Ciao one last time from Italy!
July 22, 2024
The kids are safely on their way back to the States, and it was a sad morning saying goodbye to everyone! This was an amazing group and session to end our final two weeks in Italy with. This group brought excitement and positivity to each day and activity. Reed and I are so grateful that we were able to get to know and love each of them over the past two weeks. While we are sad to see them go, we have had a wonderful time and a great past few days! Here is what we have been up to!
On Friday, we trekked out of the mountains and traveled to the small town of Claut, Italy, where we would stay for two nights for our canyoneering activity. We woke up on our last morning in the mountains eager for breakfast, as it was everyone’s favorite breakfast spread (and maybe even meal) of the whole trip. We fueled up for our hike with delicious pancakes, croissants, yogurt, and granola. The trek was mostly downhill, which we were all excited about! Although the end of our trek was a bit rainy and stormy, we all agreed that it was a full-circle moment as our first trek 10 days ago was also rainy and stormy. The group kept the vibes high, and we finished our trekking section on a strong note! After a very sad goodbye to our wonderful, hilarious, and kind outfitter, Marco, we loaded up into two vans for our trip to Claut. We had a much-needed chill car ride filled with music and naps to help us recover from our past few days in the mountains. Once we arrived in Claut, we were all ecstatic to be reunited with our duffel bags and clean clothes. We showered and quickly headed down the street to the local supermarket. The supermarket was definitely a highlight of our time in Claut because we were all able to try new Italian treats and snacks! Henry S. and Henry M. both tried the popular European ice cream bar called Maxibon. It was as good as it looked, and they graciously gave everyone a bite! There might not be much to do in Claut, but there is a delicious gelato shop in the town center, which was our after-dinner treat! The group spent the evening laughing and drawing funny Sharpie tattoos on one another. Bevin was our Sharpie tattoo artist, and Hicks and Henry S. came out with the most ink (don’t worry, it was all washed off!).
We woke up the next morning for our fun day of canyoneering. The hotel we were staying at made homemade chocolate croissants that were definitely some of the best we had on the trip. The canyoneering was a huge hit and it was many people’s favorite activity of the trip. Marina and Gia took amazing GoPro videos of everyone else coming down the slides and rappels when they went first, and Bobby recorded the whole thing on his GoPro! Henry S. (aka Smitty or Smith) took a tumble into the water that had everyone cracking up. Reed said it was the hardest he had laughed all summer! While waiting for their turns on the slides and rappels, Hicks and Crawford dueled it out in various water fights, which kept us all entertained. Reese and Madison always had a smile on their faces coming down each rappel into the waterfalls, and their positive attitudes kept the vibes high. It was such a fun morning in the river! We spent the afternoon reading, napping, tanning, and walking around town. The girls soaked up the sun and listened to music while Reed, Bobby, Henry M., and Crawford explored the outdoor shop next to the hotel. We were delighted to have American french fries at dinner, and we of course ended the day with some gelato! Our LODs, EA and Smith, led us through another great Moonup and had everyone go around and say what the person to the left of them’s spirit animal would be. The most spot-on answers were EA being a mother deer and Hannah being a cool cat.
Yesterday, we woke up for our final full day together. It was a gorgeous blue-sky day without a cloud in sight! Hailey, Gia, Reese, Marina, and EA woke up early and went for a walk around town. After another yummy breakfast of chocolate croissants, we got back into the vans and headed to Venice! The group split up for lunch and the boys headed to McDonald’s while the girls opted for a brunch spot. Hannah, Reese, and Madison chose the delicious fluffy Japanese pancakes and the rest of us had avocado toast. Gia said that it was the best avocado toast she has ever had. Over at McDonald’s, Smith took down 17 chicken nuggets, and the boys were all smiles getting to have burgers and fries again. The boys checked out a few local art museums and a favorite was the Leonardo da Vinci museum that is in the Indiana Jones movie. Bobby especially loved this part of the day! The group met up again for shopping and exploring. The girls all got bracelets and necklaces with charms made from Murano glass from the Murano island in Venice! Crawford was in awe of the architecture and history of Venice and Bobby kept us all laughing and smiling the whole day. We ended our day with delicious Italian pizza and gelato. It was by far the best gelato we have had all trip! The city is lit up by yellow string lights along the water and it was a gorgeous walk back to our hostel as the sun was setting. We had our final Moonup along the canal and our LODs, Bobby and Marina, made it extra meaningful. We had a busy but fun last day together! It was a bittersweet evening, but we all reflected on how amazing the trip has been.
