Trekking the Alps!

July 21, 2024

Welcome to issue #2: the Alps (with a special guest column)

Thanks for checking back in! We are so happy you did!

We woke up ready to get into the mountains! Had our last toasted bread with the panini press and threw our big packs in the van and headed to our trailhead. But before we could leave everyone took their final showers! The girls were not ready to take that challenge on. Cassidy got her hair braided and was ready to start trekking! Once we got to the trailhead we looked at the map and Ella pointed out a beautiful lake (we just happened to be going to later!) and our guides explained our trekking route. Then it was time to go! Tito took the lead with Thomas close behind him and our other LOD, Mills took the caboose. They kept the group morale high which was much needed on our long day. Mills was pulling out all the riddles in the back, which Cassidy was quick to get! Then Ella! We stopped at a hut to have a quick snack and tea. Although Katy gave the tea a good faith effort, it was just not her thing. Before we left Thomas and Ella had to go check out the cows at the farm! Then it was time to refill water bottles and continue on. We hiked through beautiful green pastures and soon popped out over the ridge to do some light rock climbing down. The boys went first and then the girls! Phillip and Charlotte conquered their fear of heights and absolutely killed it! Since the boys went first they sat down admiring the views. Tito loved it! We were in a valley overlooking the mountain range from all sides, and we could even see one of the 7 lakes! That particular lake happened to be the lake our mountain hut is on. We were all happy to see it! We threw our packs off and had lunch. Quin got sauerkraut and sausage, and everyone else got macaroni with either meat or veggies! The best part was the bread! Maggie even went back to get more for the table. Then we laid in the sun and just rested before our afternoon hike! Our afternoon hike was to another one of the 7 lakes. The most beautiful in our opinion. We even got to see wildlife on the way there! Once we got there many pictures were taken and rocks were thrown! (are you surprised?) many competitions were held and Ryan gave Thomas a run for his money but still came out on top for the farthest throw. We also decided to try to throw with our non-dominant arm… you should have been here to see that!😂 Our guides pointed out some mountain goats that were so cool to see up on the rock face. Definitely a highlight of the day! It was sadly time to head back for dinner so we had to leave our beautiful lake. But we had an amazing dinner sharing everything and thanks to everyone we finished all of it! We ended the day with Moonup on the helicopter pad outside our hut, and a game of the plane game! Phillip finally got it and Cassidy and Thomas are SO close! We can’t wait to keep playing!

We woke up in our 13 person bunk bed room a little tired compared to the night before, but that didn’t stop us! It was so fun to all wake up together! We do have few sleep talkers and a few more snorers but we will keep their identity a secret (for now). Quin and Phillip were up and first to breakfast! We had cheese, meat, eggs, and bread! We had such a big dinner we didn’t stuff our faces with breakfast but we did all enjoy a cup of mountain tea! Sadly our time all in the same room was coming to a close. We packed up everything, readjusted our hiking poles, and hit the trails. Charlotte took the lead and Ryan took the caboose! We hiked to Black Lake, one of the 7 lakes in the Julian Alps. It was so pretty! Quin went and sat in the shade and soon everyone joined. We all ate a mix of fruity, chocolaty, and nutty bars for a snack. We were at a lake so you know what that means! Rock throwing! Tito, Ryan, Quin, Thomas, and Phillip were trying to throw the smallest rock but also still being able to see it. It was more difficult than you would have thought. Then the rocks started spinning, and even bouncing? Didn’t know there were so many ways to throw rocks! After our fun at Black Lake we started uphill to the prettiest ridge we have come across. We finally got to the top and were overlooking Lake Bohinj and the town of Bovec. It was breathtaking. Even more so for Phillip and Charlotte who did an amazing job fighting their fear of heights! We took a second to take in the views and of course get a few pictures, then headed on our way to our mountain hut for 2 nights! We hiked along the ridge and learned 3 new fun facts from Cassidy, Charlotte, Maggie and Mapp! Who knew Maggie loves being creative and crafty, Charlotte can play the piano but wishes she kept up with it, and Cassidy loves interior design! It sparked one of our Moonup questions too! We soon reached our hut and had sausage and French fries. Ella, Katy, Maggie, Charlotte, and Cassidy loved the fries, while the boys ended up eating the leftover sausage. It was time for a nap. We were exhausted🥱. We all took short naps before walking to a mountain hut for a surprise of cokes! Something Ella has been thinking about for days! We sat overlooking WW1 ruins where the Italian soldiers would let loose, hangout, and even go to the theater. So cool to be thrown in so much history just sitting looking into the mountains. The weather was slowly approaching so we didn’t spend as much time there as we could have, so we started our short walk back to our hut. Once we got back we all sat outside and watched the storm roll over the mountains in front of us. Then we came inside to have Barley stew for dinner! One of our favorites! We were so tired we had Moonup, hung out for a few,and hit the hay. We need to be well rested for our day hike the next day!

