Fun in the Sun!
July 24, 2025
Ola from Madeira!
We just finished our fifth day of trekking with a wonderful toboggan ride, a trip ranked number four on CNN’s most beautiful commutes in the world. This trekking section was incredible and filled with endless positivity from the entire group. Whether the day was filled with deep conversations with Caleb and Evie, sharing family lore and stories with Molly, William Trask, Lola, Addie, Mary Sellers, and Mary Margaret, or laughing with Hayes and William Tabler, or as we call him, tall William, there’s never been a dull moment. Every person in this group effortlessly helps out, making each day better. On our second day of camping, we even all awoke to George having been up for an hour and sitting by the fire he started for the group so that we all got to walk into a cozy outdoor kitchen, nestled in. The small outcropping of trees that sat in the fields of golden wheat, and the room was filled with warmth on a misty and chilly morning and gave everyone an amazing start to the day. Even cooking with this group is an activity that nobody wants to miss out on, especially with chicken George and Leo in the kitchen. Everybody especially loved the meal from the night before, led by chicken George, a name that fits well for our head chicken chef, or another talented chef, Rice Leo, master of more than just rice. Our first trek took us up through the streets of Porto Moniz into the high mountains and hills that decorate the landscape behind our youth hostel. We walked from our hostel up a steep 30-minute road that spat us out at the point overlooking the entire town of Porto Moniz. Here we could see not only our hostel, but also the salt pools we would later spend our afternoon at, jumping off the diving board into the ocean as mollie and George respectively belly and back flopped so hard their bellies and backs were red and bystanders continued to laugh for the following hour, playing soccer on the sidewalk, and soaking up the sun, all the while enjoying some yummy snacks. This trek wound us through many local farms and valleys behind us, and we enjoyed our lunch looking over the bay, and even seeing a military submarine making its rounds of the island. We finished this day with a delicious pizza dinner at our hostel, and had an amazing moon up in our little backyard, closing again with this group’s signature moonup closing ritual, an activity of playing many different games, including things like charades, mafia, and more. The next morning, we woke up with a delicious breakfast before saying goodbye to our youth hostel and beginning one of the most beautiful treks on a day filled with clear blue skies and warm, windy air. One of the best things about this group is their endless supply of hiking games, and also hilarious and challenging riddles that take way too long and sometimes not long enough to figure out. Molly, Addie, and Mary Sellers are especially libraries full of amazing riddles, and they could keep us entertained for hours. Many of us now have some great riddles that we are determined to bring home and challenge our families with. On this day, we even started one of our many games of Assassin, and George, usually the first to be out in the game, insists that it’s because of the words we give him, but Molly knew how to get him to say toad easily. All she had to do was bring up Mario Kart, and 30 seconds later, George was a goner. Later, Leo got revenge on George’s behalf by beginning a days long charade of exchanging his euros for euro coins (his goal was to get molly to say coin), and after days of flaunting them, leaving them on the table, and having them out so often we were beginning to wonder what it was all about, he finally got her. This trek took us through the beautiful rolling hills of Madeira, dappled with the signature yellow flowers, the beautiful purple pride of Madeira flower, and the Madeiran white daisies. We had our lunch overlooking a gorgeous valley before continuing on up close and personal with some of the many windmills that line the tops of the ridges on this incredible island. Once we arrived at our first campsite, for our first of two nights of camping, we all quickly began to explore before congregating on the road, where we all played with a soccer ball and a tennis ball for hours, spending time with our incredible guides Enrique (George’s new best friend), Joao, and Luis. Caleb and William Tabler, both not soccer players, were amazing at juggling, and it has been so fun to see each kid trying new things and falling into their grooves. These intense games of catch with the tennis ball, monkey in the middle, and juggling with a soccer ball as we all danced to the amazing house music played by Enrique from his van, filled the afternoon with so much joy. Mary Margaret is always the first to join in whatever silliness is happening, and in the background, her laughter always brings a smile to everyone’s faces. Many of us also sat in the back of the van, enjoying the delicious cookies and snacks, fueling ourselves up after a long and difficult day, and surrounded by the glow of the setting sun, yellow hills, the deep whirring of nearby windmills, and the mooing of the herds of cows that walked right up to us. Also, at this campsite lie two of the most beautiful viewpoints on the island. After making our dinner as fast as we could with some of Addie’s ridiculously delicious homemade salad dressing to go with our yummy pasta and amazing olive oil chicken led by Lola and Molly, we took our dinners and literally sprinted, laughing, plates in hand, up to the top viewpoint so we didn’t miss the sunset, making it just in time. On one side, you could watch the sunset behind the many gigantic windmills that sat next to the road off to the edge of nowhere, sun setting and fog filling the sky, while on the other side, we could watch the very same fog flow over the town of Porto Moniz, up through the valley and over the rolling mountains that you would never believe lay on this island. In moments like these, any kid here can find comfort and laughter with Mary Sellers; her grounding, calming, and comforting presence is always something we seek out. The fog was moving so fast over the mountains that we could barely believe it was real, and we all sat in awe as we watched the sunset and ate our delicious meals. After this, we walked down, did our dishes, and then headed halfway back up to this point to another incredible spot to look at this incredible landscape, on the top of an old stone tower just big enough for all of us to sit perfectly in a circle