Final Days in Tofino!
July 9, 2025
Day 10:We woke up in beautiful Tofino and kicked things off with a hearty breakfast of homemade burritos! The morning was spent paddleboarding on calm waters before heading to Cox Bay for an afternoon of surfing – Jane, Sanders, and Michael absolutely killed it out on the waves! That evening, we celebrated the Fourth of July with a beach bonfire, where we grilled hot dogs and roasted s’mores under the stars! The night ended with a hilarious skit performance from the kids that had all the leaders laughing out loud! We seriously could not love these kids more!
Day 11:We enjoyed a restful morning on the paddleboards, taking in the peacefulness of the Tofino coast. In the afternoon, we hit the waves again – Alban and John were total naturals on their boards, Max crushed some body surfing, and Michael impressively caught a wave backwards! The leaders and guides were both so impressed by their performance, the guides even giving compliments to the leaders about the kid’s abilities! To reward ourselves, we grabbed some refreshing ice cream from Chocolate Gelato in Tofino! Dinner was a group effort, with Blythe, Maley, Sanders, Michael, and Jane cooking up a delicious garlic parmesan pasta with chicken! We ended the night with moonup around the fire with lots of laughs and smiles!
Day 12:Once again, we woke up in beautiful Tofino, where Campbell and John took the reins on breakfast, cooking up chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for the group! We enjoyed a slow morning hanging out at camp, then packed up camp and headed into town to explore Tofino and pick up a few souvenirs and gifts for family and friends. Huge shoutout to Elliott and Blythe, who spent the morning cleaning and organizing the U-Haul – such a help and so appreciated! After our town day in Tofino, we hit the road again to our campsite in Nanaimo. That night, the kids competed in Iron Chef, cooking us up a delicious 3 course meal! The girls dominated the appetizer, but the boys took home the win with their delicious burrito entree! We spent the night cowboy camping under the stars as a group before our last day of adventure tomorrow!
Day 13:We left Vancouver Island by ferry and made our way back to the mainland. We jammed out in the car to some 2000s tunes before stopping at a thrift store where Charlie scored a standout outfit and Eloise, Elliott, Campbell, Jane, and Maley showed off their silly outfits by having a photoshoot. We love this fun tradition of wacky outfits for banquet! Our final banquet dinner was at Dynasty Dumpling House in a private room, where we enjoyed a delicious meal and celebrated our time together! That evening’s Moon Up was extra meaningful – we shared our favorite and funniest memories and reflected on how we hope to carry the Moondance experience into our everyday lives.
Day 14:Airport day arrived with an early wake-up and a lot of bittersweet goodbyes. We enjoyed some airport “Tim Heezys” as the kids like to call it (Tim Hortons) and reminisced about all the good moments and memories we had. After two unforgettable weeks of adventure, growth, laughter, and friendship, it was hard to say farewell – but we left with full hearts, lifelong memories, and a group we’ll never forget.
Storm, Blythe, and JR signing off!
Crushing Kayaking on BCO
July 5, 2025
Day 6: Time to hit the ferry! We woke up once again in the beautiful Squamish valley bright and early. From camp we headed into Vancouver to catch the Ferry to Nanaimo! This was many of the kids’ first times on a ferry, where we tried poutine for the first time! Max enjoyed the views and made friends, learning more about Canada on the deck! You can always count on Max to go out of his way to make a new friend or meet someone new! Michael dominated in a game of Uno with the kids in the cafeteria while we made our way to Vancouver Island! When we arrived at the island we had lunch at the park on the beach then headed to Cumberland campground on lake Comox! Michael once again cheffed up some delicious dinner of honey sriracha chicken with the help of Campbell, Eloise, and Elliott on our cook crew! After a long day, we ended the night with moonup, where we so appreciated everyone’s vulnerability and honesty! This night was truly special!
