Nugs to Marvelous Memories!
July 19, 2025
Day 12:Canyoneering day!!! This activity is such a fun mix of thrilling adventure, freezing mountain river water, technical repelling, and lots of goofy laughing as we were slipping and sliding our ways down the canyons of Italy. Our canyoneering destination was just a short walk from our hotel, so we geared up in our wetsuits, harnesses and carabiners, and were ready to rock the day. Once in the canyon, Elizabeth and Ella were the first to jump into the pool of chilly water, then encouraged everyone else to jump in too. Rhett and Robert were supplying the major laughs for the day, as they just made every part of the activity funnier and more enjoyable. Walker was insisting on sliding down the canyons first, which was good because he got to join me in witnessing Connor flip upside down for a second as being repelled, which he said was as awesome as it looked. London was so solid at canyoneering, reaffirming her technical skills she picked up in rock climbing as she was enjoying descending down the huge waterfall at the end. Once out, we enjoyed our lunches drying off and basking in the sun. Charlie showed us his impressive gymnastic skills once we were all done, and we headed back for a quick shower and change at the hotel. We then went to the local soccer field in Claut, where Heath was challenging people to races, we did some fun leadership activities, and, of course, more hacky sack. Afterwards, we made our way to the local gelato shop, where everyone got two flavors of classic Italian gelato. We enjoyed our dinner together, had a beautiful Moonup at the play ground in Claut, and said goodnight!!
Day 13:Sadly, it’s come to our final full day all together. Luckily, we get to spend it in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet, Venice!! We packed our bags, enjoyed a croissant-filled breakfast, and said Ciao to Claut. We took vans to Venice, dropped our bags at our hotel, and then immediately beelined it to a local authentic Italian pizzeria for lunchtime. After our feast, we split up into two groups to hit the city! With the girls and Sarah, Leila found a denim over denim jean jacket combo that she liked for the Canadian tuxedo vibes. The boys and I bounced around the different neighborhoods of Venice, and all got a picture on the famous bridge they knew because they watched the movie Spiderman. We wandered and explored until dinner, and then we went to our banquet dinner at Rosso Pomodoro, a fantastic authentic Italian joint right in the middle of the city. Lawson got a delicious looking margarita pizza, which he dubbed the best from the trip. After dinner, we all got a mandatory final gelato, and made our way to a beautiful town square for final Moonup. As we reflected and shared memories from the trip, we watched the sun set on both the city of Venice as well as our summer together. We finished with a cinnamon-roll-style hug, and said goodnight.
Day 14:Departure day. We got to the Marco Polo airport with plenty of time for the students to check in and arrive at their gates. We gave our final hugs goodbye and wished them well on their voyage back home. Thank you to all the friends and fam of DOL-A. This summer has been incredible and Sarah and I want to thank yall for sharing these amazing students with us. Ciao ciao for now!! �
Eating, Exploring, and Epic Adventures
July 16, 2025
Day 8:WWI tunnels day! We woke up this morning in the clouds! Up at Rifugio Lagazuoi. Got a fantastic breakfast of bacon and eggs, and strapped on our harnesses with Via Ferrara equipment once again. With carabiners in hand and helmets on head, we headed down into the actual tunnels used by Italian soldiers in WWI. Elizabeth thought it was awesome to see the actual lifestyles and huts of the officers there, and Rhett found it equally as cool as spooky when we turned all of the highlights off and went into complete darkness. On our way out of the tunnels, Robert was asking the best questions and really was interested in learning more about the history of this area. We had a great lunch at the bottom where Ella was stoked about the sandwich bread quality, and Heath made sure to have enough mustard to go around. We kept trekking to our next rifugio, and once there, we all enjoyed their hot showers and hung out on the patio together enjoying the awesome view. Dinner was a fantastic display of classic Italian food, a collective favorite. We enjoyed it thoroughly and got our favorite – tiramisu for dessert!!So so yummy man. Goodnight!!!