and have moonup. Here, as the stars begin to appear in the sky, we had an incredible moon up, and with every passing few minutes our circle of love was interrupted by a shooting star only a few of us saw at a time, but by the end we had all seen our fill, looking at different parts of the expansive and deep sky. None of us had ever seen so many shooting stars in our lives, let alone flashing across the vibrant purple Milky Way, a sight you could only see from the top of such a place on an island in the middle of the ocean, far from any city with lights that might bleed into the sky, blocking out the stars. After our moon up, everybody stayed an extra hour or so, lying and looking at the incredible night sky, and thinking about how incredibly small we are in such a vast universe, commenting on the things we are grateful for, and how much we appreciate being here together with such a close group. The next morning, we woke up and began our next trek to Sam and I’s favorite place to stay on the island, a Hostel nestled right near the highest peak on Madeira, which we would be submitting the next day. This trek again was filled with many mind-boggling riddles through the beautiful many ecosystems of the island, and sharing our love of true crime stories. On this day, we had to carry our headlamps with us as the kids were pleasantly surprised by 1000 m and 500 m long tunnels, hand-carved through the mountains to make a way for the canals we trekked alongside. These canals were built 300 years ago, and are still used to this day to allow easy transport of water throughout the island, and to help water reach many farms on this beautiful self-sufficient place. In these tunnels, we sang songs, even turned off our lights to experience the total darkness and listen to the sound of the water flowing by us through the pitch black. Again, these days are filled with amazing conversations with this group, who only want to get to know each other better, and any person can find a meaningful and insightful conversation in talking with Evie, a girl with wisdom beyond her years and beautiful empathy. Each of them has left an incredible impact on both Sam and me. This group is filled with best friends, and there is not a single person out of place. One of the best comments we recently had at Moonup that has stuck out and paints a picture of how close this group is in the magic of this Moondance trip was said by Leo, who said that his biggest regret is not coming on these trips sooner. The way this group supports each other, makes everyone feel included, and brings out the best in each other is so incredible to see, and Sam and I are grateful to have such an amazing group as our last. This day was filled with more incredible and unseen perspectives of the towering mountains, and laughter that echoed through these tunnels. Once we arrived at our favorite hostel. We enjoyed some much-needed showers after a night of camping, and went to a viewpoint right behind a Hostel on the edge of the cliffs to watch the sunset. We listened to music, laughed, and sat literally above and in the clouds themselves, feeling the mist on our faces, and watched the sunset twice as the clouds moved across the horizon. The next morning, we woke up and had a delicious, gigantic breakfast buffet brought to us before beginning the peak hike. In the session, unlike any other, we not only got to do the peak hike, which took us to the highest point where we took many pictures, took in the incredible view from the top of this island, and again appreciated where we were while having amazing conversations. Once we got back down to our hostel, we hopped in the van and were dropped at the top of another hike, going to our guide Joao’s favorite viewpoint on the entire island, right next to the big white spherical research center that we had been looking at all summer and wondering what it was for. Here we got some yummy snacks, had an incredible girl talk in the back of the van ride on the way there, and then hiked down through the valleys to our last campsite. We will never tire of talking about Hayes’s million-dollar ideas, some that thought they already existed, as we found out thanks to William Trask, Hayes has some much-needed improvements. William will never fail to make you laugh; his entire personality is like genuine sunshine. Hayes’s laughter is our favorite, and anytime you talk to him, you can tell he is taking to most from it and bringing his all to the conversation. At this campsite, we immediately split into many groups to explore and take in this new place we were staying. William Tabler, Hayes, Caleb, George, and I even sat at one of the best spots to see the research center. This night is where Chicken George and Rice Leo were born, and before dinner, we even got to play an intense game of monkey in the middle, where our guides and new best friends again joined us. We then had an amazing and beautiful time, listening and playing the guitar, talking, exploring, eating Nutella out of the jar with a spoon with exhaustion and going to bed. Lola gave some of the BEST back massages and, as always, is there with a ridiculous story, contagious laughter, and a smile on her face to lift your spirits at the end of a long day. The next morning, Sam and I woke up the kids. We packed up and began our last day of trekking, an easy downhill to the city of Funchal, where we got the chance to do our tobogganing activity. These toboggans took us top speed down the streets of Funchal and stopped us out at our favorite gift shop, full of Madeira hats and small trinkets for home, and Madeira-themed merchandise to remind us of this incredible place. After this, we arrived at Machico and another incredible hostel where we explored, hit the fruit stand, took naps, and had Moonup on the roof of our hotel, which looks over the entire town and the beautiful matching red roofs that you will see everywhere on this island. After Moonup, we walked down to the amazing rock beach, hung out, and let the side quests take control as we then walked down to the pier in the marina, and most of the group participated in jumping off this pier for a late-night swim. Here we laughed as we swam, took in the city at night, and spent every single moment living as fully as we could where we are, appreciating simply being together and the amazing ideas that come to you when you’re not distracted by a phone. Tomorrow we have our first day of surfing, and we cannot wait to finally get in the water and have the rest of the afternoon to hang out at the beach and enjoy being with this amazing group.