Day 7: Canada day! This morning our LOD Max woke us up to the Canadian national anthem in full Canada Day spirit! We fueled up for rock climbing with some breakfast burritos before heading off to meet our awesome guides! Sanders really took to the rock, blasting through the routes! Elliott concurred her fears with a challenging repel! Over all the kids crushed rock climbing! We are super impressed and proud, even receiving compliments from the guides! After some lunch and a few more routes and repels, we cool off in Comox lake! Charlie got to put his inner tube to use, relaxing in the water! The kids enjoyed some surprise ice cream by the lake before our Canada day celebration! Decked out in out red and white Canadian attire, we enjoyed some breakfast for dinner and finished the night with Moon Up by the lake, with our LOD Max ending moon up by jumping in the lake! No one was expecting that awesome end to today’s epic day!
Day 8: Rock climbing day 2! Today we tackled Devil’s Ladder over lake Comox! The group absolutely crushed it. We rappelled and climbed just above the water- it was beautiful!! The climb was challenging but positive vibes, hard work, and perseverance got us through! We then made our way to the town and stopped at Loves ice cream for a sweet treat- much needed! We made our way back to the campsite, chilled by the lake, did some beach yoga, run club, and Michael cooked us his famous “big mikes chicken” served with pasta and green beans… beat meal by far!! Eloise, Jane, Campbell, and Elliott then made a confetti cake and we all enjoyed around a campfire along with Moonup!
Day 9: We’re on the road again! After some delicious breakfast sandwiches, we packed up camp and got on our way to sea kayaking! This morning was seriously the coolest. We took a boat ride to a remote protected island where our guides took us on a tour of the island, learning about the local wildlife and environment! We also set our for some sea kayaking where we were got to see sea lions, seals, and even a whale! Elliott and Campbell were a power duo on the kayak, gliding through the water in sync and with ease! Storm kayaked with the Alban, John, Maley, Sanders, and Elliott. Immediately upon departing the shore, a humpback whale breached in the distance! Right before ending, a humpback whale breached in the distance once more, spotted by Elliott! Everyone truly enjoyed their time kayaking!
After a morning of adventure, we stopped at a local food truck for some lunch! We enjoyed delicious burgers, salads, and French fries before hitting the road for Tofino! The kids are so excited to catch some waves and beach sunsets! Until next time!
Thank yous:
Campbell: Thank you so much for sending me on an adventure that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Love y’all so much!!!
Michael – Thank you so much for sending me on this moondance trip. I’m having so much fun, the activities are awesome!
Charlie – Hi Mama and Dada I’m happy you sent me here and I’ll tell you how grateful I am when I get home because I don’t like to type. Love you!
Elliott: Thank you both so much for sending me here. It is so worth it and I’m having so much fun. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!! Love you
Eloise – thank you mom and dad for giving me the chance to experience something that I will never forget. I am having so much fun!! I love you!
Alban- thank you so much mom and dad for letting me come here this trip has been so much fun i cant wait to see yall love you so much.
John- Mom and Dad, thank y’all so much for sending me on moondance. This has been an awesome experience and I have met so many amazing people! I am so thankful for this amazing opportunity. I love y’all so much and I am excited to see y’all soon! – John
Sanders: Hey mom and dad! How are things? Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to come on this trip and have such a fun time! I’ve met so many more people and all the councilors are awesome. I can’t wait to see all y’all again! Love you!
Max: Hello. I have been really enjoying this trip. It reminds me of COT. Even the councilors remind me of last year. Anyway, thank you for letting me go on this trip. I can’t wait to see you all in Park city. P.S. The $10 Canadian bill has a train on it. Love you.
Maley: Hi mom and dad thank you so much for giving me a chance to go to moondance. I’ve had so much fun and I’m so thankful for letting me have this experience! There are so many amazing people here and it has been so fun. Love yall.
Jane: Hey mom and dad! Thank you so much for letting me go on moondance. This is so much fun and I am so glad I am able to experience it. Thank you so much! Love you.
Fun In British Columbia!
