Hello SPM1B families!
June 24, 2024
It is with full but heavy hearts that we write our final trip update! These last few weeks have been filled with memories that will last a lifetime. Garrett and I (Katie) are so grateful for the time y’all allowed us to spend with your kids. We hope all of your kids are getting some well deserved rest and relaxation after a fun-filled few weeks.
To pickup where we left off… Morocco! After a smooth mid-trip flight to Marrakesh, we headed towards Muhammed’s house! A longtime Moondance friend, Muhammed graciously allows us to spend time at his beautiful property outside of Marrakesh, a little oasis outside the city filled with fruit trees, peacocks, and even a pool! Upon our arrival, we were informed that following day was an important holiday in the Muslim religion, Eid al-Adha, the date of which relies on the moon. We ended up going straight to the bustling Marrakesh market in light of the holiday, where every family in the city would be spending time together and celebrating. After a lesson on bartering from Muhammed and our guide, we headed towards the markets! Almost upon arrival, Luke and Lillie had secured some traditional outfits and set the tone for an afternoon of bartering! It took us a few vendors to get the hang of it, with most everyone walking away with something cool. Katherine was able to negotiate two handmade stitched dog collars almost two for one! Andrew killed it as well, you would’ve thought he was bartering his whole life! On our way back through the main square, George gravitated towards some live monkeys and simply had to get them on his shoulders! After some laughs, we piled in the van and headed back to Muhammed’s house. A much needed break from the heat, all the kids hopped in the pool and played games for hours, with Elsa impressing the entire group with her incredible swimming abilities! As the sun set, we all settled in for our first Moroccan dinner of tajin, a local dish consisting of roasted vegetables and meat. We then headed by the pool for a Moon-up under the stars where Lillie and Andrew were named LODs. The next day, we relaxed and played games in the pool all day with everyone grateful for the chill day before starting our summit of Mt. Tobukhal!!!! Several of the kids took Muhammed’s family’s invitation to take part of their holiday that involves sacrificing a sheep. The kids were fascinated as Muhammed explained the religious significance, definitely a once in a lifetime experience! We are grateful to have been apart of such a significant holiday for the family!
The next day, we began our three day summit of Mt. Tobukhal, the tallest peak in the North African Atlas Mountains. We cruised through the first day with Leena creating a fire queue of music to help get us up the mountain. Caroline was an incredible support to the group, helping motivate her friends through the hardest parts of the trek. At our lunch break in the shade, Carlin made a feline friend who did not seem to want to leave her side, which was a really sweet moment! As we continued the trek, Robert showed his resilience, working through altitude changes all without a single complaint and finished the hike with an incredible attitude.
The next day, we woke up with the sun and started our much anticipated summit day! We sped our way up the mountain in record time, which was all the more rewarding. As we reached the summit, Hunter yelled with glee full of energy after a tough climb. We all braved the wind while taking in the incredible accomplishment of the entire group making it to the summit! Garrett and I could not have been prouder of you all’s amazing kids!
The following day, we stayed at an amazing hostel in the heart of Imil, a beautiful mountain town just outside the Atlas Mountain Range. After an incredible moon up, we mentally prepared for our last day together, with the group closer than ever. We had a fun banquet night in the bustling city of Madrid and capped off the night with a traditional meal of tapas! We were all sad to go but know that the memories will last forever. We can’t express enough how grateful we are for the time spent with your kids, each one of them are unique, smart, funny kids and we love them dearly!
Katie and Garrett
Hi Spain and Morocco Parents!
June 17, 2024
We just completed an amazing few days trekking through the breathtaking Picos de Europa full of incredible views, challenging climbs, and many many cows! Our first day there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the peaks revealed themselves as we passed over the bright rolling hills and up the mountains. We woke up at our hike-out hostel nestled in the Picos with views overlooking the valley we would be ascending through. Robert and Carlin were our LODs that day and did an amazing job reading the map with Alejandro, our mountain guide, and leading the group through the day. Andrew and Leena were at the head of the group the whole day and kept the pace and energy up! With our lunch spot in sight, the group pushed through our uphill battle with zero complaints and smiles on their faces. We enjoyed a long picnic lunch with the most incredible view all around us, overlooking the section we had just completed and had a delicious Spanish chocolate wafer as a treat that was Luke’s favorite! The majority of our trek for the day was behind us, so we headed for our Refugio after lunch and enjoyed an afternoon of free time. We arrived at the Refugio and everyone was blown away at the beautiful view that encompassed us from every side. After the group felt well rested, most of the girls played card games, while the Lillie, the guys, and Alejandro met in the lodge to embark on a short adventure to nearby coal mines used in the early 20th century. After our little adventure, the whole group came together to play ancient Asturian bowling, a game in which Katherine particularly excelled in and was beating everybody left and right. The day couldn’t be complete without a hilarious “shoe lost in