Hayes Morgan: Hayes continues to bring nothing but joy and laughter to this group. Talking to him, you can immediately see his intelligence, drive, and deep listening skills. He soaks up everything around him and is a wonderful person to be around, and someone everyone here is lucky to call a friend. Making Hayes laugh is the best feeling in the world, and all of these kids seek him out in moments where they need not only laughter, but true and honest connection. Hayes has this underlying positivity and wisdom that lies in his effort to connect in a real way with every single person he meets, not just his peers, but our guides and locals we meet, including knowing that you never know the way your own attitude and kindness can impact others.
Hi mom and dad I am still alive I am having a good time. Since I last wrote you we have mainly been trekking we trekked for 5 days but it was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Then this morning we went surfing I was just about as good as I thought I was going to be at about 50% wave success rate and then we chilled on the beach I miss Cole and Bear very much and hope to have Anne Ford waiting for me when I get back. We have 4 days left and I cant wait to see you and don’t forget to tell Cole Hatfield that i’m having a great time.
George Coyle: George is a central pillar of happiness, authenticity, genuine kindness, leadership, and positive attitude. You can count on him for literally anything, whether it is supporting Sam and i or any other kid in this group. He can talk to anyone and make them feel seen and heard in a way that is more than natural. George has this charismatic energy, a smile that lights up the room, and never fails to make sure every single person is present and seen by someone who wants nothing more than to build them up. George goes the extra mile for literally everyone without a single word of complaint, and many of us think complaining may not be in his nature at all, given how positive, willing to do anything for his friends, and genuinely kind he is to his core.
Hey Mom and Dad, i hope yall are doing good. I made it through the hiking which is completely different than any vacation we ever went on. We hiked through the mountains of Madeira for 5 days and camped for 2 of the days. I have cheffing up our meals for us and keeping a good fire alive for everyone. Today we surfed and it has been my favorite part so far and you know your boy was shredding out there. We have been chilling on the beach and having a good time all together. We are headed out to another island tomorrow where we will finish up our last few days of the trip. Love yall and cant wait to see yall.
Mary Sellers Conley: Mary Sellers is so kind, empathetic, hilarious, and willing to try anything. She has this amazing out-of-nowhere humor, and her spur-of-the-moment wit is such a great example of how smart and attentive she is. Mary Sellers will never have a bad word to say about anyone, and no one could ever think of a bad word to say about her because she has this kindness woven into her DNA. Talking to her feels like connecting with a friend who would never judge you, and she leads this group with her authenticity. Mary Sellers can do anything she sets her mind to, and watching her push herself inspires everyone who meets her.
Hi fam and Annie! I hope everything is good there, and that visiting Jojo was fun. We just finished the trekking part of out trip, and we went to the highest point in Madeira. I also got you guys some souvenirs that y’all are going to love. We surfed today and are going to another island tomorrow for some other activities and I’m so excited. This trip is awesome, thank you so much for sending me on it! Give the dogs tons if hugs for me. We also played a bunch of beach volleyball today, so don’t worry I’m getting my reps in. I love y’all bunches and I’ll see you guys soon!!!
Adelaide Egle: Addie is wicked smart, crazy kind, so easy to talk to, and someone to admire. She can do literally anything she sets her mind to, whether its joining in on a game the boys are playing and beating them, teaching everyone how to cook, or sharing herself in ways that make others follow suit, leading with courage and bravery in all the small moments. Addie constantly glows with kindness, and it’s impossible not to be swept up by it. She brings realness and wisdom to all of her conversations, and she picks up on everything, never making you feel left behind, embodying all the qualities you hope to find in a leader.
