HELLO TO THE FAM!!
July 21, 2025
Day 5
Hello from Albania! We spent the morning packing up and eating breakfast before saying goodbye to Camp Grab and hello to Albania! The car ride was spent listening to our favorite music, taking naps, and playing games. We stopped in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, at a mall for an hour. Dom bought a pizza while Vince tried out a mall hotdog! Everyone loaded up on snacks and Ari and Lilli even got matching sunglasses. The drive was smooth sailing from then on and the kids were so excited when we pulled up to our accommodation and finally arrived in Theth, Albania! Surrounded by the beautiful Albanian alps in the valley of Theth, the group was ready for this new chapter to begin. Everyone settled in and we played some volleyball after. William showed up his skills and was by far our MVP! Soon, it was dinner time and everyone was pumped to see the spread in front of us. We had a feast of lamb, fried veggies, tzatziki, and fries. We dug in and were full and ready for our LODs, William and Arden, to lead us in our first Moonup in Theth! Everyone was pretty tired but played one last round of death sack before going to bed!
Day 6
It was an earlier morning here in Theth and we woke up with the roosters calling. We had a delicious breakfast buffet and Don led the group in dynamic stretches before we were off on our hike. The first half of the hike consisted of a 3,200 foot elevation gain and the group killed it! Luke and Quinn played wavelength extended, a game in which you guess the number based on a person’s response to a category. Taylor and Vince discussed their music taste and love for vinyls and playlists. We took several breaks along the way. Don and I were so impressed by the group’s positivity and energy as we made our ascent! After a few hours and some scenic photo ops, our group submitted the Valbona pass! We enjoyed our sandwiches and were in awe with the view! Chloe used Carter’s camera to take some great photos of the group. On our way down Lila and Charlie discussed his track events and got to know each other while Arden and Carter discussed their shared love for psychology! The way down was smooth and we stopped to get some sodas at a mountain hut before finishing our day hike back at our hostel in Theth. Our legs were sore but we had such an amazing day of trekking! Everyone showered and ready for another fantastic dinner! We ended our wonderful evening with a Moonup under the stars led by LODs, Lilli and Quinn.
Day 7
It was another earlier morning today in Theth as we got ready to embark to the Blue Eye, a beautiful waterfall and a 12 mile round trip hike. Don led us in stretching again after a big breakfast and before we knew it, we were on our way! Our hike was spent playing games, discussing sports, and asking get to know you questions. We stopped at a spot to get soft serve ice cream before finishing the rest of the hike! We made it in record time and after eating lunch everyone was eager to jump in the water. Don was the first person to jump off the rock and into the freezing cold water. The rest of the group wasn’t far behind! We all enjoyed jumping in the water and embracing the ice cold water. We dried off and started heading back. Don and Quinn played 20 questions the entire way back. The way back went by quickly with everyone a bit tired. We had some time to chill before an amazing dinner at a local spot in town. Our LODs, Ari and Luke, finished off our night with another Moonup under the stars!
Day 8
We were sad for our last full day on Theth but excited for today’s activities. After a big breakfast, we hit the road and got to our zip lining activity! The zip line is over a mile long with a 360 degree view of the Albanian Alps. We sped down in style and everyone posed for Carter who was at the bottom taking pictures. We decided to go straight into our hike to Grunas Waterfall right after! It was a quick but fun hike. Carter, Taylor, Vince and Lilli had some fun trail talks along the way. Several people opted to get into the waterfall once we arrived. Despite the freezing water, it was so much fun! Lila and Don had a long conversation about their favorite comedians. We had the best time and had an easy way back down to our hostel. We had plenty of free time in which everyone drew and played hacky sack. Before we knew it, it was dinner and we took pictures before having our last dinner in Theth. Chloe and Charlie led us in our final Theth Moonup and had a hilarious nug jug story that had everyone dying laughing. Everyone packed up their belongings and got some sleep!
Vincent: Thanks mom and dad for sending me here. I appreciate the opportunity yall gave me by letting me take this trip.
William: Shoutout mom and dad, thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience the world.
