Monkey's Face and Backpacking!
June 17, 2025
Good day folks! We hope this finds you well because our Moondance crew is having a mystical time in the Pacific Northwest. Mystical because Harley has really taking a liking to calling every spectacular view rather mystical. As you read, Days 1-4 were an absolute success and the kids have grown as leaders and friends. This group has a lot of personality and everyone shines!
Day five of the trip started earlier than all the rest. We had to get up really early to meet the guides who set up the system. Although the trail we stomped up was called Misery Ridge, the group only showed a positive mindset with Walt leading the group. The Monkey’s Face day consisted of Tyrolean Traverse, a brief climb 200 ft above the air, followed by a rappel down to the base. Elliott, our fearless climber, led the group and boldly did the first descent. Some students rappelled slowly to enjoy the view while some were eager to get two feet in the ground, but every student tackled some gnarly height throughout our time climbing in smith rock. Greer was the last to rappel, but she showed nothing but excitement and bliss at the bottom. After a quick group photo at the top overlooking the beautiful Oregon horizon, the group hiked gear down, thanked our awesome guides and packed up camp. Anna, Amzie, and Ann, (the self proclaimed A-Team), treated us to some quesadillas and then the kids were treated to some much needed ice cream. After a karaoke car session, everyone passed out in the car. Although we normally have a very chatty and social crew, the early morning and hot Oregon sun tired everyone out. After a long car ride, and some Chick-Fil-A, the crew arrived at our campsite just south of Seattle.
Day six was a big day of travel and preparing for our backcountry adventure in the North Cascades. Tysen, Ann, Caroline, and Walt cooked up some egg and bacon bagel sandwiches to get us fueled up for the day. As our LODs, Tyler and Caroline kept the group entertained during the van ride, and made sure everyone’s seatbelts were on ;). After we arrived at our campsite, our U-Haul was finally able to burst as everyone gathers up their gear for the great pre backpacking duffel shuffle! For dinner, Adam and the boys made some delicious pasta with sausage and red sauce before we headed off to bed to rest up for our big start to backpacking.
Day one of back packing started off with oatmeal and several games of ninja. Elliot was our best ninja but Anna had some sneaky skills. After one of the most scenic drives to the trail head, our back packing adventure started off not with hiking, but with a boat ride. We ferried across the beautiful Ross Lake to the start of our trailhead. After some pb&j tortillas, we hit the trail. With Elliot at the helm, we trekked roughly 3 miles, across streams and bridges toward our stunning campsite. On the way, our group was lucky enough to see a timid black bear, who scurried away from the crew and hid in the bushes. At the campsite, crystal clear water surrounded by snow capped mountains and evergreen forests met us. Walt, Elliott, Adam, Tyler, and Tysen all went for a swim in the lake once we arrived to camp. While making dinner, we had some visitors, a pair of blacktail deer that proceeded to wander around our campsite investigating our sleeping bags and kitchen. While they didn’t stay for a our pesto chicken pasta dinner, they returned for moonup by the lake. Overall, a very successful first day of backpacking.
Our second day of backpacking started late. We had a nice sleep in and a big pancake breakfast where Walt proved himself to be the most skilled pancake flipper of us all. This was a big day, about six miles, with a good bit of elevation gain to start, but all the kids rocked it! Greer helped keep our spirits up, and Anna and Amzie lead the charge up some of our biggest hills. For lunch we stopped in a sun filled mossy clearing where we broke out the summer sausage and cheese for our tortillas. We reached our second campsite in the late afternoon, where we all dropped our stuff and attempted to get into the river. Some people were more successful than others as the water was very chilly. Our dinner was fantastic! Amzie, Tyler, and Greer made us a delicious chicken and vegetable pad Thai. After a big day of hiking, a hot dinner always hits the spot.
Day three of backpacking also started late. After Elliot, Harley, and Anna showed us what southern Chessy Grits should taste like, the crew put on some eye black to set the tone of the day. After some short uphill, the trail descended and the group made camp by 2:00 PM. Ann was our lead hiker and set a speedy pace to make it to Hozeameam Lake. Eagerly, we went swimming under the most beautiful pair of mountains. Loon calls and Owl hoots echoed across the lake as the group got ready for dinner. Rice and beans was one of our most filling and delicious meals yet and the crew got ready for bed quickly after having moonup by the lake. An early start to the next day means an early bedtime, but that doesn’t mean that plenty of laughter wasn’t had while the sun was still out. We got really lucky on our back packing trip as everyone was able to cowboy camp and we didn’t have to bust out the tents once!
The last day of backpacking started earlier than the group had before. But the kids didn’t know that because we are busy living in the moment and soaking all the experiences we can out of the North Cascades magical mossy forests. Fortunately for the group, the trail was all downhill and the crew made it to the pickup point earlier than needed. On the way though, Elliot spotted bear prints in the trail and a big ole pile of bear scat! Everyone had an amazing, yet challenging, time in the woods and May and Adam were happy to see the growth everyone showed. While waiting for the water taxi, the girls, led by Amzie and Greer, had a photo shoot while the boys had stick duels and rock skipping contests.
We are so proud of all your kids, they absolutely crushed Monkey’s face and the backpacking section! We can’t wait for more beautiful views and hopefully some orca sightings in the San Juan Islands!
Bye for now,
Adam & May
Ann: Hi! I am having so much fun. We just finished backpacking and heading to sea kayaking. Miss y’all! See y’all soon!