Hey Mom and Dad!! I hope y’all are enjoying your last days in North Carolina! Madeira is so awesome and I’m so glad I picked this trip. I love my whole group and Sam and Anna are the absolute best. So far we’ve done trekking, canyoneering, rock climbing, and today was surfing. Thank you so so so much for sending me to this beautiful island and I can’t wait to tell you all about it! Love y’all!! (p.s. lily we might lose beach volleyball)
Evie Powell: Evie is so empathetic, emotionally intelligent, wise, kind, and sweet to the point of filling your heart to the brim when you are on the receiving end of it. Evie sees everyone and everything, and will give you advice that makes you realize that she can connect with anyone. Evie is hilarious, always willing to challenge herself, never complains, and shows everyone how to be themselves by making her friends feel like the best version they can be, pulling authenticity from others easily.
Hey mom and dad!! I have been having the best time of my life and I am so thankful for your effort into putting me onto this trip. It has changed my perspective on so many things and I met so many cool and wonderful people that I will be friends with for the rest of my life. We just trekked for the past 5 days and it was amazing. The views were spectacular, and don’t get me started on the food. We surfed today and on the last wave I stood up for the longest I ever have. It was the most amazing feeling. I’m having the best time. I love yall and miss you both so much. Kiss tag for me.
William Tabler: William, or Tall William as we call him, becomes more and more outgoing every day. He is always showing others who thought they knew themselves upon arriving that if you take each day as it comes and every opportunity to discover more of yourself by being silly or trying new things, life is not so hard. He takes up every chance to explore more of his outgoing nature, and everyone loves when he bursts into laughter or leads us in a simultaneously humble and silly conversation. He will always finish whatever food you have left and is willing to help out no matter what. He leads with a rational level head and 100% commitment to whatever he is doing.
Hey mom and dad, hope all is good in Atlanta. We finished hiking through Maderia and it was awesome. The hikes weren’t as bad as i thought they were going to be. We surfed today and it was so much fun. The food here is amazing but i am missing some McDonald’s. We are going to a different island tomorrow and it should be really fun. Love and miss yall.
Leo Mattis: Leo grows more into himself every single day. He is constantly kind, always willing to not only offer a helping hand whenever he notices he is needed, but he is also there to kindly and gently lead the way. He can do anything, we even often call him limitless Leo, and hyping him up and watching him amaze us is our favorite thing to do. Leo is silly, goofy, so smart, kind, wise, and in tune with everyone in this group. There is nothing better than sending him into ridiculous laughter. He leads this group with such grace and positivity, and he is always doing something for the aid of everyone else. His selflessness sets such an incredible example for everyone.
Hi again, it’s already day 12 and we only have a few more days left, time has flown by and I am wishing that this trip would last longer. I am excited to come home, but I know this will be the highlight of my summer, so the longer the better. I will see you guys within the week and once I get back I’ll tell you about the people I have met and befriended, only after I get 3 days of rest. See you guys soon!
Caleb Poston: Caleb has no limits to his depth and curiosity about the world. There is not a chance for anyone to forget their own gratitude or appreciation for not only being here but for life, as he lives in that place that reminds you of how lucky you are to simply be alive, with this group, and somewhere you will only be once in your life in such a way. Caleb can talk to anyone and pull the most authentic version of your own thoughts from you with his own fearless courage and wise outlook on life stemming from his vulnerability and confidence. He has such amazing drive that gives everyone else the space to explore their own passions, and he will always do nothing but support his peers at every turn.
Hi Mom and Dad – I’m excited to see you when I get back. I’m excited for our backroads trip to Canada a week after I get home. I’ve had a lot of fun surfing today, and hiking the past couple days has been fun. Miss you both. Look after Eliza, please. Love you.
Mary Margaret Malatesta: Mary Margaret continues to lead this group in her beautiful kindness, awesome confidence, and level head. She can make you feel silly for ever doubting yourself, and watching her lift up each and every single person actively in this group makes our jobs as leaders easier every single day. She leads with her trustworthiness, silliness, excitement for life, and all of the activities we are doing, and has no limit to her kind spirit that inspires every single one of us daily to bring that same quality to all of our interactions. Talking with her will leave you feeling like you have been seen by a friend who can understand anything, and she will participate in any activity we take up, even if it is only a few people at a time, showing how she takes living in and making the most of every moment to the maximum.
