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
