July 28, 2024
We cannot believe the summer has come to an end! Having just said goodbye to session 3, we already miss it so much! An update on the last few days: We woke up early on our last morning at the mountain hotel in an attempt to beat the heat. We drove to the eastern point of the island, Sao Lourenco, for some outdoor climbing! Everybody climbed and made it to the top, but Betsy and Laney attempted, and succeeded on all five routes that were set up! We had the best time just hanging out and chilling at the climbing spot which overlooked the ocean. Sadie, Audrey G, and I workshopped Cigarette Daydreams on the ukulele which has become a beloved song for the group. Francis and Audrey W read their books, and Eva showed us you can in fact nap in a crazy creek. After we all climbed, we jumped in the ocean to cool off and had a picnic. That afternoon, we took a group “run” (more like hike as our route was straight up) with Eva, Sarah E, Laney, Sadie, Betsy, and Jenna! We ended the workout at the Porto da Cruz boat launch jumping in the ocean in our clothes. After showers and dinner, we hiked up to a lookout point for Moonup. With Eva and Maria as our LODs, we had a hilarious, memorable Moonup filled with animal impressions, nugs, and discussed what makes us feel most at peace:) We surfed first thing the next morning and discovered it to be the best way to wake up. This group has got some surfers!! Ali, the Audrey’s, Jenna, and Sadie showed us how it is done! The waves were perfect, and we had so much fun! The rest of the day, we tanned, swam, napped, read, ukelele(d), jump roped, colored, wrote letters, listened to music, and did a whole lot of chilling—well earned chilling! Sadie, jenna, and I went on a run and had an audience of local kids cheering us on along the way! When we got back, we cleaned up the apartment and had our cooking class which looked more like a private chef as we feasted on bolo de caco, salad, fried corn, steak, and fries! We had our Moonup around the dinner table with Filipe joining us once again having gotten us all matching bracelets! We relived the pitch perfect glory days, sung along to the entire soundtrack, and crashed into our beds after an exhausting day. Our last day in Madeira started with surfing! Once again, this group has some gooooood surfers! With no mercy from the ocean, Eva faced fears and kept getting back out there surfing one wave after another. The surf was difficult, but this group has got some fighters! We had another nice afternoon hanging out in Porto da Cruz, packing up and getting ready for our departure. We had our last dinner overlooking the ocean, and our guides Filipe and Luis joined us! We had our final Moonup on the deck and pulled an all-nighter hanging out until airport pick up at 3:15am!! Filipe, being the best, met us at the airport for a final goodbye! These girls are rockstars!! We miss you all already! Call us! Text us!
Signing off for the last time,
Sarah & Sarah
July 25, 2024
We have been so busy the past few days, and we are having a blast!! This group is so much fun!! Our first day after trekking, we suited up in wetsuits, helmets, and harnesses for a day of canyoneering. We went down repels, jumps, and slides as we made our way down the canyon of freezing water! When we got back, Jenna and I hiked up to the trail to go for a run along the levadas. After dinner, we all ordered hot chocolate thanks to Ali’s suggestion and cozied up for a sweet Moonup where Laney put tinsel in everyone’s hair!
The wake up call came as a shock the next morning when our alarms went off at 5am to catch the ferry to Porto Santo. Sadie and Laney were convinced that we were pranking them because it was still dark outside. On the ferry, Jenna and Maria (our Leaders of the Day) got the group an insane spread of muffins and donuts. They also decided upon arrival that the group was hiked out and we should skip out on the optional hike. They opted in for a beach day and the group was immensely grateful. We took to the pier and all the girls jumped off into the crystal blue waters in Porto Santo. The day ended with some gnarly tan lines—with Francis’ sunglasses painted on her face and Eva’s swimsuit tie and tags being shockingly imprinted on her skin. We’re in much better shape now! On the way to dinner, the girls shopped around at jewelry stands and one child very generously shared her strawberry ice cream with Francis’ shirt leaving her some for later. We had a delicious pizza dinner and had a full moon for Moonup on the pier.