Hey Mom and Dad! Hope everything is great in Bham. We just finished trekking through Madeira and are now surfing. I was able to stand up on the board pretty fast so I guess being able to snowboard helped. Time has gone by so fast and I’m so sad to be leaving soon but I am so exited to see the fam again. Love you so much and see yall soon!!
Lola Ginham: Lola’s beautiful kindness, incredible laughter, silliness and goofiness, and authenticity are always so much fun to be around. Talking with Lola means you will either be laughing for longer than you thought you would be, being lifted up in moments when you didn’t even know you needed to be, or listening with a smile on your face as she lifts your spirits. Lola exists in a place for others. She takes every chance she gets to make you feel better, emotionally and physically. She is always helping others, supporting her friends in public, and making you feel like the funniest person. She could talk your ear off about her passions forever, and all throughout that time, you will be inspired to find more of yourself, supported by an incredible friend and leader.
Hey everyone! I hope all is good at home! I am having so much fun but can’t wait to see everyone. We just finished trekking and it went by really fast. Parts of the journey were challenging but the reward was so good. Today we surfed and I did pretty well. I don’t want it to be over. Missing yall!
Molly Fesler: Molly is outrageously goofy, smart, easy to laugh with, and willing to take up any challenge. Molly leads with not only vulnerability and authenticity like so many in this group, but also with wise, open-minded, endlessly supportive opinions. Molly can call out any person in the group, and make Sam and me realize all the moments with the kids we miss as she remembers every conversation she had, every detail about her friends, and supports them in so many ways. Molly gives some of the best hugs, showing just how much she pays attention to others and how easy it is for her to make her friends feel like they are having the best time, simply because she shows them how important they are to her. A friend and leader like this do not come around often, and Molly is more than what these qualities can be put into words.
Hey guys, I miss both of you so much. I am having so so much fun here. We went surfing today and the waves were massive. Trekking was amazing, we were camping and walking above the clouds. I’m having the best time. Thank you guys for sending me on this trip, love ya both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
William Trask: William is outgoing, kind, always positive, and absolutely hilarious. William will join a friend on any side quest, talk to you and tell you amazing stories that show you how effortlessly he can be himself, and he is the one person you know you can turn to and feel like there will be nothing but love and not an ounce of judgement. He can make you laugh at any moment, Will join you in any challenge you take up, and never leaves any person feeling like they are alone. William has such a level head, kind heart, and beautiful soul, and in connecting with him, as anyone can, his empathy will fill your heart. He has such an amazing mind, and in listening to the way he talks about others with nothing but kindness and support, you know you can trust him with anything. Every person in this group takes the time to speak highly about him when he is not there, showing how his impact is immeasurable.
Hey Mom and Dad, I miss y’all so much! We went surfing today and the water and view were so pretty. Before that we were trekking and the stars while we camped were amazing! I’m so sad that the trip is coming to an end but I’m making sure to soak up every last moment I can! I’m having the best time! Thank you so much and I cant wait to see you soon. Love you!!!
Magical Moments in Madeira!
July 21, 2025
Ola from Maderia! We have had an incredible beginning to this trip! We all arrived safely in Maderia after meeting in the Lisbon airport, and immediately falling in together as a group like it was effortless. Once we landed, we dropped our bags at our hotel and got the chance to begin by exploring the beautiful city of Funchal. We first walked 10 minutes down the main road that lines the shore and many marinas full of towering sailboats, and then arrived at a delicious restaurant sitting above the beach for our first introduction to Madeiran food and our favorite drink, Brisa. It has often been a debate on these trips whether we would rather meet Cristiano Ronaldo, a Madeira native who has a museum and a house here, both of which we saw later in the afternoon, or the Brisa family, and we hope to send these kids home with the majority of them forgetting who CR7 is in favor of the Brisas. After lunch, we grabbed our snorkeling gear and walking down to the expansive stone beach nestled in the bay next to the marina, surrounded by giant stone “jacks”, like from jack in the box, that held up the pier and protected the bay on both sides. We snorkeled, exploring the ocean floor covered in little reefs, swimming, laughing, and getting to know each other better in our still jet lagged states, but each full of appreciation for the beauty before and behind us as we gazed out at the open ocean and the hills covered in the matching red roofs that are so signature here. Then we went back to the hotel to check in our bags and do a quick turn around to continue exploring, where we then saw the CR7 museum and went up to his house. Also in the bay across from his house was a giant ship bound for Antarctica and named after Sir David Attenborough, an amazing thing to see that had us all wondering what it would be like to go, and many of us to hope to go one day. After this, we had a yummy first dinner at Pizza Hut, a few of our first times there before going to a beautiful park. In the middle of this park there was an amphitheater Sam and I had never explored, and where we held moonup for our first night and picked our first leaders of the day, George and Evie, both incredible leaders on their first day and great examples of the best of the moondance attitude, which is full in everyone’s hearts throughout this group. After moonup, we walked back to our hotel, only for me, Addie, Molly, Lola, George, and Caleb to sit on the black and white cobblestone steps, unchanged for at least over 100 years, in the plaza outside of our hotel and play guitar and sing for an hour. While we did this, and Caleb amazed us with his talent, George began to learn how to play a horse with no name, Molly sang along to all of the words of every song my memory, and Addie showed us how to play the beginning to Tennessee Whiskey, a large group of school children gathered around to listen and cheer, a magical and fun first night in Madeira.
