Alpine Peaks and Mediterranean Dreams
June 17, 2025
Bonjour! We have just completed our section of the Tour Du Mont Blanc! 2 days exploring the town of Chamonix and 5 days of beautiful and breathtaking (literally) treks in the Italian, Swiss and French Alps. Everyone exhibited their inner mountain goat this past week as the climbs were long and steep. Ansley and Piper surprised us with their laughter the entire way up each climb. Conquering each of these difficult alpine climbs, have made the views even better and the feeling of reward even stronger. Of the pack, Lyla showed us what it means to be born to Trek, as she led the group everyday and showed no signs of exhaustion or negativity. The group was surely inspired by her attitude. Throughout our time in the Alps, the crew hacky sacked like it was an Olympic Sport. With a trainer like Henry, everyone has gained capabilities in the sack circle, not to mention the jaw dropping tricks. Carter, with her soccer expertise, was able to transfer the technique smoothly and keep the rallies going. With all of this said, where there are tricks, there are mistakes… On our last night of the trek, the hacky sack was kicked into a Swiss creek, not once but twice. This sparked a fire in the hacky sack “EMTs”, Marie and Sander. The group watched as they rushed down the banks of the creek and reached in to save the sack from the rapids ahead. It was the courage and the effort here that showed Caroline and I that we have a full functioning team here in Europe. The trails on the North side of the Tour Du Mont Blanc have had some of the best views the group has ever seen. Nearing sheer mountain cliffs and traversing valleys flooded with alpine Wildflowers, we have explored it all! Mary has kept the vibes high with her impeccable spirit chatting and leading trail songs and Andrew has kept the crew captivated with his animated storytelling and leading of games like Mafia. Chuck has showed us how to be humble on these epic mountains. Surprising us with his skills on the communal guitar we found in the hostel of Trient. At these hostels, Doug has been a stranger to nobody. He is able to create friendships with people from all over. Of the many things not mentioned, the food here has been immaculate. The bread, the cheese, the fondue and most importantly of all, the Juices. Tate has been a pioneer of all things fruit flavored. Thus giving us the recommendations of a lifetime in the world of Fruit juice such as the group favorite, Orangina.
The views, hikes, games, hostels, food and being unplugged are just a fraction of what we have been up to in the mountains of Europe. The bond of the group has been tight ever since they landed in Paris and that’s a blessing. Caroline and I have enjoyed every minute of the Tour Du Mont Blanc with these kiddos and we cannot wait to arrive in Spain to kayak the Mediterranean! We are having a blast and want to say thank you to the people back home who have given all of us this opportunity!
Tate: Thank you guys so much for allowing me to go on this trip! I’m having so much fun and have met so many cool people and done so many cool things I can’t wait to tell y’all about! I miss and love you guys so much and also happy Father’s Day dad!!!
Ansley: hiiii thank you so so much for letting me go on another moondance!! I’m having so much fun the views hikes and people are amazing and I’m so glad I have two more weeks with them! Ilove you guys so much and hope back home is going well! (P.s: I’ll pay you back for my purchases).
Piper: hi!!! Thank you so much for sending on on this trip. I am having so much fun and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Everyone is so kind and the views are amazing. I love you guys so much and I can’t wait for the summer in MT. love you more!!! (P.s. I will pay you back for the bag don’t want you to think it was an irresponsible purchase as I’m on this expensive trip.)
Marie: Hi Mom, Dad, Anna, Nina and Franki!! I am having such an amazing trip!! My group is awesome! Also Corley and Caroline rock and are the best leaders! We just finished the Tour du Mont Blanc and the views were incredible. We are headed to Spain tomorrow!! I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get back. Thank you for such an amazing experience! I love you all so much!
Mary Eleanor: Hi fam!!! This trip and group is absolutely amazing. Thank y’all so much for letting me have another year with Moondance! We just finished Tour du Mont Blanc and it was amazing with so many killer views. I love y’all so so much and can’t WAIT to share all the amazing stories!! Ps- tell the Lorences I said hi!
Lyla: Hi Mom, Dad, Maddie, Sienna and Colin! And Bones, of course. I miss you all immensely and wish you could be here with me to share in these amazing sights and stories. I don’t think you’d like the hiking as much, but I love it. We completed the northern half of Tour du Mont Blanc today, and Costa Brava awaits. You’ll be happy to know Corley and Caroline ensure I don’t get lost and eat regularly. I love you and I can’t wait to tell you all about this trip, for which I am deeply grateful. Kiss Bones for me 🙂
Doug: Hey mom and dad, the trip is going great so far. We just finished our first hike. I’m having a great time. Can’t wait to see y’all again.
Henry- waddup mom, dad and max, trip has been extremely fun so far. We just finished the tour du mount Blanc, it was incredible. I’ve made a bunch of dope new friends, and both of our leaders are super sick people. I miss you lots, and while the trip is incredible I can’t wait to get home. Also, happy late Father’s Day dad! Love Henry.
Sander: Hey Mama y Papa trip has been awesome so far, and we’re about to head out to sea kayaking. Both our leaders are so cool and there are lots of friends I’ve made. The trip is incredible so far but I definitely miss the puppies and y’all. Also tell Grady that he’s fat for me, and happy Father’s Day Paps.
Carter: Hi Mom, Dad, and Davis! I’ve had the most amazing trip so far. I absolutely love my group and my leaders and have made a lot of great friends! We just finished hiking Tour Du Mont Blanc and it was one of the coolest things ever and the views were so beautiful. I hope Dur is having the best time in Madeira and Davis is having a great time at sports camp. I’m so excited because we’re about to go to Costa Brava to sea kayak and it will be nice to take a break from hiking. I love and miss y’all and the pups so much and can’t wait to see you in a couple of weeks. Happy late Father’s Day, Dad!
Andrew: Hi!! It has been a super fun trip. We just finished the tour of mount Blanc and are going sea kayaking. Should be a great time. Hope y’all are having fun at home. Also, happy Father’s Day Love you
Chuck: Hey mom and dad miss you guys lots. I have been having the best time with the boys and we just finished the tour of Mont Blanc. Tomorrow is sea kayaking and I’m am so hyped. I hope everything is going well in Chicago and I can’t wait to see you soon and tell you all about it. I have been writing in my journal every day so I can keep track of all the stories to tell you guys. Also, happy Father’s Day dad we have to do some great hiking in New Hampshire to celebrate when I’m back. Love you all so much and can’t wait to see you. Tell my siblings I miss them, and am excited for New Hampshire. See you soon!
Safe Arrival in Paris!
June 12, 2025
Hello Chamonix Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Paris! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure as they prepare to begin their trekking section!
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