Day 9:Gooood morning! Time to go to Cinque Torri! In English, ‘the five towers’ is one of the most legendary climbing destinations in all of Italy. We were lucky enough to be able to take the chairlift up to Cinque Torri! It was a really fun experience and nice reward after all the hiking we’ve been doing. We then hiked to the rock climbing area, and had our safety briefing for the day. Everyone was super fired up to start climbing, and Charlie volunteered to go first to shows how it’s done. We spent the afternoon climbing with amazing weather on super fun rock with incredible views. Everyone also learned how to belay, which was awesome to see everyone pickup new skills. We ate our packed lunch, and finished our climbing, with stoke high and sore forearms! We hiked back up, and settled into our rifugio. Once settled and showered, we had one of the best dinners of the entire trip. The food at this rifugio is absolutely incredible. After dinner, we went out back to Cinque Torri for Moonup. We then had easily the best views of all time for any of our Moonups. As the sun was setting, we watched the skies light up with pink and blue cotton candy clouds right above the legendary five towers. It was really something special.
Day 10:Today was really something special. We woke up to an absolute feast, one of the best breakfasts of the trip. Afterwards we packed our bags with the essentials and hike up to Mount Averau, for our final Via Ferrata. This climb was as technical as it was beautiful. We eventually summited the mountain, and were rewarded with an incredible 360° view of the Dolomites, now fully being able to see the route we’ve hiked over the past days. We got a group photo at the top, signed our names into the summit journal, and hiked back down to our rifugio for a homecooked spaghetti lunch. Then, we went back to the Cinque Torri climbing area for another day of rock climbing and multi pitching. Lawson even gave lead climbing a go! Connor absolutely crushed the multi pitch, as well as London, who collected the carabiners on her way up to the top of the tower. Lelia also posed for an awesome photo at the top of the multi pitch, which had an awesome view of the whole climbing area. After we got our gear and headed back, we got ready for dinner, where Walker was stoked to order a delicious steak as we all talked with each other about how much fun climbing and summiting was today. We had another beautiful Moonup out in the field under the towers, and said goodnight!!
Day 11:Time to go to Claut!! We said goodbye to the rifugio this morning, as we hiked back down into Cortina. Today’s hike was just perfect. Equal parts beautiful, challenging, and variable. It was a wonderful goodbye to our trekking here in the Dolomites. We stopped for lunch in a magnificent open field to enjoy our sandwiches, and made it back to Cortina, where we said our final goodbye to our guide Marco, who was the best guy we could’ve ever asked for. We then hopped into our van shuttles and enjoyed a road trip to our canyoneering town, Claut, while rocking out to some tunes on aux. Once in Claut, we changed out of our rifugio trekking clothes and go tready for dinner at our hotel. We had a beautiful Moonup right in town, with prime people-watching to better get a sense for the vibe of Claut. All of the students are stoked to be here in Claut together, and we’re just as excited for our canyoneering adventure tomorrow. Ciao Ciao yall! See ya soon!!
Dol3a Thank You’s:
Lawson: Hey Mom and Dad, thank y’all so much for sending me on this Moondance trip. Italy has been so cool and hopefully we can all come as a family at some point.
Robert: Hey Mom and Dad, thanks so much for sending me on this trip to Italy. It’s been really cool so far and I’ve never done anything like this before.
Walker: Thanks for letting me go in this trip mom and dad. Im having so much fun. I love yall.
Elizabeth: Hey madre and padre, thank yall so much for letting me go on this insane trip! I really hope we can all come to Italy some time because yall would love it!
Ella- Hey momma and dad thank yall so much for letting me go on this trip!! I am having the best time and i don’t want to leave its been amazing!! I love and miss yall!!
Leila- hey mom and dad! thanks for letting me go on moondance! this has been such a cool trip and i have enjoyed it so much! thank yall so much! love and miss yall!
