Making Memories in Machu Picchu
July 18, 2025
¡Nosotros amos Peru!
Greetings from MPU 3! We have just finished up our last real activity for the trip- our lovely tour around Machu Picchu- but more about that later. Where we left of last, we were just about to begin the trekking section of our trip. What a truly special time it was. We began our trek with a drive to the trailhead near the base of Humantay, a nearly 18,000ft glaciated peak nestled in the Vilcabamba range here in Peru. Once our group was all geared up, we began our adventure with a quite steep hike up to Humantay Lake. Amelia demonstrated her indomitability as she braved the challenging conditions en route to the lake. Along the way, our group passed countless animals, and Halle always greeted the dogs with wide open arms and excitement. After climbing ~1500 vertical feet over just about 2 miles, our group reached Humantay Lake. A gleaming, clear lake that sits at the foot of the Humantay glacier. We posed for photos, soaked in the scenery, and ate a few snacks too. Shortly thereafter, we descended quickly back down and parked ourselves at our campsite for the night. It got chilly quickly, so our group bundled up and gathered for some hot tea and snacks. As night fell, we were greeted by some of the most incredible show of stars any of us had ever seen. As Laine later told me “I saw my first shooting star of my life last night, and I saw 3 of them!” Amara helped me take some epic long exposure pictures by drawing “Moondance” with her headlamp. Shortly after, we all gathered under the stars and braved the cold for a truly special moonup led by (insert LODs). After mostly everyone had gone to bed, Andrew and I stayed up a little later and stared at the stars, with the Milky Way and the Southern Cross fully in view, for an additional half hour.
Our second day of trekking was our biggest of the trip, featuring our most daunting task yet, crossing the Salkantay Pass at over 15,000 feet of elevation. We stirred from our tents early for breakfast and had to wait for the sun to de-thaw us before beginning our long day of hiking. Our group made quick work of the first portion of the hike, and before long, we approached a series of switchbacks. These steep switchbacks would challenge us and force us to rest and snack as we inched our way closer and closer to the pass. Still we pressed on, and after conquering the switchbacks, we were greeted with a truly stunning view of Salkantay “the savage mountain.” We posed for some pictures, but our job was not yet finished. We pressed on through the rocky and dusty path until we came to a clearing with lots of big rocks to sit on and rest. Ann Frances and Vivian helped document the contrasting lush and glaciated scenery while we rested. Our group could sense that we were getting close to the pass, and so we trudged on and climbed a few more hundred feet of elevation before George, Andrew, and Lawson led the group to the pass, posing with a sign that signified our accomplishment. With our group’s spirits lifted, we posed for photos, enjoyed the views, and then moved on to get out of the wind. We stopped for lunch surrounded some of the most scenic views any of us have had the pleasure of observing. After a nice long lunch (and nap) break, we continued our descent into a valley and made it to our campsite just after the sun fell behind the awe-inspiring peaks around us.
Day three provided our group a slight reprieve from the lengthy hiking of days past. We trekked for a brief couple of hours before being transported by bus to our next campsite. While there, Henry and Jack consumed some delicious Inca Kola (a Peruvian delicacy some could say) before our group headed to the thermal baths nearby. Everyone greatly enjoyed soaking their sore muscles before returning to camp to eat the traditional Peruvian dish Lomo Saltado for dinner, which was one of our absolute favorite meals of the trip.
Day four of trekking was our last, but it was an excellent one to finish with. Lauren led the way as we hiked a relatively flat path along train tracks for around 7 miles before we rolled into the town of Aguas Calientes, our gateway to Machu Picchu. We took much needed showers at our hotel before we explored around the hilly town, checking out the local markets and buying gifts for our loved ones. We ended our day with a delicious local meal where the group tasted some Peruvian classics like guinea pig and alpaca. Our group then headed to bed early as we had a big day ahead of us.
Our last day of adventuring Peru culminated with the most unique adventure of all: exploring the Incan city of Machu Picchu! We had a two hour guided tour and while the slight drizzle may have frustrated some, it only added to the ambiance for our group. We had perfect views of the historic site and got to soak it all in. We took copious pictures and videos and made sure to capture this once-in-a-lifetime experience! After our tour, we headed back down to Aguas Calientes where we gathered our things and hopped on a train back to Cusco!
Tomorrow our group will spend our last day together exploring Cusco before we head back to our respective homes. It has been a truly amazing experience getting to spend this time together and Molly and I are so thankful to have had this opportunity to lead these outstanding kids!
Adios from Peru!
-Henry and Molly
Thank yous:
George: Hey Mom and Dad! Thanks so much for all you have done to allow me to experience this amazing trip. Love y’all!