This truly has been a wonderful session, and Reed and I couldn’t think of a better group to end our summer with. This group loved to have fun, explore, and soak in the beautiful surroundings. They created meaningful and lasting friendships with each other that grew each and every day. They laughed hard, smiled big, and bought into the experience. Thank you so much for sharing them with us over these past two weeks. Our adventure and group wouldn’t have been the same without each and every one of them. This was an incredible group and we will miss them so much!!
All our Italian love,
Hailey and Reed
Checking in from the Dolomites!
July 18, 2024
Since we last chatted, we have been trekking, climbing, and continuing to explore the beautiful Dolomite mountains. It has been a wonderful ten days together, and we can’t believe that our time is coming to an end. We will be sure to soak up these last few days! We also wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your kids with us. This group wouldn’t be the same without each and every one of them. Thank you for letting us get to know your children and watch them grow and have fun! Here is a bit about what we have been up to over the past few days!
Monday was our longest and toughest day of trekking yet, but the group handled it like champs and kept spirits high the whole day. We fueled up for the day with yogurt bowls filled with granola and delicious local honey, along with croissants, bread, and jam. We had the perfect weather for our longest day of trekking: the sky was blue and bright, but the temperatures weren’t too hot. The first part of our trek was filled with horses, donkeys, and cows! Everyone got so excited to see EA in her natural habitat when we came across the horses. While we took a break before heading up our first big ascent, we had countless cows pass by the group on their way to see their other cow friends. One of the cows started licking Hannah’s backpack, and Marco had to chase it away. The cows are the best trail entertainment! Gia and Marina snagged an extra baguette and a few packets of Nutella for breakfast and enjoyed an impromptu trail snack before we began our ascent. After a big push to the top of a saddle, the group could see the beautiful lake below where we were headed for lunch and the rifugio up on the mountain where we would go after lunch! We ate lunch by the lake and fueled up for our next big ascent to the rifugio. The group stayed together on the way up to the top, and you could feel how much closer the group got by accomplishing something challenging together! We were rewarded at the top with stunning 360-degree views of mountain ranges upon mountain ranges. We enjoyed Cokes, cold water, chocolate cake, and French fries as we rested our legs and reflected on the trek. The group showered, napped, and played cards until it was time for dinner. It was our funniest dinner yet, and the conversations and laughs flowed the entire time. Our dinner ended with a birthday celebration for our wonderful guide and friend, Marco. We sang and enjoyed a delicious homemade birthday cake! As dinner was ending, the sunset was starting, and we rushed outside to take pictures and soak in the incredible views. Despite it being a bit chilly, EA, Crawford, Reese, Madison, and Hailey went back outside to catch the end of the sunset after Moonup. A few minutes away from our rifugio is a cross on the edge of the mountain, and the group walked there to see a new view and take in the scenery. We had an amazing day!
