Excitement from Italy!
June 16, 2025
TRIP UPDATE 2
Day 8
Via Ferrata day!! We woke up to another beautiful day with stunning morning views at Lagazuoi. After fueling up with breakfast and packing our daypacks, we hit the road to the nearby natural park to do our expedition on the Via Ferrata. Translating to “Iron Path”, the Via Ferrata is part hiking trail, part rock climb where you clip in with carabiners and a harness to safely traverse the Italian mountainsides. Nick and Brennan kept our guide Andrea entertained with explaining various American memes and Italian jokes, and Bryce and Cam were the experts in pointing out the sickest views from the climb. We finished at the top of the mountain and capped our adventure off with a lovely lunch. We then started our journey back to Lagazuoi, enjoyed some down time, and got ready for a very special feast. Rifugio Lagazuoi was hosting a Michelin starred chef, who made us a fantastic dinner. First course was a pea risotto followed by braised lamb, and dessert was locally sourced gelato. It was as good as it sounds. Digestive Moonup with a beautiful sunset, then bedtime!
Day 9
Today we said goodbye to Lagazuoi and had an incredible experience during our morning hike, as we got to traverse through historical WWI tunnels and check out the actual military bases used by Italy at that time. Michael kept morale high through the spooky caves and tunnels, and Jackson was fired up when we got to turn off all of our headlamps and experience the complete darkness of the tunnels. Once we got down and back to town, we stopped for some ice cream at a local shop, and Anne lucked out by getting two free stickers from the Italian shop owners. We continued hiking to our amazing climbing location – Cinque Torri. Translating to “The Five Towers” this is an awesome craig with great climbing available for all levels. Tommy was excited about the fact that we were able to have a quick pit stop beforehand at the ski resort restaurant to refuel for our alpine adventures. Margot and Finley showed us how it was done on the rock wall, going first and climbing strong. After we finished climbing, we hiked to our final rifugio, and had yet another five star dinner. Flynn says it was his favorite of the summer. We had a rather silly Moonup with everyone being in absolute goofy moods off the ice cream sugar high, and eventually made it to sleep.
Day 10
All day climbing day!!! This is what’s up. We woke up and had a monster breakfast with yogurt and boiled eggs galore. We left with our day packs and headed back to Cinque Torri. Today we were climbing hard and the stoke was high. We even had the option of doing a multi-pitch, which is a special route set up where you climb several climbs on one ascent of the mountain. Special shoutout to Finley, Nick, Brennan, and Tommy for volunteering to get out of their comfort zones and send the multi pitch! We also had a pretty difficult route set up for us at base for people to push themselves, a tough climb rated around a 5.10a, and let’s goooo Kiersten for absolutely crushing it! After all of our forearms were nice and sore, we hiked back to our rifugio and had another special dinner together for our last night in the high alpine rifugios together.
Day 11
Today we woke up to crisp air and a strong breeze in the mountains. After arguably the best breakfast yet, we grabbed our packed lunch sandwiches and hit the trails. For the first time for our entire trip, we actually got some rain during our hike today. It was a beautiful storm that was equally refreshing as it was rough. As we hiked back towards Cortina, the clouds began to part and sunshine greeted us once again. We had a transfer to our next destination, in which Flynn blasted some Adele and Coldplay on aux, and got there just in time for another authentic Italian dinner and the best sunset we’ve seen all trip. We just wrapped up Moonup, where we played some games, read a couple poems, and finished by just staring at the magnificently lit up sky. Post Moonup, we had a killer game of spoons to cap the day off, as we’re getting so stoked to go canyoneering tomorrow!!! See yall soon!!!
Thank you’s
Nick- thank you mom and dad dolomites is mad fun 👍🏼👍🏼
Tommy- Thanks mom and dad for letting me go on this trip its been awesome.
Cam- thank you mom and dad for taking me to the dolomites it has been so much fun and i have met the best people.
Brennan – Thanks Mom and Dad for letting me go to the Dolomites, it has been so amazing!
Kiersten – Thank you mom and dad for letting me go on this trip to the Dolomites it has been so fun!
Anne – thanks baker for loving this trip so much so i’d want to go on it too!
Flynn- thanks mom and dad for giving me the opportunity to come on this trip, its been a blast!
Michael- thank you guys so much! Love and miss yall. Cant wait to tell you all about it!
Margot – thank you mom and dad so much for sending me! I cant wait to see you guys and tell you about my trip:))
Finley- thank you mom and dad for sending me on this amazing trip!! Cannot wait to see u guys!
Bryce-thank yall so much for sending me on this trip its been so awesome and my group is amazing I love yall!
Jackson-Thank you mom and dad for sending me on this amazing trip, I am having a blast, cant wait to see you guys soon.
Dynamite times in the Dolomites
June 12, 2025
Day 1:
Travel day!
Day 2:
Howdy friends and families of DOL 1A! Sarah and I have been so stoked to have such a great
start to our trip with such a solid group of humans. The students arrived this morning and we
headed on our way to Cortina, the main town in the Dolomites. Nick provided the group with
plenty of funny stories for the drive over, and Bryce serenaded us with his own rendition of piano
man by Billy Joel on the harmonica. When we got to our stay in Cortina, we went for a stroll
around town, and Tommy was able to test the fact that the water fountains in town have
completely potable drinking water coming from them! We had a delicious pizza dinner where
Cam chose a pizza with cheese “of unknown origin” and was pleasantly surprised. After that, we
had our first Moonup and went to bed excited to wake up in Italy for the first time all together.