Lawson: Hey Mom and Dad, thank y’all so much for all of your hard work and sacrifices that allowed for me to come on this trip. It was a blast and I am excited to see y’all soon.
Vivian: Thank you guys for allowing me to go on this Moondance trip!! I miss you guys a lot but I can’t wait to come home and tell y’all all about it!!
Amelia: Thank you guys for sending me on this amazing trip to see such cool and awesome things that I will never forget. See you very very soon!! I love y’all!!
Lauren: Thank you guys so much for letting me come on this trip!!! It has truly been once in a lifetime – can’t wait to see y’all soon!
Ann Frances: I am so very appreciative for the opportunity to explore Peru. It has been nothing short of amazing and quite literally a dream! Thank y’all so much- I love and can’t wait to see y’all soon.
Amara: Thank you mom and dad for an experience of a lifetime! I have loved every minute of Peru and I am so excited to see you guys in two days, love and miss you!
Andres: I very happy that I went on the trip and can’t wait to be home and relax with the dogs and some real true food.
Henry: thank you mom and dad for giving me this amazing opportunity and experience! I can not thank y’all enough and I’m super thankful for yall .
Jack: Hey dad, thanks so much for sending me on this trip. It was awesome and our group bonded so well together. Can’t wait to see you on Sunday!
Laine: Hey Mom and Dad! Thank you so much for this trip! It was so amazing and the coolest experience of my life. I can’t thank y’all enough and I’m excited to see you Sunday!
Halle: Hey mom and dad! Thanks so much for sending me on another Moondance trip it’s been awesome. I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it. See yall Sunday hope all is well at home!!!
From Rapids to Roots: Peru So Far!
July 14, 2025
Hola from Peru! We have had an absolutely wonderful time exploring this majestic country. Our journey really got going once we landed in Cusco. Our group quickly reorganized our belongings and headed out for whitewater rafting! After a lengthy, but beautiful drive, we arrived in the evening at our riverside campsite where we set up our tents, and ate dinner around the campfire we built. We talked and ate and began the extremely brief process of breaking the ice. At moonup that night, Ann Frances and George were selected as Leaders of the day (LODs) for their positivity, gregariousness and enthusiasm in meeting their fellow students.
Day two began with another campfire to warm ourselves from the brisk Peruvian winter. Our group broke down the camp and ate breakfast around the fire before packing up the rafts and heading out for our first real adventure of the trip. Halle and Vivian bravely chose seats at the front of the rafts, subjecting themselves to the chilly water with each rapid we reached. After a few hours, we stopped for lunch and had delicious fresh bread for sandwiches with guacamole, tomatoes, onions, bologna, tuna, and more. YUM! After lunch we convened for a new game our guides taught us, which Jack and George dominated with ease! From lunch, we set out for the remainder of our rafting for the day. Before we reached our campsite along the river, we stopped for some cliff jumping. Andrew led the group and was the first to send the jump! After we arrived at camp, we made quick work of setting up our campsite, fire, and worked on getting to know each other more. We listened to music by the fire and enjoyed a delicious pasta dinner prepared by our lovely guides. After dinner, we played games such as telephone and mafia and shared many more laughs and smiles before calling it a night and getting ready for another epic day of rafting.
On the 10th, we headed out for our final day of rafting, after a fufilling breakfast of eggs and toast. Today was packed with class 4 rapids, including the famous “Ed Sheeran rapid”. Everyone successfully passed through the waters without any flips! Right before the end of our rafting, we stumbled upon another cliff jumping spot, which we insisted on stopping at. We then travelled back to Cusco, where we reunited with our duffels, showered, and repacked for our service section. Molly, Lauren, and Andrew ventured out into town to make a few errands and came back with a delicious chocolate cake to surprise the group! After our pizza and cake dinner, we finished the day with Moonup and slept in our new, comfy beds.
The next day, Friday, we enjoyed a peaceful breakfast at the hotel looking out at the skyline of Cusco. The group then headed 50 minutes south west of Cusco to Ccorca, where we spent the following 3 days for service. After we arrived at our lodge, we dropped off our bags and headed straight to the fields to help a local lady harvest her beans. Amelia and Lawson, along with the rest of the group, powered through all piles of the beans, making the lady very thankful for all our hard work. We then headed back to the lodge for chicken and veggies. After lunch, the girls walked into town to buy dessert for the whole group and met everyone back at the nearby soccer field. We challenged each other to a few games of World Cup, before a couple of local children joined us. With Amara’s impeccable Spanish, we were able to fully communicate with the kids. Team Latvia, consisting of Laine and Henry, killed it on the field AND the goal. We then prepared our very own meal of fish and veggies before getting in bed!