The next day we woke up and had a yummy buffet breakfast at our hotel before embarking on a beautiful hike, 10 miles and pretty flat through the Forrests of Madeira, an amazing opportunity for the kids to all talk and get to know each other on a beautiful day shaded by the ancient trees.After this hike, we again explored Funchal, walked around and hit some of the shops, leaving some for the next day and spending the sunset on the beach, playing on the shoreline, throwing and skipping rocks as Leo amazed us by skipping rocks minimum 6 skips every single time, and having amazing conversations before having moonup on this beach as the sun went down and everyone let it fully sink in where we were, and then all of the kids hung out in our favorite little plaza by the hotel before going to bed to get some much needed rest before our next day.When we woke up, we surprised everyone with our rock climbing activity. This activity took us to a beautiful rock wall overlooking an ecological park and a bay, and in the center of it sat 6 fish farms 20-45 meters deep and filled with thousands of fish. Every single person climbed every single route, and Leo, teaching and offering calming and wise guidance to everyone throughout the activity, even amazed everyone by climbing the hardest route there, one only a few have completed all summer and one Sam only finally just completed in this final session after much effort. This was one of the most fun activities we had, and as we cheered on our peers we all sat at the bottom sharing stories, getting to know each other, and beginning to curate the amazing playlist for this trip. After we finished climbing, we ate our yummy packed lunches and then we all walked down the path to the bay that lie below us, a tall rocky shoreline, and swam and soaked up the sun on this wonderful cloudless day, endlessly talking and realizing that this group is already constituted of natural best friends through and through. Once we got back to Funchal, we continued our exploration, looking for good places to shop and loving the rising familiarity we had in this city. After an afternoon well spent, we gathered for ourselves for moonup down at the end of the pier by our favorite rocky beach. Here, we sat and played the guitar in light of the setting sun, all singing along and especially enjoying listening to Caleb play songs like blackbird. This moonup was especially fun, and we closed it with a popcorn story that took some absurd turns as we went one word to one word and down a storyline that made only just enough sense.
The next day we woke up and had our first day of canyoneering! This activity has been a favorite all summer, and these kids especially loved it with Mary Sellers taking lead as they jumped from waterfalls, repelled down the bigger ones, and hiked through the winding river that sits at the bottom of a valley, full of incredible views of the towering surrounding mountains coated with the yellow flowers and white daisies. After canyoneering, everyone arrived exhausted to our next accommodation, Sam and I’s favorite place of the entire summer, and spent the afternoon playing pool, hanging out and talking for hours, playing cards, doing and learning magic tricks, playing a heated game of checkers (Hayes and William and George could be heard for miles debating as the demolished each other), and appreciating the absolutely unbeatable, incredible views of the mountains the kids were unaware that we would soon be trekking our way through. We had our moonup sitting outside on a stone walkway overlooking these mountains, and closed it with a hilarious game of mafia led by Molly and then round two by George, both incredible and charismatic storytellers that had us in tears as Mary Margaret first made it to the final round as the mafia completely under the radar. After the kids stayed up talking under the star flooded sky, they went to bed to dream of canyoneering the next day.Then everyone woke up for canyoneering and got to do the day filled with more waterfall jumps and enclosed by the high rock walls, even more full of the endemic daisies and invasive yellow flowers that look so beautiful, with William Trask starting a splash war and letting the splash war take over and having the best time possible. George and William Tabler and Mary Margaret even jumped in and explored one of the caves in the rocky walls, and Hayes conquered his fear of heights in the belaying and jumping from every single one that he could. After this we arrived to our new hostel in Porto Moniz and went swimming at the natural salt pools! Here, finally in this session, the diving board into the ocean was open, so all of the kids jumped off and into the ocean many times, enjoying the tide push and pull them and then later passing the soccer/volleyball around before heading back to our hostel for intense games of wall ball, monkey in the middle, catch, hackey sack, and hanging out, talking, and playing and listening to music. We then had moonup on the grassy lawn of our hostel and prepared for our first day of trekking to follow!
