritas) for the main course, and a lemon poppy seed flavored, mashed potato textured cake for dessert that was actually delicious! We continued playing the hat riddle that Bevin introduced to us, and most of us were able to solve it by the end of the meal. Katherine proved to be a front-runner in these riddles. Meanwhile, we laughed at the idea of Porter sleep talking in the middle of the night saying “who has the hat?” as he had the most difficult time figuring out the riddle.
Waking up in a stone cottage-type building felt cozy and unreal. Another slow morning was a treat as we had about a half day of hiking ahead of us. The hiking was a treat as well, as it was a Goldilocks downhill – not too steep, hardly uphill, just right, and relatively short in distance. Today’s trail talk included the animal guessing game, which we played in a line, put to 5 people playing at a time, and the “Wears your paddle” riddle. We arrived in the small town of Torla, which is tucked into the hillside of a narrow valley with enough time to spend several hours playing in the river, bathing in the sun, and making a fort. The fort started with Porter, and, Charlie, and Asher joined in along with Chuck & Annalee. All the while, the girls listened to their favorite songs while napping and chatting on the perfect sunbathing rock. Once we started feeling hot from the sun, it was time to jump into the ice-cold water. We found the perfect jumping rock, and everyone jumped in, including our guide, Mandy. Back at the Refugio, we enjoyed showers before a three-course meal at dinner. Menu items included veal, chicken, trout, and a few unique items that students tried like crumbs and scrambled eggs. LODs Bevin & Cam led us in a fun Moonup at the old church courtyard, a signature building for the small town of Torla. We started Moonup with a plank contest, which Maggie won, and ended with a human pyramid.
Day 3 of our Pyrenees trek took us to Ordesa Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of Europe. It is a vast canyon with steep cliff face walls, waterfalls, and the river lies 800 meters below the surface. We were able to keep our packs light as we returned to the same Refugio for the evening. The LODs, Porter and Katherine, encouraged the group to take the 600 meter climb in silence. We sent it up the canyon in no time. Our group made it up in 90 minutes, half an hour ahead of the our guide Mandy’s expectation. Up top, the group admired sights of the canyon and La Breche, a geological phenomena in the Pyrenees. Legend has it that Charlemagne of France sliced the rock with his sword to invade Spain. We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon traversing further into the canyon. Later in the afternoon, we cut down to the base of a waterfall far in Ordesa Canyon. We passed herds of cattle and rushing waterfalls along the yellow brick road back to the car park as we discussed our roles in The Wizard of Oz. Cam was the first to call out fall points and throw out med kits for those in need throughout the day and Charlie kept us entertained with his anti-jokes. Back in town, Annalee and Anne Price ran to the store to make sure we had plenty of well-earned snacks, including Nutella, cookies, and fresh-baked pizza! Bevin takes pride in cleaning out the Nutella jar despite getting it all over herself in the process. After showers and a bit of down time, we enjoyed another Spanish dinner and took a moment to give special thanks to our dads. Moonup was in the same location and this time we started with limbo which Asher surprised us and won!
The next day, we said goodbye to Torla, loaded our packs up fully, and hit the trail, this time headed back to France and the popular town of Gavarnie. The day was split into two, with the border of France & Spain separating each. We steadily climbed up a beautiful valley with a cascading river through the center, with Gia & AP as our LODs. Once at the top, we hooted, hollered, and giggled as we jumped from France to Spain and back to France again over and over. With the wind whipping, we opted to enjoy our packed lunches in France, which meant lower down in the valley. We enjoyed our lunches alongside a herd of sheep. Gavarnie is even smaller than Torla, with just one grocery store, but we did manage to find some ice cream that satisfied our souls. This was easily the most picturesque day yet with the towering snow-capped mountains, lush green valleys, and The Cirque du Gavarnie, which boasts Europe’s second tallest waterfall. At the hostel, AP quickly made friends with the neighbor, the donkey. After getting settled in our rooms, we enjoyed dinner made by our friendly and wacky host, Christophe. He prepared us a wonderful salad, salmon, and pasta with yogurt and fruit for dessert. AP is proud to have tried the fish and Porter was surprised to actually enjoy fish for the first time! This dinner was also the birthplace of the Legend of Cheddarman thanks to Charlie, and to Bevin, Asher and Porter for their contributions.
From Gavarnie, we walked to the Grande Cascade on our way to Espuguettes. We took the opportunity to drop our bags and walk to the base of this waterfall. Our guide, Mandy, recommended that we wear our rain coats, and we are so glad we did. The force of the waterfall smashing on the rocks created wind that accompanied mist and we got soaked! We continued our trek up to an old closed-up Refugio, where we took a break and did the NOLS leadership grid, which helped students to identify what their natural strengths are as leaders. It was a fun opportunity to learn about ourselves and others in the group. Hiking conversations were dominated by multi-person connections, and singing Hamilton. Arriving to Espuguettes felt and looked like a movie. Mountains surround us everywhere and this remote Refugio cobblestoned together with sheep, cows, and donkeys surrounding it felt too good to be true. Unlike our other Refugio’s thus far on the trip, this one is extremely remote without a service road. It was hard to believe they were going to be able to feed our hungry tummies! When it came time for dinner, we feasted on soup, bread, and pasta bolognese. Charlie particularly liked the soup and helped the team out with leftovers. We ate until our tummies were content and were surprised with a chocolate mousse dessert. Our LODs, Charlie & Cam lead us in Moonup had the most spectacular view and we finished with a game of poison dart frog with Katherine as the first frog and filled the rest of our evening with several rounds of mafia.