The next day was jam packed, but Jenna, Laney, and Betsy still got up to run. They are working hard to stay in shape over the trip and want all their parents and coaches to know it! We took to the sea for a morning of coasteering where we explored the tide pools, swimming and jumping. Perhaps the coolest part of our day was when Audrey G and Maria spotted an octopus on one of the rocks. We circled around and watched it for a while. Sarah E made a new friend as it let her hold it in her hand, wrapping its tentacles around her arm. We bussed from one beach to the next and hung out on the west coast of the island for a bit. Betsy, Sadie, Laney, and Jenna went snorkeling. The tide came up and kicked us off the beach just in time for sea kayaking. Eva paddled alongside our guide Antonio who entertained the group well to spare the details. Audrey G and Filipe paired as an elite team as well. We went into caves, cliff jumped along the beach, and raced back. We had a burger dinner and did our Moonup on the pier once again inviting Filipe along this time. We talked about everything we are grateful for and Filipe shared such a sweet message with the girls.
The next morning we rallied for a group run with Betsy, Audrey G, Jenna, Laney, and I. We had a pre-breakfast dip in the ocean as we jumped off the pier post-run! We hiked up from the beach into a natural slot canyon before snorkeling. The girls saw starfish, pufferfish, flounders, and all kinds of other things. Francis and I worked on our new two-person juggling talent for at least an hour if not more; we’re slowly improving! And Laney beat me at a game of tic tac toe that she’d drawn on her legs naturally. The afternoon was perfect. All the girls tried Lambecca’s—a famous Porto Santo yogurt stop. We shopped for swimsuits and almost everyone found some winners! Obviously we had to test them out so we took to the beach to kill some time before heading back to Madeira. On the ferry, Jenna and Sadie tested their luck drinking coke and eating mentos ending in a bit of discomfort. We also solved lots of global issues as Sadie took on the “what if” presidential candidate role, and we had a mock debate which was hilarious and so much fun.
The next day, we suited up again for yet another day of canyoneering. We repelled seven waterfalls and had a scenic KitKat stop thanks to Sadie carrying them down the canyon for us. We took a hilarious time lapse of Audrey W jumping into one of the natural pools at least 10 times if not more. Sarah E and Sadie raced down one of the rapels with Sadie taking the win—although her technique was questionable. After a roadside picnic, we drove back up to the mountain hotel and hung out on the deck for a while before dinner. With the help of the LODs, Ali and Audrey G, we put on an elaborate prank to the rest of the group which only resulted in the uncovering of the nug jug, but is a hilarious story to tell. We had the sweetest Moonup overlooking the mountain landscape outside of the hotel. We are having so much fun with this group, and I can’t believe it is coming to an end!! More updates to come soon! The girls wanted to share some thank you’s!
Sadie: Thanks Dad and Mom for letting me come on this trip. I am really lucky with the group I ended up in everyone is so fun and sweet. I am sad that I only have a few days left but I am excited to see y’all. Love you
Jenna: Thank you so much Mom and Dad for letting me come on this trip it has been amazing and I have met the best people. I’m so sad that we only have a couple days left but can’t wait to see y’all and hear all about what y’all have been up to. Love you, Jenna
Jesu: Hey mom and dad! Thanks so much for this whole trip it has been an amazing experience and I’ve learned a lot and have made awesome people! I’ve loved doing every activity and the views have been incredible! Also thanks so much for being the best parents ever I’m so grateful for everything that you guys do for me and the fam. This is the last update before I get my phone on the 27th so bye for now, I can’t wait to see both of you, emi, elena, augs, georgie and bru! love you so much and I’ll call as soon as I get my phone if you guys are awake ❤️
Ali: Hey mom and dad, I have only a couple days till I get my phone back and text you all about my adventures till I get home. Over the trip I have continuously become so grateful for the opportunity to not only go on this trip but have such a supportive family behind me. It’s been amazing to live in the moment and savor every day here on this beautiful island. Can’t wait to see you guys on the 27th!
Auds: Hey Fam! I am having the absolute best time here and I can’t wait to tell you all about it soon! Thank you so so much for giving me this opportunity!! It truly has been so awesome! I love all of the girls in my group and it has made this trip so special! I miss you guys like crazy and I must fill you in on every single detail! Also, to dad, I have a crazy story to tell you about me and an octopus. Straight out of my octopus teacher! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!
Betsy: Hello family. This trip has been truly life changing and I’m so excited to come home and share everything with y’all. I am so lucky to have y’all as parents to provide me with the opportunity to have this experience. Madeira is such a special place and I cannot wait to show y’all pictures. My favorite things have been hiking, climbing, and jumping off the pier. Thank you guys so much for everything y’all mean everything to me. And happy 22 harry love ya!!! I hope you and Evelyn r having a blast in chatt. Love y’all and miss y’all !!!!