Shoutouts:
Evie P: Evie is one of the brightest smiling and kindest girls. She is always talking someone’s ear off, lifting their spirits, and getting to know everyone in this group on a deeper and more meaningful level that sets the tone. She is always bubbly, easy to laugh, and you can count on her for a genuine, empathetic, and listening shoulder to lean on.
“Hey mom and dad, i love you so much and i cant wait too see you and tell you all about the adventures i have been having. / My favorite memories so far is when our group sits down with our counselour, Anna, and she gives us advice that will last a lifetime.”
Molly F: Molly is beyond outgoing and kind, she is full of smart questions, games, and especially difficult and creative 20 questions answers when she comes up with them and questions for her peers. She is the first to be the mafia narrator, the first to put herself out there, and the first to lead everyone in the group, especially with her endlessly positive attitude. There is no one else you want to go to for a laugh, someone to speak highly on your behalf, and her beautiful observation skills mean that she is there with every single person making sure they are having a great time.
“Hey mom and dad, I love you guys and I miss you both!!!! Thank you so so much for sending me on this trip. It has been absolutely amazing so far. / My favorite memory so far was jumping off the first cliff at canyoneering. Can’t wait to see both of you!!! Love ya!!!!!!!!”
William T: william is beautifully curious, kind, authentic, and genuine in every single conversation. I can always count on him to be listening, and usually knowing the answers to the questions we don’t. He is always there with a funny story or memory, and can relate to literally anyone. He is the first to take pictures for people, offer his helping hand, and have a giant smile on his face. William leads this group with his easy humor and open heart, and his self awareness and confidence inspire me and everyone in this group to be more comfortable in our own skin.
“Hi mom and dad, I love and miss y’all so much! This trip has been so fun!! We’ve done a lot of water activities so far like canyoneering and snorkeling, and we even did cliff jumping!/ My favorite memory is watching the sunset in Funchal on the dock while Anna was playing the guitar and singing. I think were going trekking soon, but honestly I’ve lost track of time and what were doing because I’m having such a good time! Love you and I cant wait to see you guys.”
Adelaide E: Addie is brilliant, outgoing, full of love and confidence. She is a wonderful example of a leader, and speaking with her is always not only grounding but authentic. She can literally do anything, she keeps us all in a state of gratitude with her constant appreciation of not only where we are, but of the way that appreciation of life and all of its small moments should be carried with us outside of a moondance context as well. Addie can talk your ear off about anything, and it is only reflective of her intelligence and beautiful way of looking at the world, always considering the beginnings of things.
“Hey mom and dad!! This trip has been awesome so far! Everything we’ve done has been so cool and I love our group and leaders so much! I miss y’all and can’t wait to tell you all about it! (Hi mayah and lily)/ My favorite memory so far has been the late night guitar circles”
Mary Sellers C: Mary Sellers is the kindest, funniest, and most humbly uplifting person. She can do anything she sets her mind to and often within the group, the tasks she take up inspire others to join in as well. She leads in her actions quietly and without expectation for any gratitude to be seen, but the entire group is constantly grateful for her. Her hilarious sense of humor means there is always a smile around her. She has the ability to connect and empathize with anyone, and her sweetness brings all of us to her level and without her kind, open heart this group would be lacking.
“Hi guys! This trip is so much fun, and I’m so grateful that you guys sent me on it. My leaders and group are awesome! It’s so gorgeous here and I can’t wait to show you photos. We’re trekking next, and I’m so excited for the views. Say hi to the dogs for me! Don’t worry about me too much, because I’m having a great time. I love y’all bunches!! / My favorite part has been when we cliff jumped during canyoneering or at the beach, or the long talks and guitar playing we have at night.”
Lola G: Lola is always kind, effortlessly herself, and confident in her beautiful spirit. She is always laughing loudly and can make anyone feel like the funniest person in the world. Lola will sing along to anything, she has a wonderful sense of adventure, and will challenge herself at every possible turn, inspiring others with her openness to pushing herself. She can make anyone feel loved and has such a comfort in who she is, and it makes others take a step back to watch in awe as she shines brightly.
“Hi everyone! This trip has been so much fun so far and I can’t wait for what else is to come! My favorite part so far has been either canyoneering (repelling and jumping cliffs) or nighttime guitar songs. I love my group so so much, the girls are the absolute best and the guys are so funny. I love how well we all get along. My leaders are great as well. Sam is silly and Anna has the best deep group talks. Can’t wait to tell you about it later. Love y’all!”
