Cliffs, Country Roads, and Croatian Goodbyes
July 19, 2025
THE FINALE
Last day of trekking! We woke up this morning had one final brekky and headed back down the canyon. Josephine brought some amazing Creole seasoning from New Orleans that we loved putting on our hard boiled eggs 🥚. Shoutout to Caroline, Maria, Trevor, River, Chason, and Charlie for carrying down the trash all the way down the mountain. We enjoyed the views of the Paklenica canyon one last time! Charlie tested the climbing route first by doing the more difficult route, shortly after all the boys and Sloane followed! It was Carter’s first time ever rock climbing and she absolutely crushed it! After rocking we finished 🧗 we boarded the bus and headed to our next campsite. After a long relaxing bus ride we made it to our next destination, Camp Sirena! We set up our tents then jumped into the deep blue waters. We felt the sensational sea breeze and salt on our skin. After the dip in the water, we took long awaited showers- first one in 4 days! Caroline found a new friend in her clothes, a cricket! We had the most magnificent mouthwatering seafood and meat platters. There was a lively band playing American classics such as “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Take Me Home Country Roads”, and after dinner we all joined in and danced on the tables! After filling our bellies with food, laughter, and good company, we watched a stunning sunset on the beach, hung out, and hit the hay.
Good morning friends and family,We packed up and set out for the next adventure, zip lining. As we zipped through the sky, we had beautiful views of the coastline and valley. After 8 zip lines, we then hit the town of Omiš for pizza! We then headed to our next campsite where we were happy to hear that we were sleeping with air conditioning! We relaxed at the beach and pool. Trevor, Moye, Franny, and Clare all played banana-grams. After all the fun, we walked to our dinner spot for some comforting American cuisine! We wrapped the day with games on the beach including our very own shake and pop and the animal game!
Today we had a slow morning and enjoyed a nice and delicious breakfast on our porch. We walked into town as we had a surprise boat ride down the Cetina river, the river that we zip lined across! But first, we hit the historic fortress Mirabella where we saw breathtaking views. We enjoyed some beach yacht rock as we cruised. We arrived at the lunch spot and swam. River has showed off some Olympic level swimming down the river. Clare, Chason, and Charlie had a splash and dunk fest. We sailed back down the river and hit the beach back at our campsite. We hit the showers after spending all day in the sun. Bridget led us in some Hamilton sing-a-longs as we got ready for dinner. We strolled into town for shopping and exploring! We soaked in the charming atmosphere of Omiš, where the evening came alive with the sounds of live music echoing through the narrow streets. It was the perfect backdrop to reflect on our time here – toes tapping, hearts full. After dinner, we capped off the night with a round of gelato, savoring each bite under the stars.
The next morning, we packed up and set our sights on Dubrovnik for our grand finale. Once we arrived, the group dove into city exploration mode. Sloane, Josephine, and Carter led the charge in finding the best Croatian gifts, jewelries, candies- scouting out treasures and local favorites. We walked the legendary city walls, each step offering breathtaking views of the Adriatic. Dinner was something special – a rooftop feast. Of course, we couldn’t end the night without more gelato (because one scoop is never enough). Our final walk back to the hostel was peaceful, golden light fading to moonlight, setting the scene for our last Moonup. A moment to reflect, to share, and to appreciate the journey we’ve all been on together. We awoke early with sad but full hearts as we drove off to the airport to say our tear-filled goodbyes. Until the next adventure… thank you CRO 3C for touching our lives and keeping us cackling always❤️🌙! We love you all and thank you for giving us the best last trip!
All our love and appreciation,
Clare & Martin
Update from Croatia!
July 15, 2025
Welcome back to the show! We’ve missed you.
This morning we awoke at Lana Haus to our amazing breakfast that filled all of our tummy’s with delight. Caroline loved the cantaloupe. A pleasant surprise arrived when we were packing up camp.. our very own Hayes Hitchens, founder and CEO of Moondance! All the kids were excited to meet him and share stories. After saying goodbye, we hit the road jamming to our fave classics such as Fleetwood Mac and Rihanna. Josephine was leading us in car games that had everybody belly laughing. We arrived at the river for white water kayaking and geared up for the chilly but thrilling adventure ahead. Martin the jokester decided to flip Trevor and Carter within the first 2 minutes; this created a ripple effect of water flipping fun. River loved floating down the river embracing the nature and cold water. We embarked on 10 waterfalls and 3 rapids, one of which we were to jump off a 20 ft cliff. Caroline was the first brave soldier to go! Charlie and Maria were big fans of cold plunging especially the waterfall called ice box. We headed back to the kayak hut where we had a hearty lunch of sandwiches and cured meats with a side of Nutella and Lino lada. We then headed back to our bungalows where we all raced for the first hot shower. We had a glorious meal of carbonara and after Chason introduced the game of quackdidlioso to the group!
