Hello from The Land of the Midnight Sun!
June 23, 2025
We are so happy to be writing our first trip update! Everyone arrived safely into Anchorage, followed by a pizza dinner before getting picked up by a charter bus to take us to our first campsite. Everyone got to experience sleeping under the Midnight Sun and we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know everyone.
Day two we drove to Whittier where we would begin preparing for our epic sea kayaking section. Marley was so helpful in prepping for the journey alongside us leaders – she is always the first to offer a helping hand. And our preparation was worth it because we were greeted with sunny skies in the town known for its rainy days, stunning mountainous backdrops, and one building housing all of its residents. We gathered our kayaking gear, had some treats at the beloved Lazy Otter coffee shop, and packed for our first back country adventure before having a veggie fried rice feast.
Day three was an early wake up to make our charter boat to where we’d start kayaking. As veteran Moondance students and natural leaders, Samantha and Will set the trip off to a great start as our Leaders of the Day, rallying the group and adding pep in our step. On the boat ride we spotted our first glaciers and even a grey whale! We paddled 4 miles to our camp site, and saw another whale from our kayaks as well as a bald eagle. We ended the day by playing games on the beach and had our first back country meal of pesto pasta.
Day four we were greeted first thing in the morning by a bear enjoying a swim off of our beach. Then we paddled 8 miles to get close up views of multiple glaciers in a fjord. Mason and Carmella crushed it as leaders of the day as they helped navigate and load and unload all of the boats. When we returned to camp we learned some Lovett cheers from Lucille which helped lift our spirits and energize us for our next big day. We also did a polar plunge in the freezing glacial bay water before warming up with some burritos!
Day five was our biggest paddle day, but lucky warm weather and calm seas persisted. We flew through 10 miles until we reached a campsite nestled in the forest at the inlet of a small cove. George and Will were natural kayakers, leading the pack with their strong paddle strokes and great conversation. Soon after landing, Logan found an intact animal spine on the beach. After quesadillas and brownies to refuel, we headed for one final day of kayaking.
Day six we woke up early for our final 7 mile push to Whittier, where we couldn’t stop thinking about what’d we’d get as a reward for our hard work at the Lazy Otter cafe. Ben and Clay were our leaders of the day and impressed us with their map skills and ability to manage the group’s long list of coffee orders. After a quick grocery run to restock on food, we were on our way to the Matanuska glacier to climb some legendary walls of ice.
On day seven, we started our ice climbing adventure. Clay and George were the brave first people to climb the wall, ascending effortlessly. Lucille and Logan then posed a wonderful question to the group, and we are now closer than ever before.
We are so grateful to have such a wonderful group of students – it is a privilege to be on the adventure of a lifetime with them! We are looking forward to another day of ice-climbing tomorrow and then off to backpacking!!!
Safe Arrival in Anchorage!
June 17, 2025
Hello Northern Lights Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Alaska! 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