Amzie. Hi guys, backpacking was not my favorite, but I’m looking forward to seeing orcas while sea kayaking. I miss y’all so much and I can’t wait to see you soon! Love you mom and dad, Staley, Brad, buddy and Roscoe. Love, Amzie
Anna: backpacking was rough but also fun! I miss y’all so much! I can’t go see you. I haven’t showered in 6 days. Love y’all!
Tyler: hi mother and father, backpacking had some ups and downs. It was really fun though. Missing you. Love you.
Harley: hey y’all, I’m having a great time and the views are amazing. See y’all in a little! Happy Father’s Day!
Elliott; hi mom and dad, backpacking was really cool and there were great views. I love you and happy Father’s Day!
Walt: hey mom and dad, Moondance has been fun so far. Happy Father’s Day. See y’all soon.
Tysen: hi family, camp is fun. We just finished backpacking it was fun but difficult. We are about to kayak which I am excited for. See you later.
Greer: hey guys! I am having so much fun! Backpacking was AMAZING! Till, hope you had fun at the AFA. Hope Macy is loving Spain! I love y’all so much, thank you!
Perfection In the Pacific Northwest
June 13, 2025
Greetings from the sunny and gorgeous Pacific Northwest! Our entire group made it to Seattle safe and sound! After some UNO initiated by Tysen and some group hackey-sac with Harley and Walt while we waited for the rest of our crew to arrive, we loaded up the van to drive to our first campsite.
The drive to Oregon was very scenic, we had some amazing views of Mt. Rainier. The group was treated to an first unbelievable campsite, complete with jumbo tents, an outdoor kitchen and den, and a tipi! After a good night’s sleep and some breakfast burritos, we headed to the White Salmon River for a day of rafting under the sun. Our guides took us through some roller coaster rapids, a total of 15 miles of scenic paddling, and Tyler was sure to catch every second on our GoPro. After a delicious lunch of wraps and watermelon, we hopped back in our rafts for a slightly more mellow afternoon of paddling and exploring the lower and narrows of the White Salmon. Perhaps one of the best views of the day was at the takeout when our rafts flowed into the Columbia river. The sky was dotted in the colorful kites of kite surfers, and the kids scrambled into the river to get a closer look. With the mountains and wind surfers in the background, we couldn’t think of a better place to end our rafting day. Back at camp, Greer introduced everyone to Mafia and the crew played for hours. Afterward, our first cook crew, Greer, Walt, Caroline, and Ann cheffed up a delicious taco bar, followed by a moonup on the squashy armchairs of our outdoor den at camp. Day two finished with poker played with bananagrams as chips where Tysen took everyone’s letters
Day three started bright and early but that didn’t mean the excitement wasn’t dampened. Anna, Harley, and Elliott cooked the group a hot egg and hash brown scramble before our big day of climbing. Our drive took us from southern Washington to Smith Rock State Park. The crew drove on the Mt. Hood scenic drive, the highest mountain in Oregon. Once we arrived in Smith Rock, we immediately hit the crags with our climbing guides. Elliott boogied up every route the guides set up, and Tyler climbed so fast we could hardly get our cameras out fast enough to catch his ascents. Anna stuck with her climbs and with some encouragement from her group, climbed every route she attempted. Greer also challenged herself and projected a climb until she reached the summit! After a good first day of climbing under the hot sun, we escaped to Steelhead Falls for a refreshing swim by the waterfall. Amzie was sure to capture everyone’s joyful leaps into the water on her GoPro before jumping in with the rest of the crew. Our third cook group made us a veggie fried rice for dinner- yummy! After a long and busy day, the group decided to wind down with moonup by the cliffs overlooking the river at our campsite and turn in early.
We think it’s safe to say that day two of climbing was an absolute success! We all got to practice our rappelling skills in preparation for our big rappel- Monkey’s Face! Today our climbing guides set up some more challenging routes and everyone crushed it! Elliott sailed up a 5.11 rated climb, and Amzie showed the wall who’s boss. After a big morning of climbing, we headed to Bend to explore and find a spot for dinner. Caroline loved our trip to Bend and wanted to check out every store. After a backcountry style charcuterie board to top off our meal in Bend, everyone had a much needed shower. After moonup and a sunset photo shoot, we headed to bed to rest up for our big day on Monkey’s face. Our first four days together have been nothing short of amazing, and we are so excited for the adventures to come.
Until next time,
Adam & May
Shoutouts:
Caroline: Thank you for letting me go on this trip, I’m having a lot of fun! I love you guys and tell Lila I miss her a lot.
Tyler: Hi mom and dad, I am having a great time. Meeting a lot of new people and having a great time. The kids here are chill and we are going on a lot of cool adventures. Happy Father’s Day and thank you.
Amzie: Hey guys, I’m having so much fun here. Everything is so pretty and my group’s all so fun. Miss y’all!
Ann: Hi! I am so so much fun! My favorite part of the trip so far was white water rafting. Happy early Father’s Day! Love y’all and miss y’all!
Harley: Hey mom and dad. This trip is amazing. Thank you for sending me on it. See you at home!
Anna: Hey mom and dad, I miss y’all so much! I’m having so much fun! I love y’all so much!
Greer: Hey guys! I am having so much fun! The waterfall was really cool! Thank you! I love you!
Tysen: Hi mom and dad, Moondance is so fun! Happy birthday Theo and happy Father’s Day to dad. See you later.
Elliott: Hi mom and dad, climbing and rafting has been amazing. I love y’all and thank you for letting me do this trip.
Walt: Hey mom and dad, Moondance is really fun and thank you for letting me do this. I have loved my group. Love y’all.
PNW is underway!
June 8, 2025
Hello Pacific Northwest Families,
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Seattle. 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