George C: George can talk to literally anyone, his humor carries us through all moments in the day, and he is so kind to the deepest part of him. George is not only an emotional leader in this group, he takes literally every opportunity possible to lift his peers, knowing not only the power of his words in this context where we are constantly together, but his intelligent awareness is a gift to everyone here. George has a talent for bringing everyone out of their shells with easy grace.
“Hey mom and dad, this trip has been awesome so far and i have the best group of people around me. We have done all kinds of different things which i know y’all can’t wait to hear about. My favorite part has been the rock climbing so far because of how challenging it was. We’re going hiking and camping in the backcountry soon which is going to be fun cause I’ve never really done this before. Sam is a beast and Anna is so nice. I’ve started to learn the guitar a little and it feels so nice not looking at my phone all the time. Can’t wait to tell yall all about it. Love yall!”
Mary Margaret M: Mary margaret is kind, mature, open hearted and strong minded, and her motivation inspire every single person. She is honest, outgoing, hilarious, and a person anyone would be lucky to call a friend. She is beautifully wise, humble, curious, and leads us in her willingness to contribute every day and talk to anyone. She makes every single person feel like in her, they have a best friend, and it is a talent that will carry her far in life. She has compassion built into her, gratitude as a constant state, and wisdom beyond her years.
“Hey mom and dad! This trip has been even more incredible than I have expected. Everyone in my group is so nice and so funny. I miss yall so much and cant wait to get back home to tell you all the amazing stories. So far we have done rock climbing which was extremely hard but I made it up all the walls. We also went canyoneering and repelled down waterfalls and swam through the canyons. My leaders have been incredible and helped me out whenever I needed. Thanks so much for sending me out here, I have meet so many amazing people and been to so many amazing places. Love ya’ll!”
William T: William is witty, wonderful to talk to, and always paying attention. He is committed to growth every single day. In talking to him, you can tell he is always pulling his words from a genuine place, bringing himself fully to every conversation and giving his all to every day without a single complaint. He is hilarious, committed to everything we do here, especially the games, and never fails to lift the spirits of the group with his easy conversation and kind attitude.
“Hi mom and dad, this trips has been awesome and so much fun. Our leaders and the people in my group are amazing. My favorite thing I have done is definently canyoneering. Jumping off of the cliffs was so much fun. Can’t wait to tell you guys more once I get home. Love and miss yall.”
Leo M: Leo, or limitless Leo as we like to call him, is so intelligent, kind, curious, and full of authentic drive to help others. Leo has the quickest mind, able to solve any problem you put in front of him and a central pillar of this group. He can make anyone laugh, is wonderfully authentic, and a constant source of deep and genuine conversation. He can make anyone laugh, is constantly appreciating the world around him, and is beyond kind in every moment.
“Hi mom & Dad, I am having a great time here in Madeira and I appreciate you guys for this opportunity. I experienced many new things, I’ve had tons of fun and am proudly able to say I completed every rock climbing course. I can say confidently that out of all of the new experiences I have enjoyed, my favorite was that time the whole group played mafia together. See you soon! – Leo”
Hayes M: Hayes leads with his amazing sense of humor, humility, and willingness to help out in all times. He has such a capacity for helping others, being a great, smart, and open hearted friend to talk to, and is great at bringing out the best in people in an easy and comforting way. He will never fail to make you laugh or see something in you, and he is a great leader and friend to everyone here.
“Hi Mom and Dad I miss yall and Cole and our other dog Buck. I made it to Madeira clearly fine and have been doing many activities such as a day hike rock climbing swimming the water here is very cold. We also went canyoneering we are 6 days in and have 10 left I hope that we have and new dog and something else when I get back talk to dad about the other thing he knows what it is. Tell Cole Hatfields mom to tell him im good. I’m having a good time and cant wait to get back I love you so much see you soon.”
Caleb P: Caleb’s easy confidence, intellegence, and constant kindness inspire everyone at all moments. He will talk to everyone and make you feel like you have a genuine friend, and he will always bring authentic inquisitive energy to every moment. He is wise, humble, and always willing to lift his friends with kind words and hype them up to no end, and leads with effortless grace and gratitude in every second.
“Mom – Thank you so much for dealing with all of the logistics for me to be on this trip and going out of your way for me to be able to take the ACT. Going on this trip and seeing how everything was already completely organized for me without any effort on my part made me recognize how much you’ve done for me. I’ve had a lot of fun canyoneering and car rides playing music are really fun. Love you.”
Safe Arrival in Madeira!
July 14, 2025
Hello Madeira Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Madeira! 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
