July 28, 2025
We just said goodbye to the MOST incredible group in the world, and the hugs we know were only temporary goodbyes because there is no way that this group will not reunite again and share in the once in a lifetime experience that we, and only we had together. As Addy said at our final moonup, there is no one else in the world who knows what we had together and what we shared, and wow was it impactful and life changing.After finishing our amazing trekking section, we had our first day of surfing! We spent the morning in Porto de Cruz, surfing off the shore of another of Madeira’s signature rock beaches and spending time with our talented guides. Every kid was catching waves and wiping out, and it was a beautiful first day of surfing. After finishing and buying some snacks and delicious signature Madeiran cookies that taste like (but better than) gingersnaps, we took the van back to Machico, with the best music playing of course, and then spent the afternoon at the beach, playing games, soaking up the sun, and not letting the threat of the rain that never came deter us from a heated beach volleyball game that half the group would say had some cheaters, and the other half would deny it to the grave. The afternoon was filled with music and laughter and swimming and delicious food. Thanks to William Trask and Evie, halfway through the late afternoon we went to the restaurant that sits just by the beach to enjoy fresh mussels, and loads of French fries and the unbeatable native bolo do caco garlic bread, which we will never stop eating as long as we can perfect the recipe at home. After this, Tall William Tabler, Hayes and I bought some ice cream, and Tall William finished mine for me, another beautiful moment where he helps me finish my food as he has on many occasions. After this, we had a delicious dinner at our hotel before having moonup on the rooftop with a view of the entirety of Machico on one side and the endless ocean on the other.
The next day we had an early morning to catch the ferry to Porto Santo where we would spend the next two nights! This ferry ride happened to be on a rougher weather day, so the majority of the group spent the time watching the movie playing in the movie theatre that sits on the bottom of the boat, while me, Addie, Molly, and Lola sat on the helipad on the top, letting the fresh air ease our stomachs and Lola and I spent the rest of the time napping, her shoulder the comfiest pillow I’ve had in months. Once we arrived, we walked from the marina to the hotel, a beautiful 15 minute walk that took us on a scenic tour of the coast and the town. Once we checked in, we had the entire day ahead of us to enjoy the sea kayaking activity, some time at the beach nearby, and then explore the tiny town of Porto Santo and relax at the beach! The sea kayaking and time at the beach before was a highlight of the trip, even for Evie who was buried neck deep in the sand by the group. The kayaking took everyone along the incredible towering volcanic cliffs of the island, through and into deep caves filled with the sound of crashing waves and our guides whistle, and victory as Mary Sellers finally got Leo, the impossible target, out in assassin with the word pencil. After this, we all hung out at the beach, taking exhausted naps in the sunshine, body surfing, and playing beach games with the music from our ever growing playlist in the background. During this time, William Trask and I finally made it to create the first rendition of our genius idea, the brisa float, inspired by, but in our dreams better than the classic root beer float. Sadly, on version 1.0 we were duped by the language barrier and our eagerness to try it despite the other ice cream shop with vanilla 20 feet away, into mixing our beloved drink with banana ice cream. It was not what we dreamed, but anything mixed with brisa is delicious and we were only more determined to try it again the next day. After this we went back to our hotel and got ready for a delicious dinner at the local pizza restaurant where we had another incredible meal. We then made our way to the walkway by the beach to have an amazing moonup led by Mary Sellers and Caleb, closed with the Ennius idea to have everyone close their eyes as Sam and i assisted the LODs in orchestrating a blind dog pile.
The next day, our costal adventure activity was sadly cancelled due to the weather not being on our side, and so instead we got to enjoy an incredible hike around the island that offered some amazing views and time to explore the many different ecosystems on this island, enjoying more incredible conversation and appreciating every moment. The hike began with an exploration of the 7 million year old sandy cliffs, created through intense heat from when the volcanic island was last active and filed with tiny fossils of snails, and took us winding through the farmland that lines the mountains and with views of the whole island, top to bottom and even the port we had arrived at. We then spent another exhausted afternoon at the beach where we all body surfed, played games, and jumped off the pier for hours. This time jumping off the pier was especially fun, we all swam together, floating in the crystal blue water on a cloudless day, and as Mary Margaret said, we all wished we could just BE, there forever floating and content. We played categories and laughed as some of the locals and other tourists jumped in some interesting ways off of this pier, diving somehow with both their hands and feet hitting the water at the same time. After this, William Trask and I made our way to the other ice cream shop and the restaurant next door to get our vanilla ice cream and Brisa for the Brisa float 2.0, and woah was it the best final version, and one that we will remember forever without the words to describe unless you try it yourself. For the rest of the day we got ready for dinner and then walked 15 minutes down the beach to our next restaurant, where we enjoyed delicious burgers, steak sandwiches, and shares plates of steak and French fries prepared in the traditional style. Then we enjoyed some ice cream and had our moonup on the beach below the restaurant, and at this place you would confuse the tiny island with a place like bora bora or the Maldives. We ended our moonup with an intense game of musical chairs, a tie between George and Sam at the end before walking back to our hotel, making a long and fun pit stop at the concert going on, where we stood front row in the middle of the open courtyard where for some reason, no one else in the large crowd was dancing except for us.The next morning we woke up on our last day in Porto santo to enjoy another incredible hike, and one that no other group had the chance to do that took us up to the top of the volcano that was not a volcano. At the top of this amazing mountain sat a stone courtyard that gave a one of a kind view of the entire island where you could see the town, the ocean, the wind farms, and the section of the island that according to our beloved guide Joao, would confuse you for the Sahara desert if you were to find yourself dropped in the middle of. After this, we shopped around and spent the rest of the day by the pool before walking back to the marina to take the peaceful journey back to the Main island and having a fun moonup followed by a taste of the concert at the festival before bed. The woman who brought the house down on this less crowded night of the festival played some of our favorite classic rock songs including some AC/DC< journey, and even eye of the Igor, a song which chicken George and I had air boxed out as we hiked up the mountain earlier that day.
The next day, and our last full day was fulled with joy as our surfing lesson had incredible wipeouts, most memorable Georgia, incredible waves where everyone surfed like a pro, especially Molly, Tall William Tabler, Mary Sellers, Evie, Addie, Hayes, and Leo with an awesome sideways surf on his butt. We then spent the afternoon doing our laundry, all the girls snacking on Nutella and crackers on the steps of the grocery store above the laundromat, and then heading back to the beach to chill before our banquet dinner where everyone dressed up and looked cleaner and more beautiful than we had in weeks. We had an absolutely delicious final banquet dinner started off by bolo do caco and Brisa and finishing with chocolate mousse before having the long and nostalgic, joyful final moonup. After this, we got the chance to spent our last night at the giant music festival taking place in Machico, one people from all over the island and the mainland traveled to see. This festival had not only a huge stage, but many small stands selling our favorite snacks which we stuffed ourselves with, and some extra special fresh strawberries coated in warm milk chocolate. WE spent the night singing, dancing, sharing in the fun atmosphere and pulling an all nighter before our early 3am departure the next day.There has never been such a special group. Each kid is filled with impressive integrity, strength, courage, and have had a massive impact on both Sam and i and every person they met on this island. Their active and beautiful relationships with our guides have changed their lives, and this entire island is grateful for their presence as well. Sam and I will enjoy keeping up with each of them more than they could every know, and we are heartbroken to say goodbye to them and this incredible, once in a lifetime experience with them. We could not have asked for a better group to end the summer with.WE MISS YOU ALL ALREADY. CALL US ALWAYS.
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.”