Laney: Hey mom and dad I hope home is good. I have been having so much fun. My group is filled with the most amazing girls. Thank you both so much for giving me the opportunity to come to Madeira. It has truly been the best weeks of my life and I’m so excited to share it with y’all. Also we should stay in a house at the beach because we are camped out. Love you guys!!!
Francis: Hello Family! I have had so much fun in Madeira, and I can believe I only have a couple of days left. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip! My group is so great, and they have made this such a fun experience. I miss you guys and hope everything is well at home! See you on Saturday. Love y’all!
Audrey W: Hi mom and dad! I only have a few more days in Madeira and I’m sad to leave but excited to see you! Thank you so much for letting me go on this trip! I have had a blast and my group is so awesome. Miss you and I can’t wait to see you! Love you!
Eva: Hi family! I hope y’all are enjoying Statesvegas. I have had such an incredible time here and I fear I will be passing around the travel bug when I get home :). Thank you so much for the opportunity to be here! I am so grateful for all of the new things I have tried, fears I have overcome, and friends I have made. Big hugs I love you all so so much!! See you soon! (P.S a kale salad sounds fabulous Saturday night ;))
July 20, 2024
Hello from Madeira! Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to!
When the girls arrived, we headed straight to Porto Moniz for an afternoon swimming in the natural pools and fighting to stay awake through the jet lag. All the girls jumped off the diving board overlooking the ocean. We made it our mission to stay up until the sun went down, which was a hard feat considering it sets at 10pm. The girls had their first ever Moonup which is our time to circle up and debrief the day (aside from Audrey W, our Moondance alum, who was coming in later with Sarah E.) Our first LODs (Leaders of the Day) were Maria and Kaelyn who adopted the Madeiran hats so well. We played a card game of diplomat with Maria taking the win and hit the pillows finally!
Our first morning, we slept in late and enjoyed a breakfast of sandwiches and smoothies before packing up and taking to the trail. We had a short hike to our campsite where we set up for the first night and made burrito bowls. The girls took a polar plunge in the lake. Some took the liberty of a lake shower with Ali going so far as to shave her armpits. Laney and Betsy pulled out their jump ropes and obviously we all had to take a turn. Tricks to come! The night was nice, so we ditched the tents and slept under the stars, however we may have been a little too ambitious. The cold came quickly and our sleep quality was sub par, but the girls woke up motivated and optimistic about the day.
After packing up camp, we started our day with a “moo” off, shocked to see Audrey W and Sarah E battle it out for the win. We hiked over 8 miles along fields of windmills and spiky plants that got the best of us at times. After setting up camp, we were visited by Hayes Hitchens himself who inspired us to muster up another 15 minutes of hiking for a beautiful view over our campsite. We played an intense game of spoons (or ‘rocks’) and shared our most embarrassing moments during a stunning Moonup overlooking the sunset.
On day 3 we hit the stairs, thankfully going down most of the way (although our knees paid for it.) The girls once again clocked an 8 mile day alongside the Levadas and through long tunnels. We cooked Jenna’s campsite favorite meal—hobos—with potatoes, onions, carrots, sausages, and rice all cooked over the fire. Jenna adopted a new nickname of Jef, as she became our resident chef. Sadie has taken up the ukulele thanks to Audrey G as her teacher, and she sang us an original titled “Audrey, Audrey.” I’m sure it is soon to be on Spotify.
The next morning, our alarms rang before the sun was up as we prepared for our biggest hike yet. THESE GIRLS ARE AMAZING! We packed up camp and hit the trail. Our beloved guide, Filipe, adopted the character of Gru (Despicable Me) for the day as he motivated us up the hike. And everyone did it! With a total of 9 miles and 3000 ft of elevation gain, the whole team summitted the tallest peak in Madeira, Pico Ruivo. And they did it fast! Jenna ate her first ever dandelion which took little to no convincing—she doesn’t recommend it. The best part of the day may have been surprising them at the bottom of the hike as we reached our “campsite” only to discover a cozy mountain hostel and some of the best showers of our lives. We took a night off on the dishes and feasted on chicken, potatoes, and a whole lot of dessert! We ran outside to catch the sunset and play some volleyball with our guides. Laney and Audrey W led us through a long, hilarious Moonup in the mountain hostel.