Waking up at Espuguettes felt far from normal. We woke up to an alarm and immediately sung happy birthday to Porter! A tiara and happy birthday sunglasses were placed on the birthday boy, and we enjoyed breakfast with breathtaking views. Porter and Maggie were chosen as our LODs, and they, along with our guide, Mandy, led us down the mountain on and off the trail. But first, we used the face paint crayons to draw hearts around our eyes, names down our arms, and Cam gave everyone cupcakes. The clouds lay below us in the valley, and as we passed free-roaming cows, the clouds slowly moved up the mountainside toward us, and we were soon consumed in the cloud. As we arrived back in Gavarnie, full sun returned and we stopped at a park and students dropped their backpacks and bought crepes, and ice cream waffles, and other local snacks. We set off from Gavarnie before lunch and ended up enjoying lunch up on the hillside with our final view back to Grande Cascade and Gavarnie. Trail conversations included history with Cam, Maggie and Mandy and notably the discussion of the Trojan Horse being the greatest prank of all time, leaving Mandy in tears of laughter. After lunch, in no time at all, we found our hostel – a cute old white stucco house with brown shutters and red accents. We hung out in the bunk room for several hours as we looked out the window as the fog rolled in. To pass the time before dinner, the group competed in a posture off which lasted about 30 minutes for most but almost three hours for Bevin and Charlie who ended up agreeing to stop before heading down to dinner. We were so hungry that we ended up walking through each of our Chipotle and Cava orders that Charlie and Bevin “built” for us. At dinner we enjoyed salad and spaghetti and an apricot cake made specially for Porter’s birthday! That night we fell asleep to the sound of rain and thunder.
The next morning the rain and thunder continued and we unfortunately had to cut our trekking trip short. Thankfully the Refugio had an access road so we were picked up in the morning and taken back to Luz. Bevin and Asher were our LODs and to their wonderful recommendation, we took advantage of the day off and rested most of the day. Mandy stopped in to give an emotional goodbye. She expressed how wonderful this group is and that this has been the best Moondance group she has ever guided with. In the afternoon, we all went to the bakery just a few doors down from the hotel, and each got an item. We then walked across town to the grocery store where students bought snacks – most notably, Swedish candy. We walked back to the hotel and enjoyed our treats and played cards, and Katherine, Maggie, and Porter sang Hamilton at the top of their lungs. Gia continued to supply the bracelet making supplies as some of us were starting our second and third bracelets at this point. Gia’s favorite song Hey Jude was solidified as one of the trips top songs, and Katherine helped with the music queue. We ordered pizza for dinner and moonup was held at the local castle with a fantastic view looking down at town. Chuck and Maggie proved to be our visionaries, always looking out for the perfect picture and they are head to head in a competition for the most pictures.
We woke up again to the smell of croissants, and our LODs, Katherine & Gia, helped make sure we had our bags properly packed for a travel day to Spain. We are on the bus now and have several hours ahead of us. Some students are napping, some are chatting, and the smell of snacks fills the air. Chuck and I could not feel more strongly that we have the best group of kids. This group is so cohesive, kind to each other, and we celebrate our differences and uniqueness that we each bring to the trip. Students have expressed that it’s hard to believe that it’s only been 10 days as we feel like we’ve known each other for so long, and it’s sad to think that we are already halfway through the trip. We are excited for the change of pace with the sea kayaking and equally as excited for the Tour du Mont Blanc after that.
Talk soon!
Annalee and Chuck
Student Shoutouts
Anne Price: Bonjour mamacita and dadicita!! I miss y’all so much but I’m having the absolute best time and I love my group. I hope Father’s Day was amazing and give pippa a treat for me. 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
Asher: Happy Father’s Day! Want y’all to know I’ve won most of the mini games we’ve played and believe it or not limbo. Can’t wait to see you guys again and thank you so much for getting me on this trip
Bevin: Hi mom and dad! I miss you guys but I am having so much. I hope you guys had a good Fathers Day and tell Declan I love him!❤️
Charlie: Happy Father’s Day and birthday Thaddeus. Hope y’all are having a good time because I sure am.
Cam: Hey mama and dad(happy Father’s Day daddy) love y’all and miss y’all. Having so much fun here, thank y’all.(hey Nat). Happy 25th anniversary also! Taft hope you are playing well. Can’t wait to see y’all❤️❤️🫡🙌🏿😻💜💜💜
Katherine: Hi mom and dad! Happy late Father’s Day dad!!! I miss y’all so so much but I’m having the best time and can’t wait to tell y’all about it! Tell Henry and George and beau and Emmy I said hi and I miss them too. I also haven’t gotten any blisters! I love y’all!💓❤️🔥🦋💜💛
Gia: Hi mama bog and jimmayyy! And HAPPY FATHERS DAY POPS!!!! I miss y’all so much, but I’m having so much fun. Tell Rocco I miss him and I hope he is enjoying New York. See y’all in two weeks, I love you!!!💕💕💕👋👋👋
Maggie: HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD! Miss you and mom tons but I’m having a blast!!!!The food has been awesome and the views have been even better🍝🥖. Our group is the best and we have ran into many sheep and cows 🐄🐑. Grateful for y’all and hope you all aren’t having too much fun without me💕💕💕💕💕💯💯❤️❤️❤️❤️ au revior 👋👋 ⚡️🌈🔥💥🦩🦄🐙💋🦋🐝. 🐸⭐️🏹
Porter: Hey guys! Happy belated Father’s Day Dad, miss you! Mom and AB love and miss y’all too. Jack and Lew, I’m missing y’all too. Kate you’re gonna be blown away by these pics. These are the coolest people ever and I had an amazing birthday.
Safe Arrival!
June 12, 2024
Hello Chamonix Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Paris and begun their transfer day to Luz! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure as they prepare to begin trekking in the Pyrenees!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! 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