We woke up nice and warm under our blankets with the windows open for our first morning at our new mountain hut! We got to sleep in more than usual because of the rain. Breakfast was laid out perfectly for us, eggs, bread, cereal, granola, milk, honey, yogurt, and Charlotte even found Nutella (ish) packets! Such a win! We then took some time to hangout and wait for the rain to pass before summiting a peak near here. Quin and mapp played chess ♟. Quin made it look like mapp had never played chess before😂 Tito and Maggie played checkers, Maggie came out on top!🏆 We have multiple decks of cards so Thomas, Cassidy, Ryan, Charlotte and Phillip had to play hearts! We also had an intense game of go fish on the other side of the table between Katy, Mills, and Ella! Then it was time to lace up our boots and start our summit. Quin took the lead! The boys in the front were discussing anything from golf swing to players to courses they have played. They have even started making little bets on the British Open. Katy, Maggie, and Mills decided they are going to open their own dermatology clinic! Can’t wait to visit! While Charlotte, Cassidy, and Ella enjoyed listening to random stories! We hit a steep section and everyone absolutely killed it! Couldn’t be more proud! We soon started hiking in the middle of a ton of clouds. It was so pretty. We then got to the top of the peak where the wind was blowing so hard we had to hold all of our things so they wouldn’t fly away into the abyss😂. Luckily the abyss was left untouched. We all had a quick snack of peanuts, bars, and water before taking a few pictures and rocking n’ rolling down. Although the views weren’t as far as they can sometimes be, we still had an amazing time being emerged in the clouds☁️! We all sang different songs on our way back and even got to see the cows in the valley! We did have a few rocks that were trying to trip us… we preserved nonetheless. It started to drizzle just as soon as we got back to our hut! We couldn’t have timed it better. The best feeling is when you can finally take off your boots after a long hike, so we did just that! Put on comfy clothes and shoes, then had a beef stew for lunch. Tito said he liked this one much better than our barley stew last night. We had the afternoon free after lunch so we had to break out the games again! Tito tried to redeem himself in checkers against Maggie, but she is just too good! Cassidy and Charlotte wrote their postcards then jumped into a game of hearts with Quin, Tito, and Thomas. At the same time, Katy, Mills, Ryan, Maggie, Phillip, and Ella started playing Go Fish but then also started a different game of hearts. Everyone will be a pro after our time in the mountains! After a few rounds and everyone finishing their postcards we all got little sweet treats. An assortment of ice cream bars! We ate them as we watched the Tour de France. It’s especially exciting watching it here because the winner last time was a Slovenian! So he’s dressed in all yellow! We decided to all hangout in Katy, Mills, Maggie, and Ella’s room before dinner, scrolling through all the pictures and videos we have taken thus far. Then it was time for the mountain version of bolognese! It’s similar to our macaroni and meat we have had previously but this time it has ham and beef with a little more sauce. It was SO good! It was time to Moonup in one of our most beautiful spots. It’s a helicopter pad overlooking the mountain range from all sides except one little part that looks out over the lake we were at a few days ago. It’s stunning! Tito took so many pictures, we are so excited to see! After he was done being our photographer he and Ryan stood and admired the beautiful sunset. They even mention how it was one of the prettiest they have ever seen! We had an amazing Moonup and decided to hit the hay early because we were exhausted.