Rhett- Hey mom and dad! thank you so much for letting me go on moondance! It has been so much fun! I miss yall!!
London: hi mom and dad!! Thank yall so much for letting me go on moondance in italy. I have so much to tell yall about the trip its been so fun! love and miss yall!
Charlie: Hey mom and dad, this trip has been really awesome and I have seen some really cool stuff. Thank yall for letting me come on this trip I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Connor: Hi! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip! I am having a lot of fun! Miss you! See you soon!
Heath: Whats up Mom and Dad, Thank you so much for letting me go on Moondance each and every year. I am having a blast right now, see ya’ll in a few days!
Update from the Dolomites!
July 12, 2025
Day 1:
Travel day!!!
Day 2:
Good morning friends and families of DOL 3A!!! It’s time for a new adventure!! The students landed safe and sound in Venice, and after a quick introduction we were already on our way to Cortina in the Dolomites! Everyone was so stoked to be here, and the views of the mountains as we were entering the Dolomites were getting all of us even more fired up. We arrived to our hotel, dropped our bags, and then went straight into the town of Cortina to do some exploring. We walked around and peeked into the various cool shops, before making our way to our firs tdinner all together at La Perla. Robert joined me in taking on the massive calzone, and Walker was already making quick work of practicing his Italian. After dinner, we took a digestive stroll to a nice grassy field for our first Moonup, as we watched the sunset onto the Dolomites.
Day 3:
Via Ferrata day!! Today we woke up ready as can be for our first full day all together. After fueling up with a delicious Italian breakfast, we packed our bags and left for the trailhead. ViaFerrata, which translates to iron path, is a section of technical mountaineering in which we click into a metal rod that goes along a mountain with carabiners while wearing a harness. It’s a fun and challenging activity where we got a fantastic introduction to Italian mountaineering. London was doing a fantastic job of practicing the proper technique of clipping in and out of the path with the carabiners. We passed through a magnificent waterfall, on our way up to the picnic location where we enjoyed our packed sandwiches and fresh fruit. We hiked back down to the trailhead and made it back to Cortina with time to shower and change as well as explore the town with our three visitors! Hayes, MK Wood, and our new president Chris Sherrill, joined us for the rest of our town day in Cortina. It was an awesome opportunity for all of the students to meet them, and Hayes was just as stoked to meet the students. As Charlie and Walker talked to him extensively about Lovett, we played some hackey sack, and other fun group games on the lookout that has an awesome panoramic view of the dolomites from the town center. Then, we all gathered for dinner together, and of course, got the mandatory post dinner gelato. We said our goodbyes to them, and then had another amazing Moonup with an awesome view.
Day 4:
Time to get trekking!! We woke up ready to start our rifugio to rifugio trekking adventure, ate breakfast, packed our bags, and we were on our way!! Once we were dropped off at the trailhead, we began our ascent into the mountains. It was a beautiful hike, with Lelia leading the pack up front. Elizabeth has her amazing camera with her, so any point we had with an awesome view, she was snapping pics. We stopped for lunch in a beautiful grassy field in the mountains, as Heath befriend some cows on the trail and he brought out the frisbee he brought! We chilled out there listening to some music, and Charlie was absolutely dominating games of hacky sack with his soccer skills. We kept on, and made it to our rifugio, Fodara Vedla, with plenty of time to enjoy their slackline! After slack-lining, showering and chilling in the sun, we got a fantastic traditional Italian mountain dinner of dumpling soup, in addition to pork chops and veggies, and TIRAMASSU DESSERT!!! We had a beautiful Moonup outside, and went to bed.