Hailey, EA, Bevin, Gia, Marina, Hicks, Crawford, Henry S, Madison, and Reese all woke up bright and early the next day to watch the sunrise. The 360-degree mountain range was lit up by pink and purple skies. It was so beautiful! We might look a bit sleepy in the pictures we took, but the early wake-up call sure was worth it! It was a bit chilly outside, so Gia, Marina, Bevin, and Hicks opted for a warmer way to watch the sunrise and headed back inside to sip on cappuccinos and hot chocolate. The four of them ate an early breakfast while the others went back to sleep, and we all woke up again a few hours later to enjoy croissants, pancakes, and, of course, Nutella before our day of trekking ahead. Reed, Bevin, EA, Henry S, and Gia all bought matching buffs at the rifugio for sun protection, and the group had a dance party on the porch while waiting for our second guide to meet up with us. We put on our harnesses, helmets, and headlamps and began our journey down the mountain through the World War I tunnels. We clipped in and descended down the mountain with our headlamps guiding us. After making it to the bottom of the mountain, we enjoyed a long lunch filled with reading and games. Hannah and Crawford both made progress on their books, and Reed, Marina, Gia, Bevin, Bobby, Hicks, Hailey, and Henry S all (attempted) to play a game of hacky sack. The group had more success in laughing and falling to the floor than we did at successfully getting more than three touches in a row. We played a version of the game called “death sack,” where after three touches, someone can catch the sack and try to throw it at someone (don’t worry, the sack is light, and it’s not as intense as it sounds!!). Hicks was the first one to successfully catch the sack after three touches, and he attempted to throw it at Bobby, but Bobby was too quick and got away. We unfortunately lost the sack from Hicks’ throw, but Reed jumped into action and made us a new one out of tinfoil from lunch and tape from the med kit! There will definitely be more games of hacky sack to come! After a fun lunch, we headed up to our next rifugio, which would be our home for the next three nights. We made it to the top of the mountain where the Cinque Torri, meaning five towers, are located. It might be our prettiest location yet! There are stunning mountain ranges as far as the eye can see.
We were able to sleep in a bit the next day and enjoyed the best breakfast of the trip! There were fluffy pancakes, fresh croissants, donuts, granola, yogurt, and more! Everyone was so excited that we got to have three breakfasts at this rifugio because the spread is by far the best! With full bellies, we put on our harnesses and helmets again for another Via Ferrata up the Averau mountain. Our three outfitters, Marco, Marco, and Fillipo, split us into rope teams so that we could safely make it up the mountain. Bevin, Madison, Reese, and Hannah’s group led the way, and we clipped into the cables for the first part of the climb. Once we made it to the top, there was a cross overlooking the beautiful mountain ranges below and a special summit book where we were able to sign our names and write a message. There was already a Moondance sticker at the summit, and we flipped through the summit book to find messages from previous Moondance groups! We wrote down some of the group’s inside jokes, all our names, and one of our group mottos of “shmoovin and groovin”! After making our way back down the mountain, we headed back to our rifugio for a pasta lunch! This was a great change from our typical prosciutto or ham sandwiches that we ate throughout our trekking section. Lunch ended in a hilarious whipped cream fight between Henry S. and Hailey before the group headed back out for an afternoon of rock climbing. Henry M. was the most excited about climbing, and we all couldn’t wait to see him in his element! Bobby and Hicks tagged teamed as they belayed each other and conquered one of the hardest walls together. We had a delicious dinner with a local dish of speck and eggs, which consists of a type of prosciutto, fried eggs, and roasted potatoes. Bevin, aka the Joker, especially loved the speck and eggs! Dinner, of course, ended with dessert, and we had a deep and meaningful Moonup to finish up a great day in the mountains!
We woke up this morning with amazing weather and excitement for another day of rock climbing. Breakfast consisted of pancakes, croissants, yogurt, granola, and Nutella galore!! We made our way to the nearby Cinque Torri for our second day of rock climbing. Henry M. and Bobby were the first to conquer the multi-pitch climb, which consists of three different climbing pitches to the top of one of the towers. While they were doing the multi-pitch climb, the rest of the group sunbathed, listened to music, and climbed single-face walls. Hannah was our rock climbing queen of the day and was the best belayer and climber! She was so encouraging to everyone on the wall, especially to Reese, who she helped belay to the top of the rock face! Hailey and Marina watched as EA, Madison, and Reese climbed, and Marco, the greatest outfitter ever, made them cry with laughter with his hilarious jokes. Crawford and Reed took on the multi-pitch climb together, followed by Hicks and Henry S. Hailey and EA were next, and they chatted their way to the top. To end the day of climbing, Marco took Madison on the multi-pitch climb, and Henry M. and the other outfitters went to do a few more challenging climbs before lunch. We had a late lunch and then spent the afternoon playing cards, listening to music, and reading. Crawford played the guitar, and Henry S. read Gia’s book out loud, which had us all laughing. We had a lovely afternoon full of games and laughter!