The next day, we headed to the mountains for trekking! Boy are we excited!! We stopped at the grocery store and fueled up with some snacks- Moye and the boys are big fans of redbull. We then headed to a local restaurant where we shared meat plates, mixed salads and pastas before we hit the long journey into the canyon of Paklenica. We started our trek off strong with a 4.5 mile hike to our mountain hut. We played trail games, sang songs, and took lots of vlogs. Maria carried us in games of ERS, Egyptian rat slap. River is a new world class poker, his words of advice are always go all in. We indulged in some chicken pasta for dinner and played card games into the night.
Day 2 🏞️
Good morning Paklenica mountain hut! We arose to the sounds of mother nature this beautiful day. We gathered at breakfast where we had eggs, breads and spreads, and don’t forget hot dogs. We then laced up our hiking boots and hit the mountain. We were first met by a donkey which Frances quickly befriended. Sloane, Josephine, Bridget, Carter and Clare played lots of wavelength on the trail. After a couple hours of steep incline uphill we made it to the breathtaking lookout point. Chason and Charlie started free-styling at the top they were so blown by the beauty. Our sandwiches tasted better at the top! After soaking in the immaculate views we headed back down. When we arrived back at our homey mountain hut we decided to cold plunge and hang out by the pool.
Today is the day! The great long hike! We woke up to the sunny breeze and enjoyed our toast and tea. We then quickly packed up for the treacherous trail in front of us. We were graced by the presence of snakes, beetles and bees on the hike:). After lots of water and snack breaks we made it to the peak! At the top the group enjoyed a lunch that was well-deserved after all the hard work. Trevor, Moye, and River explored a new peak with a cool new view. The group took lots of shots and photos with the Moondance flag with the stunning views of the Adriatic in the back! Martin carried the vibes with lots of good tunes and vibes. Now it’s time for the descent- we headed down the trail and it was a slippery slope, but the group held up strong making it safely to the bottom. We made it! The kids made record timing on pace on the trail- best all summer. Also shoutout to our amazing campers for keeping morale up and making it the whole way with zero complaints! We celebrated with a cold plunge to clean off the sweat of our hard work. Everyone followed Caroline after she was the first to jump! We played lots and lots of MAO, the card game. Thank you to Trevor and Frances our leaders in the game. Trevor, the card shark was teaching everyone the bridge method for shuffling! For dinner, we had a delicious plate of Goulash; a hearty meat and veggie stew. After dinner we hiked up to another mountain hut where we had a celebratory apple pie to commemorate all the hard work over the past couple days. We were all pretty tired after the long day so we hit the hay with full bellies and full hearts.
Thank you to all the parents 🙏
Trevor – Hi mom and dad thank you for sending me on this trip. Love you
Chason- Hello mom and dad. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in the life changing experience.
Charlie- hi mom and dad- thank you for sending me on this trip. I have had the most fun ever and can’t wait to tell y’all about it when I get home.
Caroline- Hey mom, dad, and trey! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip. Croatia is so beautiful and I am having the best time ever. Excited to tell y’all all about it!!
River- thank you mom and dad for sending me on this trip. Love you
Josephine- Hey y’all! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip! I love Croatia so much and I’m having the best time everrr. Love and miss yall!!!
Frances- hey mom,dad, and Wallace! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip, Croatia is so pretty,the water is so clear! love and miss yall!!!
Bridget – hey mom and dad! Thanks for sending me on this trip it is so so fun and I love my group so much. I’m having so much fun but can’t wait to tell yall about it.
Carter- hey mom and dad! Thank y’all so much for sending me on this trip I am have sooo much fun!! I love it here it’s so pretty, can’t wait to tell y’all about it! Love y’all!
Sloane- hi mom and dad!!! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip I am having so much fun! I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Love you and see you soon!!!
Maria hi mom and dad I miss y’all so much!!! I am having an amazing time thank you for this opportunity! Can’t wait to see you!!! Love you!!!
Moye – Hello mom and dad thank you for sending me on this trip. Love you
Croatia C
Shout Outs!
July 11, 2025
Trevor – Shout out to my mom. Hi mom, everything’s going great. Love and miss you.
River-Shout out to my family, I’m having a great time and can’t wait to see you soon.
