Rock Walls, Rapids, And Radiant Smiles
June 29, 2025
Hello from the sunny and stunning Pacific Northwest! Adam and May here to give you some updates on how the first few days of our trip have gone. This crew is truly unbelievable. They have brought so much energy to the start of the trip, and their eagerness to jump into every activity whether it’s rafting or cooking has been so cool to see.
After all your kids landed safely in Seattle, we hit the road to our first campsite. Liv (Liv H.) was giving Adam lots of song suggestions for the car ride and keeping the vibes high. Alice and Livi started up a game of wavelength to pass the time and to get to know their peers. We had a hearty first day dinner of pizza and salad and then we got back on the road to finish the drive to our campsite. Our first moonup was a great one. We learned all about the goals your kids have set for themselves for this trip, and we hope that when they come back they will feel accomplished and proud of all their hard work.
Day two started early, but with some delicious pancakes courtesy of Adam, Isaac, and Patrick. After breakfast, we headed down to the White Salmon River for a big day of rafting. All the kids crushed it! We hit some major rapids but all the kids paddled through them with ease. Kate was an amazing source of energy out there. She kept the vibes high and smiled her way down the river. I think it’s safe to say that both rafts had an awesome time. After our rafting adventure, we headed back to camp for some showers and a delicious pasta and read sauce meal prepared by our first cook crew of the session, Duncan, Kate, and Caroline, aptly named “Duncan and his donuts”. After dinner, we heard some stories from our campsite host, Big Dawg, about his adventures in Alaska and on the White Salmon.
Day three started bright and early because we started climbing today! The kids were able to take a snooze in the van and before they knew it we were hiking down to our first climbing spot to learn all the essentials: tying into the rope, how to belay, and proper safety checks. After putting on their “climbing slipper” as they took to calling their climbing shoes, Alice and Liv were first to jump on the wall, eager to show what they had learned in our belaying lesson. Our wonderful climbing guide set up lots of routes for us, and everyone was able to try various types of climbs. Caroline quietly sailed up her first climb, revealing her stellar climbing skills on the “crux” (the hardest part of a climb). Adam and I are so proud of all the kids for giving every route they climbed their best.
After a fun afternoon in smith rock state park, we headed to Steelhead Falls to enjoy an afternoon swim. For dinner, Patrick, Isaac, and Liv made us a delicious sausage and pepper jambalaya, a great meal to kick off climbing. While our cook crew was cheffing away, the rest of the group picked our camping spot and turned into our own little tent city. After dinner, we gathered for a very entertaining moonup lead by Duncan and Liv. Let’s just say, there were a lot of “nugs” being shared. Duncan and Liv closed moonup with a game of Shake and Pop, a personal favorite of Adam and myself. After our shake and pop dance party, Patrick spotted a horned owl silhouetted in the setting sun, with the tall rock spires in the background. It was certainly a rare sight.
Day two of climbing started as the sun rose over smith rock. We kicked off the morning with some French toast sticks, fruit, and sausage prepared by Duncan, Caroline, and Kate. Today, we hiked along the bottom of the canyon to our climbing spot, passing lots of ponderosa pines and even spotting a Golden Eagle nest high up on a rock face. Our guides set up some more challenging routes that the kids breezed through. Livi powered through the crux of her climb and Patrick’s feet were barely on the ground as he was eager to climb everything he could. Everyone got a chance to practice a rappel, in predation for our big adventure on the Monkey’s Face. Lowering yourself over a cliff edge can be terrifying, but everyone was able to successfully rappel and get a stunning view of the canyon you can only get from high up on the wall. We climbed into the afternoon before venturing into the town of Bend for some lunch at a local food truck spot, and to explore the town. That night, the kids hung out around camp and hit the bed early since we would be up before the sun for Monkey’s Face!
The big day had finally arrived. All our climbing and rappelling practice had lead to this moment, conquering the Money’s Face. Our day started early, so early that the roosters on the neighboring farms were our alarm clocks. After a quick breakfast we hit the trail to hike up to the monkey. Monkey’s Face consisted of Tyrolean Traverse, a brief climb 200 ft above the air, followed by a rappel down to the base. Isaac, 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. After some worrying she wouuldn’t be able to do the rappel, Liv performed flawlessly. We are so proud of this group, they really pushed through their fear and ended up having a great time. After an unbelievable morning, we headed back to camp to pack up and get on the road. Next stop, the North Cascades for backpacking! We can’t wait to share all about our backcountry adventure in a few days.
Bye for now,
Adam & May
Student Shoutouts:
Liv H: Hi mom and dad, me and Al are having a great time. I went rafting and got to wear wetsuits. All my clothes are brown because I keep falling but it’s okay because me and Al got a new wardrobe at Walmart. We are currently sitting in the van for a 4 hour car ride. I had to climb climb a mountain today and a few tears were shed. Miss y’all
Duncan: The trip is a lot of fun, we are about to start backpacking and we have done rafting and climbing so far. Both have been really fun.
Patrick: I am having a lot of fun, so far we have done rock climbing and white water rafting. I really like rock climbing and the views are incredible.
Livi M: Hi guys! I am having such a fun time! I miss y’all so much! I am writing this on day 5 and we have rafted and we climbed/rappelled Monkey’s Face! We are going into the backcountry in 2 days. Wish me luck. Kate and I got some Fourth of July gear from Walmart! Also, don’t forget to get a gym in London/Paris. I love you guys so much! Tell nana and pop I said hi!!
Caroline: I’m having a great time so far, we have rafted and done rock climbing. Everything has been so fun and I hope y’all are doing well.
Isaac: We are having a fantastic time and I am really enjoying the climbing.
Alice: I have had a great time so far! I have made new friends and tried new things, we have rafted and gone rock climbing. Miss y’all so much. If you see my friends tell them I miss them.
Kate: Hey everybody! I’m having a really good time! So far we have climbed and rafted. The campsites we have been staying at are super nice! Miss you so much. Hope you’re having a great time without me 🙂
Let the Fun Begin!
June 25, 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 are so excited to hear more stories as they begin 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