Tomorrow we are headed down and out of the mountains for our final few days together. This trip has flown by, and we have been having the best time! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful kiddos with us for this Italian adventure. They each bring something unique to the table, and it has been so fun watching them all open up and form great friendships. It has been a true joy getting to know all of them! Until our final update, we wanted to share a few more words from the crew!
Until we chat again!
All our Italian love,
Hailey and Reed
Reese- Thanks so much for sending me on this trip. I love and miss both of y’all so much!
Bobby- Hello Mom and Dad. I am having a great time. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip, I really appreciate it. I hope Bella and Alex are doing well.
Hannah- hey mom and dad, I’m absolutely loving Italy and I miss yall tons. Tell parker and Grey I say hi. Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Bevin- Hi mom and dad! Thank you so much for sending me here especially after Chamonix!! I cannot wait to see you guys and Declan and Tucker:
Madison- Hey mom and dad. I love you guys so much and I am so grateful that I got to go on this trip. Can’t wait to see everybody!
Henry MILLER- Hi Mom and Dad! Im having a good time in the Dolomites. We just did the climbing and it was really fun. I can’t wait to see you! So excited for the TMB.
Henry smith – hello mom and dad. I am having a great time rock climbing now. I got to climb a 300 ft cliff. Thank you for sending me on this trip i am having a wonderful time!!!
Marina- Hi mom and dad! Thank you so much for sending me here i am having so much fun and the Dolomites are so awesome. I can’t wait to see you guys when i get back ! Love you!
Hicks Lanier – hi mom and dad. Thank you for sending me to Italy this summer. It’s super fun and there’s so many sick things going on. The group is good but the leaders especially Hailey staton daughter of john staton is awesome. Can’t wait to see you soon!
Crawford Troup – Hey parents. I’m having a great time here and having some great food. Rock climbing is very fun and I’m excited to see y’all in ATL. We are going to have a great food run when I get back. See y’all very soon.
Gianna – Hi Mom and Dad!! I’m having so much fun and the food has never tasted better. I am gonna miss trekking everyday, but I am missing America. I am so grateful for this amazing summer! Thank you and love y’all! See you soon!💕
EA – hey stew and Ann! I’m having a lot of fun and am grateful for this opportunity. I love and miss yall. Tell Brooke I say hi and tell Alice and Sarah that I love them.
Benvenuto in Italia!
July 15, 2024
Ciao family and friends!
Reed and I are so excited to have your kids here with us in Italy for an incredible two week adventure! Everyone arrived safe and sound in Venice on Wednesday morning, and our adventures immediately began as we traveled away from the coast and up into the mountains. Everyone got some much needed nap and reading time on the 2 hour drive up to Cortina, our home for the next two nights. As we drove into the quaint ski town of Cortina, we could see an old Olympic ski jump from when the Games were hosted in Cortina in 1956! The 2026 Winter Games will also be in Cortina and we all can’t wait to watch them and be able to say “Hey! I’ve been there!!” We dropped our bags at our lovely hotel and made the short walk to the town center to get some fresh air, stretch our legs, and grab a snack! We headed to the grocery store in the town center so everyone could grab whatever snack or sandwich they pleased. Once we made it back to the hotel, we all showered and napped before heading back into town for our first official meal together! It would only be right for our first meal to be pizza and pasta! After enjoying dinner we of course had to stop for gelato! Our pizzas, pastas, and scoops of gelato were the perfect foreshadow into the delicious Italian meals we will be having for the next two weeks! Hailey brought out a special gelato cone with a candle for Marina to celebrate her birthday from the day before! Unfortunately buying birthday candles in Italy is harder than in America because we could never figure out how to light it! Instead, Marina blew out the flame on the lighter and we all sang happy birthday anyways! With full bellies, we headed back to our hotel for our first Moonup, a key part of each Moondance day where we grow closer as a group and get to know each other more and more each night. Bevin and Hicks were selected as our first LODs and we all went to bed eager to start our activities the next day!