July 2, 2025
Day 1: Hello from British Columbia! Today we picked up the kids from YVR! We were so excited for all this trip has to offer and to start this journey together! After an airport veggie tray and sandwiches, we were off to our first destination- Klahanie Campground in Squamish! We picked up some delicious pizza from Pesto Joe’s before setting up camp and heading to bed before our big adventure day 2!
Day 2: We spent the morning enjoying the beautiful waterfall view from our campsite, while Campbell whipped up some amazing chocolate chip pancakes and Alban made some killer sausage patties! After fueling up, we headed out for our first activity: the Chief Hike! This was definitely a challenge but in the words of Maley, “totally worth it!” We climbed 2000 feet of elevation before making it to the top and enjoying the gorgeous view of the sea and town! John absolutely crushed this activity, being the first to make it to the top of the mountain! After a long day of hiking, we rested at camp, playing games and enjoying each other’s company! Michael and Campbell led us in Moon up, as our first LODs! What a great start to our trip!
Day 3 wahoo! Canyoning was an absolute blast! After suiting up in our uniform for the day, wet suits, we began our decent through the canyon! Jane displayed some impressive bravery and courage repelling down the waterfalls! Half way through the day, we enjoyed some surprise hot chocolate curtesy of our awesome guides! We finished up the day with a zipline that Max absolutely crushed, playing around in the water at the end!
Day 4! Sander’s birthday and our first day of rafting! We started off the morning with Canada’s finest, Tim Hortons, to celebrate the birthday boy! We had a surprise cake at the Canadian Outback base and sang happy birthday before hoping on the river! Charlie absolutely attacked the river, riding the rapids head on! Elliott showed us her excellent balancing skills during a section of the river! After admiring the beautiful mountains, we set up camp on the island and enjoyed a delicious meal cooked by our awesome guides! The kids absolutely devoured their homemade steak and veggie kabobs and lava cakes! We ended the night cowboy camping under the stars! What a great day!
Day 5: Rafting day 2! We had a delightful pots and pans wake up curtesy of Max to another great meal cooked by our guides! After a quick clean up, we were back on the river! We learned a lot about the Squamish area and river and even got to get up close to a waterfall! Eloise took it all in, relaxing on the raft and soaking up the sun! After our white water rafting adventure, we enjoyed some treats and exploring the town! This crew is awesome and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip holds!
BCO 2B shout outs!
Michael – Hi I’m having so much fun
Max – Hi guys! HAPPY CANADA DAY🇨🇦🍁 🇨🇦!!!🎉🎉🎉. We have had so much fun with all of the celebrations and the activities. We have had an awesome time white water boat riding (say in a thick southern accent) (aka white water rafting) and in the lake at our campsite at on there ferry with really good poutine. I plan on moving to Canada now. -Max
John- Hi guys, I am having fun. My group is awesome and my leaders are amazing. Definitely better than Barton lax camp. Love y’all. – John
Maley- I’m having so much fun the group is great and so are the leaders! Canadas great love yall
Alban-Canadas awesome I’m having so much fun. Can’t wait to see y’all. This is definitely better than Barton. Tell George I said hi love yall❤️
Charlie – I’m alive 👌 I’m purple 🤷♀️
Elliott- I’m having tons of fun and we have done so much fun stuff and I can’t wait to see you guys love you both and I miss you so much!!! ❤️❤️give BB a hug for me – Elliott
Eloise – I am having so much fun! All the activities are amazing and the weather is perfect! I miss you all so much. See you soon. Love you! ❤️
Jane – Hey guys I’m having so much fun. The activities are so fun and this is way better than High Harbor. Love you! ❤️🇨🇦
Sanders-Hey guys!!! I’m having the best time and I miss you so much! I’ll catch yall up when I get home. I love yall!
Campbell- Hey guys!! I’m having so much fun and miss you guys so much! Grace I hope you had so much fun in the Italian Dolemites!! Miss everyone, including Max and Chi❤️ See u when I get home tr
The Adventure Begins!
June 25, 2025
Hi British Columbia Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Vancouver! The trip is off to a great start, and we are so excited to hear more stories as they begin 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