Moye- Hello parents I am having a great time and I miss y’all
Charlie- Hi mom and dad, I’m having a very great and fun time, miss and love y’all
Frances- hi mom and dad, I am having such a fun time I love my group miss y’all!
Maria- hi mom and dad, it has been really fun miss y’all so much!!! Love you
Carter- hello parents, I’m having so much fun!! I love my group miss and love y’all!! Tell Ella I said hi!!
Josephine- hey y’all!! I love my group so much and I’m having so much fun! Love and miss y’all so much and tell ec I say hi!!
Bridget – hi mom and dad!! I’m having a lot of fun and I really like my group. I miss and love y’all and tell teddy bear and hobbsie that I miss them too. See y’all soon
Sloane- Hi mom, dad, and Riley! I am having so much fun and I love my group!!! Croatia is so pretty. I love you all so much. See you all soon!!!
Caroline- Hey Dad, Mom, and Trey! I am having the best time ever and I love my group so much. We just went rafting down waterfalls and it was so cool. I miss you guys and tell Hank I said hi! 🦆
Chason – Hi family. I drank water out of a river today because it was clean. The groups fun and I miss y’all.
CRO 3 Here We Go!
July 11, 2025
We’re so stoked to kick off our adventure!
The group came together at the Zagreb airport, full of energy and ready to begin our “victory lap.” Maria was the first friend we met in the airport and she helped us greet the whole squad. After everyone arrived, we boarded the bus to Rab Island. A little traffic gave us the perfect chance to relax-some played music while others caught a quick nap to shake off the jet lag. River shared stories of being a ski instructor with us on the bus- we all want to learn how to do a flip on skis now! On the way, we made a fun stop for some local Croatian candy before continuing our journey. Bridget and Josephine were ranking their favorites and seeing how they compared to US candy. After a quick sunset cruise on the ferry, we hustled to the buffet for our first group dinner. Then it was time to set up camp right by the sea-our home for the night. We closed out the day with our first Moonup under the stars. As we drifted off to sleep in our dry tents, the rain rolled in, making for the coziest natural sound machine. A peaceful end to an exciting first day!
This morning was a slow morning- we slept off our jet lag as best we could and headed to buffet breakfast! Today’s adventure took us paddling along the stunning coastline of Rab Island. We set out in sea kayaks, powering through strong winds that added both challenge and excitement to the journey. Our destination: a secluded beach cove that felt like our own hidden corner of the Adriatic. After arriving, we made our own sandwiches and soaked in the peaceful surroundings. Charlie and Moye’s kayak flipped as they were splashing the others! The boys proceeded to explore up on the BFF Pl rocks, while the girls took to the water-swimming, laughing, and searching for sea urchins in the shallows. We paddled back to our home base, where the rest of the afternoon was all about relaxation time on the beach, warm sun, and a well-earned break. We wrapped up the day with a good moonup under the stars.
This morning was a sunny one! We started our day with a strong meal of sustenance before heading to Moby Dick for a boat day. We spent the day out on the stunning Adriatic, and it was nothing short of epic. Josephine was on GoPro duty and captured all the coolest jumps and moments – the footage is going to be 🔥! We cruised along the coast, jamming out to our favorite boat tunes, soaking up the sun, and feeling the salty breeze. Snorkeling was a highlight – we dove into crystal-clear waters. River, Clare, and Mateo had a wild encounter with an octopus and some starfish! One of the most memorable stops was an island where we got to feed friendly deer (yes, deer!). Carter and Sloane were totally obsessed – the deer were so adorable and nice. After the boat, we refueled with a seriously scrumptious pizza lunch – nothing hits better after a day in the sun. Caroline, Frances, Trevor, Chason, and Clare all decided to swim out to the island nearest to our campsite- it was truly a spectacular venture with a great view. The day wrapped up with some chill beach time, and we capped it off with a classic round of Mafia on the beach under the stars. Perfect end to a perfect day.
After one last glorious buffet breakfast at Camp Marino, we packed up the bus and hit the road early-because an early morning means early gravel. A few hours of jamming, napping, and bus shenanigans later, we arrived at Plitvice Lakes National Park, and it honestly felt like stepping into a dream. The water was a wild Gatorade blue, the trees were ridiculously lush, and we wandered through it all on wooden walkways that looked like they belonged in a fantasy book. We stopped for lunch and, most importantly, ice cream, then powered through the second half of the hike. Back on the bus, we rolled toward our next campsite, so excited for a nice comforting meal and a good night’s sleep in bed.
Safe Arrival!
July 7, 2025
Hello Croatia Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Zagreb! 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