mud” situation, but with help from Garrett, Leena soon found her shoe prompting belly laughs from everyone around. We ended this amazing day with another Moonup in the refugio, ready and excited for the day ahead. The next morning, we woke up early to beat try to get ahead of an upcoming storm and to begin our big trekking day! The beginning of our trek was smooth sailing with a steep incline and positive energy, the clouds hung low over the mountains in a way that was picturesque. The scenery definitely motivated everyone to have a good attitude and simply enjoy the day ahead. It was by no means easy, but Katie and I (Garrett) are constantly impressed by this groups willingness to work together to overcome tiresome treks. We had a long, steep trek up to our destination, but the group was up for the challenge and encouraged each other every step of the way. Hunter kept everyone feeling comforted and cared for as she consistently checked in on her friends and even guides. Elsa and Caroline were so positive and appreciative of our surroundings and enjoyed staying in the back taking their time on the way up so the could take in the view. As we continued up, we passed by two small, but crystal clear ponds, traveled over snow patches, and worked hard up the path to our final destination. We were immediately rewarded at the destination, a mountain shelter with an unreal, panoramic view of the mountain and another much needed snack that seemed to taste extra good that day! We headed down the mountain feeling full and accomplished after our tough morning. The group loved the end of our hike because we got to ride the cable car down the mountain and made friends with some local tourists passing through Spain! Our final Refugio of trekking was in the beautiful remote mountain town of Caín and was the perfect spot for the group to hangout and end our day. George and Andrew both got delicious ice cream and filled the group in on their exploration of the town and interactions with the local town pets ! Our night ended with a delicious dinner of pasta with homemade tomato sauce, chicken, and icecream for dessert! We woke up early to complete our last morning of hiking and the views were unbelievable. We walked on a cliff side, through caves and tunnels, and had the river flowing below us and waterfalls all around. Leena, Caroline, and Hunter, our last LODs of Spain and first power TRIO of the trip, did a great job keeping the group motivated through the heat and leading the group off the trail and to the end of our trekking journey. After a long five hour drive we finally made it to Madrid and can’t wait for our adventures that await us in Morocco!
Shoutouts:
George: Hey Mom and Dad! I am having such a great time! We are currently waiting in the Madrid airport for our flight to Marrakech. New country! I miss y’all so much and can’t wait to see you soon!
Leena: Hi mom and Dad! I am having so much fun and met so many new people! We are waiting in the airport to go to Marrakech from Madrid. I am speaking so much Spanish and I can’t wait to speak Arabic in Morocco. Happy Father’s Day I wish I could be there with you all today. I miss you and I can’t wait to see you soon. I love y’all!
Katherine: Hi Mom and Dad! I am having such a great time and love all the people on my trip. The mountains are so pretty and I wish you could see the views we saw! Right now we are waiting for our plane to Morocco and I’m so excited! Happy Father’s Day Dad, so sad I couldn’t be there but I can’t wait to see you all when I get home! Love you!
Carlin: Hi Mom and Robby! I am having so much fun and wish you could see the amazing views from the mountains. It’s really cool seeing countries differently then how we would normally. Everyone is so nice and getting to know Katherine is really fun. Happy Father’s and almost birthday I wish I could be there to celebrate with you guys. Tell biggie and Louie hi and and that I miss them. I hope you had a good flight home and miss and love you guys so much.
Luke: hi mom and dad and lyla. it’s so fun everyone is awesome and the views are amazing! love y’all. I still can’t wait to see everyone again, it’s so hard being away . We are on our way to Morocco right now I am so excited to summit the mountain on a 4 day hiking trip we hiked almost 30 miles over the course of Spain it was very fun. I can’t wait to see you guys in one week.
Robert: Hola familia! Os echo de menos y estoy disfrutándome en el lugar más bonito del mundo. Te quiero papá y Feliz Día de los Padres!! Marruecos es en un nuevo continente y estoy muy emocionado para disfrutar las vistas, las caminatas, y una cultura muy interesante. Los quiero!! Hasta luego!
Hunter: Hey Madre, Padre, and Reagan I miss you more than you can imagine, I am having an amazing time in Spain and I am just about to travel to Morocco! I am so excited for the market and I love the people in my group. I am looking forward to exploring Spain with you, it is so beautiful here. It is an amazing experience and I feel very culturally aware. Madre, I miss talking with you and I never forget how much I love you. Padre, I miss your outdoorsy energy, remember I love you to the moon and back. Reagan, I miss you so much, I miss the energy you have and I want to hear everything that you have experienced when I was gone, I love you. I miss you all so much and I am so excited for our upcoming experience in Spain.
Lillie: hey mom dad Rainey and V, I miss y’all so much and I can’t wait to see y’all! I’m having so much fun in Spain it it so pretty I wish y’all were here to see it. It just means we will have to come back and see it. We are going to Morocco right now so I will get y’all something goood! Tell molly max and kit I said hey. And boot and sparky and mama p and p paw. Im so sad I miss chancellor beach. Love y’all so much hope y’all are having fun. Happy Father’s Day dad love you so much. I have found some really cool shirts for you. Love y’all so much. P.S. I am GREAT at bargaining. Will tell you about it soon!