As we came upon our last day of service, we admired Ccorca and the wonderful memories it gave us. This morning we helped our elderly neighbor by cleaning up her yard, by chopping wood, moving bricks, rebuilding her chicken coops, and cleaning up the dead vines. Everyone put in such gracious efforts to make her yard functional for her daily life and she was very appreciative! After, we ate our final meal at the lodge and watched the locals play their annual Sunday soccer tournament and made our way back to Cusco. Once everyone showered and put on clean clothes, we ventured into the town square and shopped before devouring a delish, traditional Peruvian meal. Tomorrow we head out to begin our trekking section and cannot wait for the adventures that lie ahead of us! Signing off for now!
Henry + Molly
Shoutouts:
Hey fam!! I am absolutely thriving here, the people are genuinely so awesome and I can confidently say I have made 11 new best friends. I lucked out so very hard with group and leaders! Peru is genuinely so beautiful and I have had the time of my life so far. It’s been absolutely unbelievable! Such an amazing experience and I am so thankful. I love and miss you all so dearly and cannot wait to see y’all soon! Tell all the animals hi for me! & Hi Wallace here is your special shout-out 🙃Can’t wait to catch up!!
-Ann Frances Truluck
Hey guys! I am having tons of fun on this trip and Peru is very pretty. I miss all the dogs and everyone but I hope you’re having fun at home. I miss you guys but I am happy to be here. Love you!! – Amelia 🙂
Hey guyssss! I love it here. Peru is amazing. I’m having so much fun. Today we started the service part of our trip and the house here is adorable I can’t wait to show you all the photos and tell you all stories once I’m back. Everyone in my group is amazing I know that these are people that I will stay in touch with for a long long time. I miss you guys so much I keep seeing you guys I’m my dreams. This place is incredible I hope we can come back as a family sometime. Please give Campbell, Monte and Maple big hugs! Love you so so much and happy early birthday Peeps and Mom❤️- Halle
Hey y’all! I’m having sooo much fun but I miss you guys!! Today we did community work and Cusco is so beautiful. We have trekking in two days which I’m excited for! See y’all soon!! Love you!
⁃ Vivian
Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well, I’m having so much fun in Peru! Cusco is absolutely gorgeous! Miss you all can’t wait to see you after the trip! Lots of love, Lauren.
Hi guys! I am well and alive. We have been doing so much fun stuff like rafting and we are currently in a village called Ccorca. I miss you guys but I am already having such a blast. I vibe with everyone my group so well and I feel like we have known each other forever, lots of like-minded people! Dad I have been using my Spanish a lot but these Peruvian accents are sometimes hard to understand. Hug Wesley and Ari for me, love yall. Sincerely, Amara (la gringa).
HI FAM!!I miss y’all lots!! This is one of the coolest places I have ever been. It is beautiful. We spent time in Cusco (not Costco mom) and it was very cool. Not super touristy besides one part honestly. I loveeee my group and rafting was really fun. We did some big rapids and it was awesome. We’re now doing community service and where we are staying is beautiful. Truly the trip of a lifetime. I miss y’all so much and give willow a BIG hug for me. Tell Ginny grace and Quinn I miss them. I will attempt to find y’all some good souvenirs on our town day. Currently wearing an Alpaca sweatshirt thingy because I forgot a sweatshirt. LOVE AND MISS YALL!!
⁃ Laine
Sup gangsters , it’s really pretty with the mountains but the altitude is pretty crazy. I miss the food like fast food and lord with a lot of fat. I love y’all and miss the big and lil fluffers.
-Andrés
Hey y’all! I’m having so much fun ! Today we did some service and worked really hard. Everybody is amazing and we’re having so much fun as a group. The weather here is amazing and is definitely now one of my favorite places I’ve been. Love and miss all of y’all!
Henry
Hey y’all! The first few days In Peru have been awesome. White water rafting in the mountains was insane. The cliffs were straight up and we camped on little beaches next to the river. We spent the first work day picking beans from a women’s farm. After that we played a game of soccer against the local kids. I hope all Is well in Richmond. I love and miss y’all!!
Jack
Hi Parents. Peru has been great. I have loved every minute of it. The whitewater rafting was 10/10. Service has been great. I love y’all and miss y’all. See y’all in Costa Rica.
⁃ George Roby
Hey mom, dad, and Caroline. Hope y’all enjoyed the beach and are doing well. Peru has been a lot of fun so far and I’m excited for what’s to come. Have a great day and tell Scout I said hey.
-Lawson Roberts
The Adventure Begins
July 8, 2025
Hello Machu Picchu Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Peru! 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