Dom: thanks mom and dad for sending me across the world. Thank you for the opportunity to experience the world
Luke: thanks mom and dad for sending me on this moon dance trip it’s been great to experience more of the world.
Arden: mom and dad, thank you for letting me experience the world in this unique way. I can’t wait to tell you all about it. I love yall!!
Charlie: hi mom and dad- we just finished hiking and are going to the capital of Albania right now. I’m having a ton of fun and thank you guys for letting me come on this trip
Lilli: Mom and Dad, we just finished hiking in the Albanian alps and we’re on the way to Greece!! It’s so amazing, thank you so much for letting me experience this! I love you both so so much and miss you lots, safe travels!
Ari: Hi mom and dad, thank you so much for letting me do Moondance for the past 4 summers. I’m so grateful and you guys rock! Love and miss you lots
Taylor: Hiii mom and dad, thank y’all so much for letting me get to experience this and travel the world in this way! I miss y’all so much but I am having the best time ever!!! Y’all are the best and love y’all so much!!
Chloe: Hi Mom and Dad!!! Thank you so much for letting me go on Moondance, especially after Spain. It’s been absolutely awesome! You guys rock!! I love you both and I’m so excited to see you soon❤️
Lila: Hi mom and dad!! Thank you so much for letting me go on this trip and all the ones before! And thanks dad for working so hard so I can go on this trip!! Btw i did a little fall but all better now!! Love y’all and miss y’all so much!!
Quinn: Hey mom and dad! Thank you guys so much for letting me experience this trip it has been so much fun and my group and leaders have been awesome! Miss you guys and I hope everything is going well at home! Love you!!
Making Waves in Montenegro
July 17, 2025
Day 1
After a long travel day, we are so excited that everyone has made it! We picked everyone up at the airport and made our way to Camp Grab in Montenegro. Dom played guitar for everyone in the van. Upon our arrival, we unpacked our things and played some hacky sack, followed by card games. William and Lila jumped into the cold water after losing a competitive card game. Luke and Arden decided to join them and jumped in! Before we knew it, we had an awesome dinner of pork with red sauce over rice with salad. It wasn’t long before Carter pulled up to the camp with the rest of our group! We finished the night off with our very first Moonuo all together as a group! We are so excited for this group and for the next few days of rafting.
Day 2
Everyone was thrilled to get some extra sleep today and get ready for our first full day together as a group! We had a wonderful Balkan breakfast of sausage, puff pastries, and scrambled eggs. It wasn’t long until we were putting on our swimsuits and making our way to our rafting spot. We split up into groups and helped carry the rafts into the water. We had so much fun learning more about each other and sharing fun facts. Vince shared about having his pilot’s license and flying! When the opportunity arose, everyone was thrilled to jump into the icy water off the rock! We played a few rounds of a Moondance classic, Don’t Touch My Rock, before hopping back in our boats and continuing down the Tara River Canyon. Lilli and Taylor shared their Love Island theories and opinions with the group, igniting fun raft conversations. We had such a fun day rafting and were ready for lunch by the time we got back to Camp Grab! After, everyone hung out by the water, jumping in after one another. We played some cards, and some people read. After some free time, we gathered the group together to play our favorite hacky sack game, Death Sack. By the end of the game, the group was pros! Quinn and William were our winners, and everyone applauded them in their victory. We headed down to the fire pit to play even more games. Don taught everyone Mr. Commissioner! Ari and Taylor were by far the pros of our group and had a rock paper scissors battle to determine the winner. It was then time for dinner and Moonup, led by our trip’s first Leaders of the Day, Charlie and Lila! After our long first day, everyone was exhausted and ready for a good night of sleep!