We woke up for the last time in the mountains to beautiful sunshine. Although we are sad to leave, we are so excited to see what Soča and Croatia have in store for us! We had one last breakfast overlooking the mountains and Ella led us on our last trek. Close behind her was Cassidy and Charlotte Before we knew it we were down and at the trailhead. Charlotte, Ella, and Quin got a few gifts before we got into our vans. On the way to throw our stuff in we walked past a cheese plate and had to have some! Then we quickly went back to our hostel, changed into our vans with all of our extra stuff and went to lunch. We went back to a really good bowl and sandwich place we went to before going to the mountains. The pulled pork sandwich (and chicken) was a fan favorite last time so Katy and Maggie, Mills and Charlotte, and Mapp and Cassidy ended up splitting one each! Each of the boys got the pulled pork bowl, another amazing one. Then we took our vans to (and on) a train! We drove up onto a platform that just happened to also be a train. It’s similar to a ferry⛴! We rode through the longest tunnel in Slovenia and along the river listening to music. Most everyone took a quick van nap. Our guides are amazing and took us to a frozen yogurt place! Being woken up isn’t always the best but when you know you are getting a sweet treat it makes it worth it! After our quick stop we only had a short drive to our campsite, which means we had to listen to some throwbacks! Including Taylor Swift, Rihanna, among others! Maggie, Cassidy, Ella, Katy, Mills, and Charlotte win with the best que! Once we got back we threw our stuff in our glamping tents and went to jump in the river. Surprise surprise… all the boys took part in throwing rocks! This time it was to see who could hit a bigger rock across the river. Ryan won with flying colors! The girls were cheering them on of course! Katy brought all the girls to sit with Sumpter in the river to mimic an ice bath. It was so cold Mills said after a minute everything was numb🥶! They sat in the river to try and help recover from our trekking we just did in the mountains. Either it works or the placebo effect is in full swing because we feel amazing! Before leaving we had to take pictures of the beautiful views. A fan favorite is Thomas covered in rocks to look like a mermaid🧜‍♀️! After tanning for a bit we walked back to camp for a hot meal. We ended our day with Tito’s favorite meal yet! We had meat rolled pastries with pasta salad and a delicious chocolate grape dessert. We hung out and the boys showered for the first time before Moonup, then all hung out in one tent!

We are so happy to share with you our time in Soča and Croatia! Before we do so we have a special column on today’s issue!

Cassidy: hey fam!! + char!! Miss you guys so much! Can’t wait to hug y’all and Kirbs and Jo soon. I hope you are having fun on your vacay (wherever you are). I’m absolutely loving everything about Slovenia. Everything is so fun and I’ve met some amazing people. Can’t wait to tell you everything in person. ps: please check your Amazon ‘saved for later’ stuff for lolla I forgot tell y’all in person. Love from Slov 🙂

Charlotte: hey guys! We just finished hiking and now we’re going to a campsite. Everything has been so much fun, can’t wait to see you guys and tell you about it. I hope e’s orientation went well, and tell n and p I said hi! Love y’all

Ella: hey mom and Cameron miss you all so so much. I hope all is well back home and I can’t wait to see you. I’m having a great time and don’t want to leave but next year will be fun in my Africa trip as I have decided that’s what I wanna do. Can’t wait to open my packages. Love you all and miss you

Katy: heyyy mom and dad! 💗💗thank you so much for sending me on this trip, Slovenia is gorgeous! I am having so much fun and I’ve met some amazing people, can’t wait to tell y’all about it! Gray – Happy Birthday, hope you had the best time on your trip! Love y’all!

Maggie: hi mom dad and micah! I miss you all but I’m having such an amazing time! I love everyone in my group and my leaders too. I’m making so many great friends. We even summited a mountain yesterday! I can’t wait to see you guys and tell you everything even though I never want to leave here. I hope Montana and Asheville were both fun! Tell Taylor, muffin, goggy, and Dziaz that I miss them all! See you guys so soon!!

Mills: Hi Mom! I miss everyone but I am having so much fun!! My group is so nice and Mapp and Sumpter are the best! We have been all around Bled cliff jumping and paddle boarding. In total, we trekked 28 miles along the Julian Alps and I can’t wait to tell you about Croatia!! Tell James and Barbies that I miss them! See you soon!❤️❤️

Tito: Hey mom and dad miss you guys. Hope you guys are having a great time on the island. The trip has been super fun. Getting along very well with everyone and the leaders are great as well. You guys would love the mountains, they are kinda unreal. We got 2 more days in Slovenia then get to Croatia which should be fun. Excited to see you guys and tell you all about it. Love you see you soon.