Our first full day together was filled with bonding and adventuring as we hiked up to a gorgeous waterfall for a Via Ferrata. The Via Ferrata, also known as the Iron Road, are paths along the mountain ridges where we clip into cables and climbs up and down the mountain ridge! Henry M, who has been dubbed the nickname of Meatball, wowed us all when he pulled out his own climbing gear, a harness, helmets, shoes and all! Everyone loved the Via Ferrata and after another chill afternoon, we walked back into town for more pizza, pasta, and gelato! Bobby, Henry S, and Madison ordered the risotto for dinner, which turned out to be a bit interesting and unexpected, and Henry S learned the hard way that risotto is not a traditional pasta noodle. Needless, to say, the group has been joking about risotto ever since! The boys, EA (Elizabeth Ann), Reese, and Hannah played candy poker to end the night and we all went to bed early to rest up for our first day of trekking!
Our first day of trekking was not what we planned for due to some rain, but never less the group persisted and we all grew so much closer. After the first few hours of our trek, and a tough uphill stretch, we treated ourselves to warm cappuccinos and hot cocos at a mountain hut. Gia was in awe by the latte art and Hicks said that the cappuccino made all of the toxins leave his body. To put it simply, the group absolutely loved having mid-hike cappuccinos in a mountain hut in the Dolomites! Gia even had two! The group was all smiles as we hit the trail again to finish our trek. Unfortunately, the sky opened up after our break and we finished the rest of the hike in the pouring rain. The trail chats and conversations never stopped and the group stayed incredibly positive in the rain. We were rewarded with lunch inside some more hot coco once we made it to our mountain rifugio for the night! The girls discovered that their bathroom had heated floors and we all immediately sat down together on the bathroom floor to warm up. We brought out the friendship bracelet string and turned on music and had the best time chatting and making bracelets while being huddled up together on the warm floor! Gia and Bevin are the friendship bracelet masters and we all learned some new patterns from them! While most of the girls made bracelets, EA, Bobby, Henry S, Henry M, Hicks, and Crawford braved the rain to explore a nearby cave. We had the entire afternoon free, which we happily filled with card games, reading, journaling, and chatting. Hailey taught a group how to play the card game “Presidents” and it quickly became a group favorite game! Crawford and Reed played a little bit of guitar and Bevin, Marina, Gia, and Hannah all spent time reading their books. Bevin is our reading queen and already finished one of the books she brought! We were so excited to see sunshine later in the afternoon, and Hailey, EA, Madison, and Reese went out on a search for cows! The cows at this rifugio weren’t the friendliest, but we knew we would see many more cows over the next few days! Despite the rain during our trek, the group stayed positive and ended up having such a great day bonding and relaxing! This group is growing closer and closer by the day!
The weather cleared up for our second day of trekking and we had a wonderful day of trekking in the morning and swimming and relaxing in the afternoon! Most of the morning, we occupied our trail talk with countless riddles. Madison is a riddle wizard and solved all of the hardest ones on the first try! After another challenging uphill stretch of the trek, we were rewarded with lunch by a beautiful green lake. There is an unspoken rule on Moondance trips that if there is a body of water nearby, you have to get in! Although the water was freezing, the group was fearless and had no hesitation jumping in. The water was a bit chillier than we anticipated, but we were all so glad that we got in. We’re not sure how they did it, Gia and Reed even jumped in twice! We let the sun dry us off and we relaxed by the lake listening to music. On our way to the rifugio, we came across another herd of cows, and this time they were much more friendly! The group found a cow that Hailey remembered from earlier in the summer, and this cow acts like a giant dog! Her name is Mandy and she loves to be pet and nuzzle up against people. Crawford and Mandy had a real connection and he might just be a cow whisperer – all of the cows love him! We will definitely be going to find Many again in the fields before we depart to our next location. After making it to our rifugio, a mountain hut called Lavarella, we once again warmed up with hot coco, cappuccinos and a delicious dish called pasta in a pot! There has been no shortage of delicious drinks and snacks on this trip!