Elsa: Hey dad, Tess, fielding, and KATIE! I am having the best time at Moondance and making a ton of friends! Happy late Father’s Day to you dad I love you so so much and appreciate everything you do for me and this whole family… you deserve to be celebrated! My group and I are on our way to Morocco and we are so excited! I’ve taken a ton of videos and photos that I can’t wait to show y’all and tell you about the fun things I learned! Surfing was great but I’m not very good at standing up yet haha, we also just finished trekking in Spain and it was gorgeous!!! It’s great how much I’m experiencing here and I can’t wait to tell you about it! Tess you will have the best time in Madeira and make a ton of new friends! I love you all so incredibly much and I will see you guys in ONE WEEK!
Caroline: hey y’all and happy Father’s Day! it has been an amazing first week and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. I’ve made so many new friends and we’re on our way to Marrakech right now. IM SO PUMPED!! we’re going to the market first so I’ll be on the lookout for cool things to bring back. After that we’re hiking mount Toubkal and then we go back to Madrid and are able to walk around some there. Yesterday we finished our trekking portion of the trip and the last day was the best day. I took so many pretty pictures and I can’t wait to show them to y’all. I love y’all and I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get back!
Andrew Quinn: Happy Father’s Day. I hope you guys are having a great time in Cincy. We just finished Spain and got to Morocco today and it is super cool. The trip has been going great. Phillip Baker a kids from winter term is on the parallel trip with Nikhill which is just a super weird coincidence. We went in to town today and it was great. See you soon
Greetings from Spain!
June 12, 2024
Hi Spain and Morocco parents!
After our long day of travel we finally landed in Madrid, packed up our van and headed to Llanes to begin canyoneering and surfing adventures. We arrived to our first Refugio enthusiastic and excited to begin this awesome trip. Hunter was the first to start exploring our amazing little hostel and kindly picked some lemons and oranges to snack on with everyone while the group got to know each other. After spending time hanging out, we headed into town for a local dinner with our awesome outfitting guides, Alejandro and Gail, and got to learn about them and their experiences in Spain. Robert practiced his Spanish in conversation with Alejandro and has been working on expanding his vocabulary and teaching other students Spanish since we arrived! This night we ended our day with moonup under the stars surrounded by the beautiful coastline of Llanes and headed to bed early to prepare for our first full day of activities.
Our morning began with a leisurely breakfast of toast, fruit, eggs, and ham and we soon headed to the canyon for our first activity where we put on wetsuits and helmets to prepare for our canyoneering adventure. Our morning was amazing; everyone had a blast as we headed down the canyon sliding down little waterfalls and swimming in the beautiful blue water. This activity was completely new to the group and everyone loved it! Leena and Caroline were among the first to get brave and slide down a natural water slide backwards, proving to everyone how far a little bit of bravery and trust can take you. Luke and Katherine were particularly excited about our opportunities to swim and play in the canyon. We were all smiles after our morning of canyoneering and worked up a big appetite for lunch. We sat down and had local Spanish cuisine of soups, rice dishes, and local fish that was absolutely delicious. Everyone has loved getting to experience the northern Spanish culture in our little paradise that is Llanes. After lunch we stopped by the hostel to play some cards as we watched it begin to rain before heading out for our second activity of the day. The weather did not slow the group down from an amazing afternoon of surfing at one of the best beaches in northern Spain, Torimbia beach. With our wetsuits back on and some practice in the sand we were ready and eager to hit the waves. After many attempts to get up, and some hilarious wipeouts, the group started to hang of it. Lillie impressed the whole group by riding every wave and showing off her natural surfing skills. It was so fun to see the group begin to get close; they collectively filled the day with so much laughter and fun. Our last stop of the day was a family style dinner that began with our favorite first course, freshly baked bread and olive oil, and continued with a charcuterie board, salad and local chorizo dishes! Just when we thought we couldn’t eat one more bite our guide Alejandro ordered us a selection of desserts of cheesecake and grandmas chocolate cake! We ended our second night with another MoonUp filled with laughter and good conversation thanks to Andrew and Elsa’s creative planning and leadership. They both helped the group get closer as a whole and we are so proud of their leadership on a great first day.
We had another leisurely morning followed by our last bit of surfing. With yesterdays experience under our belt the group was ready to get out and test their new skills. Hunter and Carlin were rockstars today as they shredded the gnar more than anyone else, it’s amazing how quickly these students have improved in just two short days! Robert ended our surfing section with a celebration after getting up for the first time. I was so impressed by the groups attitude and willingness to learn something new and continue trying despite the challenge. As we set out for the mountains we waved goodbye to the ocean and arrived at our beautiful new Refugio where we were greeted with a stunning view and a perfect sitting spot. Katie and Garrett were quick to play some great tunes that kept the whole group entertained for our drive to our destination tonight. After a moonup led by George and Lillie in this old building with Ancient Spanish washing machines in the middle of the small village, we headed to bed to rest up for our trekking portion! We were sad to leave the beautiful beaches of Llanes but excited to start our next adventure in the Picos de Europa to begin our trekking portion!
Garrett + Katie
Save arrival in Madrid!
June 10, 2024
Hello Spain + Morocco Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Madrid and is headed to their first activity! 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 two 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