Phillip: Hey Mom Dad and T! I miss y’all so much and hope y’all had a ton of fun in Michigan. I don’t think I could have asked for a better experience with leaders, activities, and the group, and everyone is having a blast. We’re headed to Croatia soon and according to the other group we’ve got a ton of fun ahead of us. Can’t wait to tell y’all about everything when I’m back! Love y’all!

Ryan B. Simon Jr.: Dear Mom and Dad,

I hope y’all are doing alright without me, it will only be a few more days and I’ll be home. I hope you guys are having a pleasant time, miss you and can’t wait to come see y’all. I have built strong relationships that I know will last more than two weeks. The trip has been super fun and I’m excited to tell y’all all about it

Thomas: Hi mom dad and James, I hope you guys are doing well and James I hope you’re hefting ready for your own camp. I myself am having a dandy old time. Everyone has been awesome and the counselors have been my favorite so far. I also met a kid from Latin, I will finally have a Moondance friend to hang out with at home! Excited to see y’all soon, Love you!

Quin scanlon: hey mom, I hope everything is great in Charleston looking forward to seeing you. It’s beautiful here. We just finished hiking and trekking in the Julian alps. The views were amazing. Everyone here is awesome, couldn’t ask for a better group. Gonna blow all my money in Ljubljana, if you would allow my card to, love!

Talk soon!

Mapp and Sumpter🤍

Hello from Slo!

July 19, 2024

Thank you for subscribing to SloB 3!

We are happy to announce that we are currently trending in the New York Times ‘must reads’ and look forward to sending you new issues every few days throughout our time in Slovenia!

Issue #1: The Lake!

We are pleased to report that we all made it across the pond in one piece! Cassidy and Charlotte met us at the airport, and Tito, Ryan, Ella, and Phillip were on the earlier flight, so we all got coffee and breakfast sandwiches! Before we knew it, Quin, Thomas, Maggie, Katy, and Mills joined us! Once we had everyone, we grabbed all of our stuff and got into our vans. It was a longer drive, so everyone took a nap before lunch. We stopped at the coldest lake in Slovenia! (This is from personal experience, but we believe it would also be factually true.) We enjoyed a mix of local mountain trout, grilled chicken, gnocchi, spaghetti, and salad! It was delicious! The sun was shining, and we were sitting right on the water. What better time to run and jump in? Phillip went in first, and everyone followed! Quin must love ice baths because we couldn’t get him out! After we all laid out on the dock and attempted to dry off, we hopped in our vans and headed off to the lake. Everyone slept while we listened to a variety of country music! That will put anyone to sleep! Once we arrived at our hostel, we all unpacked and got ready for dinner. It was a quick turnaround, but we were ready! We went to a local pizza place where we all split salads, pizzas, pastas, and risotto. Jet lag was starting to catch up to us, so we had a quick first Moonup, got new merch, and watched the sunset over the Julian Alps!

We woke up the next morning to perfect weather and a beautiful view overlooking the lake. Coffee is just better with a view. We had a mix of toast, Nutella, jam, butter, cheese, salami, fruit, and juice. Quin even tried pork in a can. Not for everyone, but he said it was good! We wrapped up our first breakfast at the lake and went on a hike. We drove through the valley and up to a ridge, then hiked along a saddle and up to a beautiful viewpoint. Mills was on top of the GoPro footage! We happened to go straight through a group of cattle, and Katy loved seeing all of the cows up close and personal. Once we got to the top, Thomas and Phillip were cracking jokes and admiring the views, while Ella was fighting off all the bugs. They just love her! We sat at the top, watching paragliders jump from the side of the mountain, and then decided to start our descent. Thomas was in the front, and Maggie was in the back. We always let our LODs split our group! In the back, we talked about different sports and plans we have for the next few years, while the group in the front talked about lifting and how their previous seasons have gone. We have such a sporty group! Once we got down and back to our vans, we were ready for lunch. Poke bowls awaited us! On the way to lunch, Tito and Ryan showed us some of their favorite songs. We got to Bled shortly after, had lunch, shopped around a little, and then went to the rowboats! The most successful thing that came out of shopping was Thomas and Phillip’s Spider-Man sunglasses. The best part about them is they are made for a 5-year-old! Then it was time to get on the water. Once we got down to the dock, Ella couldn’t help but admire the bluest water we have seen yet! Then we got into the boats! Quin rowed Sumpter, Phillip, Tito, and our guides to the island, and Tito rowed them back. Thomas rowed Ella, Ryan, and Charlotte both ways, while Mills and Katy rowed Mapp, Cassidy, and Maggie there, but Maggie and Cassidy rowed back! Just about everyone got a turn mastering the rowboat! It was really impressive. We are so proud of everyone! Once we got to the island, we had to go swimming! We even made quite a lot of friends from England. After swimming for a few hours, we decided it was time to go back to our hostel. When we got back, everyone decided to keep the swimming up and go to the lake here to jump off the rope swing! Mills ended up taking a nap for a little bit, but we all were up and ready for dinner. We went to our favorite dinner place and all got burgers! We swear they have the best burgers in the whole country! Quin got a kimchi burger, while the rest of us split between either a chicken burger or a beef burger. Our favorite thing was definitely the onion rings! Since we were already by one of our favorite gelato shops, we just had to stop. Then we had Moonup on a dock near the gelato place, ended our day with a game of mafia, and walked home from dinner. It was great!