We woke up yesterday to another beautiful blue sky day in the Dolomites! We had a delicious breakfast with the highlights being the fresh honey from the bees at the rifugio! Although our day hike today was a bit challenging, it was incredibly rewarding to reach the top of the saddle that overlooked a whole new set of mountains and a town below. Our hike was filled with green hills spotted with wildflowers, endless mountain ranges, and many funny falls. EA and Henry S were our LODs and led the pack the entire hike. Hicks and Madison had the best spills of the day and provided entertainment on the trail! After making it back to our rifugio, we enjoyed more pasta in a pot, warm showers, and afternoon chats. Hailey, Crawford, and Hannah went on another cow search this afternoon, but they were unable to find their cow best friend, Mandy. They were successful in petting lots of new cow friends! The friendly cows at this rifugio have been a highlight for sure! We had a deep and meaningful Moonup another wonderful day in the Dolomites!
Today we are off to the highest rifugio in the Dolomites – Rifugio Lagazoui. Today also happens to be our amazing and goofy guide’s birthday! Our guide Marco has hilarious banter, especially with Hicks and EA (or as he pronounces their names, HEEEicks and HE Hay). We will be sure to celebrate big tonight with candles and singing! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful kiddos with us for this adventure! Reed and I have loved getting to know them, watching them come out of their shells, and seeing the friendships form. We can’t wait for the rest of our adventures and to see how much more this group will grow and come together! It has been an amazing few days. Until we talk again, we have a few words from our crew!
SHOUTOUTS:
Reese- Hey mom and dad, Moondance has been great so far! We’ve done and Via Ferrata and are in the middle of trekking the Dolomites rn! Miss y’all
Madison: Hi mom and dad! I love you and I miss you guys. I am having a great time and I have got to pet a lot of cows!
Hannah- Hi mom and dad, this Moondance is by far my favorite one so far. Seeing this side of Italy is amazing and I’m so excited to see more of it. Making lots of friends and getting to hear and meet some amazing people. Love you lots and can’t wait to see everyone again!
Gia- Hi mom and dad! This trip is so cool. I miss y’all so much. And tell Roc I miss him and I’m excited to come visit him in New York
Crawford- hello mom and dad. I am having a great time and am missing our cute and fat dogs. I miss you both but Hattie a little less. The people are very nice and a lot funnier than dad. Love yall, see you soon
Hicks – hello mom and dad. I am having a great time and hope you are enjoying not having kids at home. Happy birthday mom. Love yall, see you soon. Best, hicks – hicks
Henry Smith – hey mom and dad. It is a great trip and I hope you guys are having a fun time in la playing tennis. I also hope charlotte is having fun in Colorado.
Marina- hi mom and dad! I am having so much fun, Italy is so pretty. I miss you guys so much and I hope Taylor is feeling better . Also tell Caspar I miss him so much. Love you guys!
Bevin- Hey mom and dad! I miss u guys and America so much but I am having so much fun. Tell Declan and Tucker that I can’t wait to see them!
EA- hey Ann and stew I love yall I miss u guys Italy is pretty tell Sarah and Mae I miss them
Bobby- Hello Family. I hope that you are all doing well. I am doing pretty well myself. Cannot wait to see you all.
Henry Miller – Hey. I’m having a good time in the Dolomites. Excited for the TMB. Could you bring my approach shoes and if possible my camera. See you soon.
Safe Arrival in Venice!
July 10, 2024
Ciao Dolomites Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Venice and is on their transfer to the Dolomites!!! Everyone is so excited to be together and we can’t wait to hear more about their adventure over the next couple of 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