Day 5:
Today we said goodbye to Fodara Vedla, and after a delicious breakfast, we packed up all our bags again and hit the road. During our hike today, we saw some really incredible views and learned so much about the peaks and valleys we were hiking through. For lunch, we stopped at a beautiful alpine lake just before our rifugio, and enjoyed our sandwiches and Italian chocolates. After lunch and a good bit of chilling by the water. Heath and Ella, the LODs, decided to swim across the frigid lake together! It’s filled by the runoff from the glaciers above, and sits around 40°, so quite the feat of mental and physical fortitude. After they successfully made it across, Connor and Charlie convinced me, and the three of us followed suit. It was awesome. Won’t be doing that again anytime soon though. We quickly warmed up in hot showers, got ready for dinner, and had our best meal yet! Spaghetti followed by salad followed by chicken, rice, and veggies, followed by a delicious chocolate pudding. We had Moonup in the field amongst the cows, and went to bed.
Day 6:
Day hike in the Dolomites!! We woke up fired up for a fantastic day hike today, enjoyed an awesome breakfast, and got on trail. We made our way through the beautiful rocky hills, and Robert and Heath were pointing out the neat WWI shrapnel that we could find on trail. What’s crazy about this part of the Dolomites is that we are actually hiking in the fields and mountains where WWI was fought. We peaked at the saddle, overlooking the other side of the Dolomites. Elizabeth was getting some fire pics on her camera. We found a lovely lunch spot, practiced some handstands, and had a chill walk back down to Lavarella. We played some hacky sack and explored around the woods until dinner time, where we had the best lasagna ever, no question. We had Moonup with another great sunset, and went to bed! Day 7:Goood morning!! Today we continued our trek to our next rifugio. We fueled up, packed our bags, and hit the road for a big hiking day. Rhett kept the pace, as her co-LOD Lawson kept the vibes going with great tunes on the speaker. Today was about 7 miles and more impressively just about 3,000’ of elevation!! The views were incredible the whole way through. We stopped at Lago di Lagozuoi for lunch, before ascending one last steep uphill to get to our destination. Rifugio Lagazuoi is one of the most famous and beautiful rifugios in all of Italy, especially for its360° panoramic view of the Dolomites. We got there with plenty of time to enjoy the views, some food, and a shower. For dinner, we had a variety of pastas and meats, followed by gelato for dessert!! We had a lovely Moonup, and now we’re off to bed!! Goodnight!
DOL3A Shoutouts
Ella:Hey momma, dad, fam +parker! I miss yall i am having so much fun i love my group and leaders! Hey thomas and friends miss and love yall!! See yall soon 🤗🩷
Rhett: Hey mom dad thomas woody and clay! Love yall and miss yall so much! The views are fire and i love my group! See yall soon!
Robert: Hey Mom and Dad, I miss y’all so much. If AG hasn’t left yet, tell her I love her too. Love y’all and I can’t wait to see y’all
Connor: The trip is a lot of fun. Views are great. Food good. Love you!
Charlie: hey mom, dad I miss yall. The trip is super fun and the views are super great. My group is super fun and im having a great time. See yall soon.
Elizabeth: Hey madre, padre, and Michael, I miss yall so much!! My group is so fun, the views are insane and my camera is a fan favorite, my new name is camera lady. Love yall and see yall soon! Leila: hey mom and dad! i miss yall so much! say hi to the rest of the fam for me and finleighand poppy!! i am having so much fun and my group is amazing!! i love yall and will see yall soon! London: hi mom and dad!! I miss you guys so much and can’t wait to see ya’ll!! Its so pretty here and the views are awesome. I love yall tell trey and lydia i miss them too, see yall soon!
Heath: Whats up mom and dad i am having an absolute blast on moondance, ive made plentyof new friends and connections. The hikes have been absolutely breath taking and beautiful, i miss you all very much soon you soon.
Lawson: Hey Mom and Dad! I’m having such a great time in Italy. It’s been so fun meeting everybody. One of the girls was in Mary Olive’s cabin last year at Illahee. The views have been crazy and I can’t wait to see y’all Walker: Hello everyone, I am having a great time. I love my group and the trip is so amazing. I miss and cant wait to see yall. I love yall.
Safe Arrival!
July 7, 2025
Hello Italian Dolomites Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Venice! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from 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