We woke up the next morning well-rested and ready to rock climb! Sumpter, Cassidy, Mills, Thomas, Phillip, Katy, and Maggie went on a run this morning and, of course, had to jump in the lake before breakfast! We had a similar breakfast as the day before, overlooking the lake. Once we finished, we got in our vans and drove to our rock wall. It’s a huge rock face that backs right up to the lake, so we were climbing with a view! First up was Thomas, setting the bar high! Ryan ended up scaling the wall pretty quickly, giving Thomas a run for his money, and Maggie literally flew. She’s a pro! Everyone took turns doing different routes. Tito and Phillip ended up going as many times as they would let them! At the same time, Ella was playing with the goats right next to the wall. They were so cute! Once we all decided we were done climbing, we finally got the chance to run a few errands before we had lunch. We exchanged our USD for euros and grabbed a few snacks before we start our trek tomorrow! Everything was all next to each other, so we went next door for lunch. We had sandwiches and bowls again! They were SO good! Some had trout, others had beef or chicken, but overall, great view and good food. We scarfed them down because the lake awaited! We went back to our hostel, got a quick briefing on our trekking, and all grabbed paddle boards! We broke into pairs: Charlotte and Cassidy, Ella and Mills, Tito and Ryan, Phillip and Thomas, Katy and Maggie, and Quin got his own! Tito and Ryan were pulling Maggie and Katy while Phillip and Thomas were trying to take over everyone’s paddleboards! It was so funny to watch. Everyone held their own, though! We did have a casualty… Phillip lost his pair of Spider-Man glasses. It was a sad few minutes, and we are still mourning. They did turn up when we paddled to a rock to jump off. Charlotte and Cassidy were catching all the rays while Ella was getting attacked by a crab, and the rest were all climbing up and jumping off! Thomas and Phillip were especially supportive and cheering everyone on as they jumped! We all took turns! Then we started to head back to our hostel’s beach. On the way back, Quin, Ella, and Mills were all playing king of the board. It basically ended up being who could defend their board the best. Not sure who came out on top? Might have to have a rematch! We put the paddle boards and paddles up, but we weren’t done with the lake, so we headed back down to hang out! We opened a few of our snacks and talked for a few hours before dinner. Some even took naps! We all got a quick packing briefing before going to eat. Our last big meal before heading up to the mountains was spaghetti bolognese for most, with an assortment of grilled meat, soup, salad, and cheese for others!

We ended our time at the lake with the most beautiful Moonup spot. It was an island of pure white limestone rocks. As soon as we got there, the boys started rock-throwing competitions while the girls were playing with a huge beach ball. It was the perfect way to end our time here! We had a great Moonup led by Phillip and Katy that ended with one last rock throw!

Thank you again for subscribing! We look forward to sending you our new issue on the Julian Alps! We hear it’s beautiful!

Check back soon!

Mapp and Sumpter

Safe Arrival in Slovenia!

July 15, 2024

Hello Slovenia Families!

We heard from our leaders this afternoon that the group has landed safely in Venice and is off to their first campsite! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure.

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