Day 3:
We woke up and met our Italian guide for our entire Dolomites trip Marco! We hiked up with our
helmets and harnesses ready to take on Via Ferrata Giovanni Barbara, and suited up and
started our climb up iron rungs and through a gushing waterfall. After our hours of hard work
traversing the mountainside we gathered for lunch with a beautiful view, the sun even made an
appearance to help dry us. We headed back to Cortina, did some shopping and snacking, and
started working on our playlist for the coming trekking days. Once our playlist was well
established we gave it a test play while hacky sacking. Michael got creative and adjusted for our
inability to get three hits in a row by creating a new game where you spin a bottle and whoever
its pointing to has to chuck it (safely) at someone (safely). We finished our day with another
lovely Moonup (after a mandatory ice cream stop, of course) at a special location overlooking
town, and got some sleep!
Day 4:
Time to start our trek! After packing our bags with our refugio-trekking essentials, we piled into
the vans and headed straight to the base of the Dolomites. Brennan helped the group out by
pointing out the most scenic views during our hike, as we ascended into the mountains. Margot
and I paced the group during today’s difficult hike with some of the most breathtaking views. The
scenery was absolutely out of this world. When we arrived at our refugio, Fodara Vedla, we had
a solid couple hours post hike for games, cards, and obviously hacky sack. Anne took the win in
one of our games by winning a Veggie Off. We had an amazing dinner of dumplings and a roast,
then enjoyed a beautiful sunset pre Moonup.
Day 5
Today we packed our bags and hit the trail again! After a delicious breakfast, we started hiking
towards our next refugio. During our breaks Jackson was showing us his skills in a fun game
called Contact, and Flynn impressed us with her new hacky sack abilities. We enjoyed another
day of perfect weather while listening to some trail tunes. Kiersten was keeping Sarah and I
entertained with some solid trail convos and we got to our next refugio in no time. Time flies
when you’re having fun! This spot, Lavarella, is a stunning refugio on the mountains with a icy
cold lake for us to take polar plunges in. After our swim, we all laid out to soak in the Sun, and
enjoyed a well-earned dinner of hands down the best lasagna we’ve all ever had. Then, another
meaningful Moonup and off to sleep!
Day 6
Today was a day hike, which means lighter bags and even more epic views. We fueled with a
delicious breakfast with some of the freshest yogurt ever, packed a lunch, and hit the
mountains. During our hike, our Italian Dolomites experts Marco and Andy gave us amazing and
informational history lessons about the peaks and valleys we were trekking through. At the top,
we peaked a view of “The Queen of the Dolomites”, which is the highest point and oldest glacier
in the Dolomites. Once we got back to our refugio, we had another polar plunge into the lake,
and got ready for dinner. Special shoutout to Finley and Brennan for braving the frigid waters
and swimming all the way across! After another meal of incredible local Italian cuisine, we
played around the fields with all the wildflowers, and Finley was the braid-master giving
everyone — even Nick — excellent braids. Moonup, stories, and then bedtime!
Day 7
Today we trekked towards the crown jewel of Dolomite refugios, Lagazuoi. An intense hike of
steep uphills and switchback downhills, we enjoyed some of the best views so far on the trip
today. Another perfect weather day of sunshine and cool breezes. We stopped for lunch at Lago
di Lagazuoi, an aquamarine lake where we fed the fish and took a refreshing midday swim! We
finished at Lagazuoi after gaining a total of 3,800+ feet of elevation!! We absolutely love the
views from up here, a 360° panoramic exhibit of the entire Dolomites. We just enjoyed a most
delicious and extremely well deserved feast, and the students are hiking around lavishing in the
high alpine sunset views. Another amazing day in the Dolomites, see yall later!!!
Shoutouts:
Kiersten – Hey mom, dad, matheus, and sophia! We are having so much fun hiking in the
Dolomites and the food is so good. I can’t wait to see you guys soon!
Anne-hey y’all! The pasta is amazing and all the food in general is so good! The hikes are so
cool and remind me a lot of colorado. 🫎
Michael- hey yall! Im having the best time and the food here is amazing! Cant wait to tell yall all
about it. Love you!
Finley- Hi guys! I’m having so much fun, Italy is amazing! Lots of crazy views and hiking. Can’t
wait to see you both!
Margot – Hi fam, cant wait to see everyone in venice! italy is amazing! xoxo margot
Jackson- Hi mom and dad. Having lots of fun in the mountains. Cant wait to see you guys in a
few days.
Tommy- Hi mom and dad, Cant wait to see you guys soon. Im having lots of fun in Italy. The
food is awesome. Love Tommy
Nick- hi mom and dad I am having a lot of fun. Italy is cool. happy birthday and fathers day dad.
Bryce- Hey fam! I miss y’all a ton. Italy has been so sick and the food has been absolutely
amazing. I also have a sweet sunglasses tan. Claire, I love and miss you so much and can’t
wait to see you when I’m home!
Cam-hey guys. I am having a ton of fun in italy and the food is so much better in italy. I am
learning some new slang from my friends. Cant wait to see yall soon
Brennan – Hey family, I’m having a great time in the Dolomites. The food and views here are
insane. Hope all is well at home. See ya.
Flynn- hey guys, the dolomites are so pretty and the food is the best food I’ve ever eaten. I miss
you guys and can’t wait to see you!
The Journey Begins!
June 7, 2025
Hello Dolomites Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Venice and is en route to the Dolomites! 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