The next morning, we had a massive family style breakfast and fueled up for our biggest day yet! Stairs on stairs on stairs. But once again, they exceeded all expectations and completed the hike seemingly effortlessly—although they all agreed afterwards that was one of the hardest hikes they’d ever done. We got soda, ice cream, and all kinds of European candies at the peak. Once we made the trek down to our campsite, Sarah E and Kaelyn surprised us and had set up all of our tents for us! We had a very intense cook off of hot dogs and quesadillas with both Sarah’s and Filipe being the panel of judges. Eva showed us five star service as the groups got increasingly competitive. Each team had to use required ingredients of zucchini, beans, bell pepper, or potatoes, so they got quite creative. Winners got first shower post trekking! And losers did one last night of dishes alongside the Sarah’s. Our last Moonup under the stars, we had a special feature of “Back with Betsy” as she read our palms and magically found the nug jug in Francis’.
Day 6 of trekking was all downhill! We headed straight for Funchal and decided after a few miles to try out an alternative form of transportation—the Madeiran sledges! We rode down the streets of Funchal on street sleds, and the girls loved it. Once we got down, the whole group bought Madeiran hats and modeled them through the streets. We spent quite a bit of time in Zara which was a mandatory stop, got some well earned ice cream, and shopped around in the city. We rode up to our Mountain View hotel, showered up, and had a scary stories themed Moonup. Thank you for sharing your girls with us!! We adore this group and have loved watching them grow closer over the week!
Until next time,
Sarah + Sarah
A few messages from the team:
Hey fam. I’m genuinely having the most wonderful time in Madeira. The group is so special and I’m making amazing friends. I hope everything is well at the home front and sleepy is getting plenty of attention. I miss yall dearly and I cannot wait to see yall. Tell Caroline happy 18 for me and Jmike happy 6 months. Oh and tell coach ott Laney and I are keeping up with summer mileage!!!! -betsy (oh also happy early 22 to Harry)
Hello Family! I am having so much fun in Madeira. We finished trekking and it ended up being so much fun! I love my group so much, and I am so glad you guys let me go on Moondance! hope everything is well at home, I miss you guys. Tell all my friends katra, and the efr group chat that I say hi and miss them too!❤️❤️-Francis
Hi Mom and Dad! I miss yall so much but I’m having a blast. We just finished trekking and the views were amazing. I might be a hiker now? The girls are great and I’m so excited to surf and canyoneer over the next few days. Tell Ansley and Ella I miss them and that I can’t wait to start playing on the Sunday tennis team. Also tell Luca hi. Love you so much! – Audrey Welch
Hey family! Its been super fun! Love and miss you!!!!! From Laney
Hey fam!! Miss you so much, I’m having so much fun in Madeira and hope yall are doing amazing. Can’t wait to hear everything you guys have been up to. My group is amazing and we just finished our trek and now we have all the canyoneering and surfing to do. Love you, Jenna
Olá família, estou a divertir-me muito! A Madeira é na verdade uma ilha ao largo da costa de Europa, o que foi surpreendente. Também fizemos caminhadas durante cinco dias seguidos e dormimos em tendas, o que também foi surpreendente. Estou a divertir-me tanto. O meu grupo é incrível. Adeus – Sadie
Hey mom and dad miss you guys! Give snickers, Rudy, Tucker and tinker kisses for me. Having a lot of fun and will see you soon and I will share every detail of the trip. Thank you for the opportunity to be on this trip! -Ali
Hey fam! I miss yall tons! We just finished our trek over the past 6 days and today we got to go canyoneering! I’m having so much fun so far and I can’t wait to tell yall all about it! Hope everything is great at home and I can’t wait to see you soon! LOVE YOU! – Auds
Hola Mom and Dad!! I miss you guys so much. We just finished the hiking part of the trip that was so fun and pretty and we did some canyoneering today that was so fun! Say hi to Emi and Ele for me and give the doggos a big hug from me. Everyone here is so nice and im having the best time, thank you so so much for this trip I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it! Love you y nos vemos in like 10 days!! ❤️❤️❤️ -Jesu
Hi family! I miss yall tons. We finished trekking yesterday and canyoneered today and everything is awesome. Mom I am trying all the foods and Dad the trek was #bussin. Louisa I can’t wait to tell you about camping 😉. Tell Nina and Papa I love them and give Hazel a huge hug for me! I love you!!! -Eva
July 12, 2024
Hello Madeira Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Madeira! Sarah E and Audrey will be shortly behind them, and we cannot wait for the whole group to be united on the island!
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