Day 3
Good morning from Montenegro! Our group was up and ready to go this morning. We ate a great breakfast before heading out for the day. We drove to some awesome viewpoints and got great pictures of the group in all their new Moondance gear! Everyone took turns playing their favorite songs on the speaker, and after a bit of driving, we arrived at Blake Lake! We had plenty of time to jump in the water, swim, and throw the frisbee! It was a beautiful day to see the lake and hang out. Quinn and Vince swam out to see how far they could get while the girls hung out closer to shore. Arden brought out her camera and showed everyone the pictures. Eventually, we were ready to hit the road and head back to camp. Once we got back, it was just in time for a dinner of spaghetti bolognese! Everyone was thrilled to eat and hang out. Chloe and Dom, today’s LODs, led us in our Moonup, but not before we played a game of Mafia! After, we played manhunt, before heading to bed!
Day 4
Everyone was eager to sleep in a bit this morning after our long day yesterday. We had another wonderful breakfast, followed by some free time until the afternoon. We played death sack in field and Luke was our champion! After, the girls tanned by the river while the boys swam and listened to music. Everyone got in the water at least once, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. We then got ready to suit up for rafting! We had so much fun today and battled it out on the water, attempting to throw people in the other boat in the water. Don jumped onto the other boat and pushed Charlie into the water! We got to an awesome cliff jumping spot, and everyone cheered on Ari and Lilli as they jumped off the rock. Chloe entertained us all by playing 20 questions and wavelength. It was an awesome last day of rafting that had everyone laughing and cheerful. We drove back to camp and had some time to shower and clean up before our last dinner in Camo Grab.
-Carter + Don
Shout-outs!
Chloe: Hi fam!! The views and mountains here are so insane and I’m having the best time ever, but I miss y’all so so much!! I love y’all❤️
Taylor: Hi Guys!!!!! This place is absolutely beautiful and I am having so much fun!!! I miss y’all so much!! I Love ya!!! ❣️😽
Lilli: Hey Mom and Dad!! We are having the BEST time right now! Everything is so gorgeous here, I cant wait to tell you all about it! Give Emmy and Sadie hugs and kisses for me and have safe travels! Love YALL and you guys a ton ❤️
Ari: Hiiiiii! I am having lots of fun so far! It’s sooo pretty here, you guys would love it! Tell Zoe, Calvin, and Charley I miss them! Love and miss y’all so much!
Lila: Hi mom and dad!! I’m having so much fun and doing a bunch of cool stuff! Everything here is gorgeous and reminds me of skiing with yall and the water is so beautiful! I miss Andrew the most but yall too! I love y’all so much and thanks for letting me go on this trip!! Btw we are on our way to Albania rn
Charlie: Hi guys, hope everything is going well with Maple! We just finished rafting in Montenegro yesterday and are driving to Albania rn. We stayed at a camp that had stray cats everywhere. I’m having a lot of fun and miss you guys!
Arden: Hi mom and dad!! We’re driving out of Montenegro today after a few days of rafting and exploring. I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it. I hope everything’s good back home with the girls and that Trevor gets home safe in a couple days. I love and miss you guys so much. (Ps: they may have converted me into a country music fan…)
Vincent: Hey mom and dad, thanks for sending me here I’ve had a lot of fun. Love you.
Quinn: What’s up mom and dad? I’m having a blast here and I hope you guys are too!! Montenegro has been unreal and I can’t wait for Albania and Greece! Thank you guys so much for this opportunity and I love you guys and miss you!!
Dominic: hey mom and dad! I’ve got to say thank you guys so letting me go on this trip. I’ve made a bunch of friends and we just wrapped up with Montenegro and so we’re heading to Albania now. I’m so excited and it’s been a lot of fun. We went rafting for a couple days, which was so fun. Love you guys so much and miss you a lot!
Luke: hey yall, thanks for sending me on this trip it’s super fun and im having a great time! It’s really pretty with the mountains and everything and everyone here is really cool. I made sure to write stuff down so I don’t forget it and I’ll have lots of stories when I get back. Love and miss y’all!
William: Yoooooo, it is crazy here the mountains are huge and there are giant valleys and hilly plains with a bunch of small houses scattered everywhere. The water is also super clear and I caught a lizard that I almost jumped on. Still scouting for yall and will see yall when I get back. Love y’all
Safe Arrival!
July 14, 2025
Hello Albania, Montenegro + Greece Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Dubrovnik! The group is so excited to start their journey together!
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
