Final Update from Slovenia!
July 15, 2025
Hi one last time from our 2A Slovenia trip! We’ve had the most incredible two weeks with this stellar group. From rock climbing and stand up paddle boarding, to trekking through the Julian Alps, to finishing out our trip with a day exploring Ljubljana, and everything in between – this has been an unforgettable experience. From the beginning, this group was the easiest group for us to lead. Every single person was excited for every day, so grateful to be on a Moondance trip, and passionate about making the most of every second of this experience. They took the initiative to make their trip a once in a lifetime experience, playing countless games, finding humor in everything we did, and diving deep into conversation, especially during Moonup.
To wrap our trip up, we headed to Croatia where it was sunny and warm – perfect for some nice dips in the Adriatic Sea. Leaving the Soca Valley, the whole group was more than ready for a nice long car ride. With George on aux and the windows down we drove through the beautiful country that we’ve been exploring the past 10 days. We headed to the Slovenian border that touches Austria and Italy, where we took a cooking class and enjoyed an insanely delicious meal. We peeled peaches and potatoes while sitting outside the quant house covered in pretty pink flowers and looking out over the Slovenian countryside. Kate, Myatt, Will and Wyatt – our energetic family of four – were in charge of the peeling, an important first step to the meal prep process. Sam and George manned the meats and vegetables inside, and Olivia and Lilly hand rolled individual pasta noodles for the incredible Istrian pasta dish. With a toast from Miha, one of the two incredible people that guide our trip, we had a family style meal to kick off the last few days of our trip.
After lunch, we continued our drive to Croatia where we camped in tents and hammocks, depending on each kids choice of bed. This camping spot is a local hub for European vacationers to enjoy the beachy feel of Croatia. We were lucky enough to arrive on a night where the locals were throwing a party for a band performance right at the campsite. This was a perfect opportunity for us to bust out our dance moves since we’ve been practicing with our games of Calibra since trekking. If you don’t know Calibra, I guarantee you’ll have a good teacher when they arrive home (yes, even the boys). Archer, Olivia, Lily squared (Lilly and Lily), Julia, Myatt, Sam and George impressed their dance moves on the whole party, dancing for hours into the night. We fell asleep to bumping music and lively chatter, knowing a good night was being enjoyed by all.
The next morning we sea kayaked to a cove where explored a cave and cliff jumped into the crystal blue water. Olivia and Lauren casually lead the pack both ways, keeping steady pace and looking relaxed the whole time. And Kate and Myatt swam in the blue pools of the cave where small fish could be spotted during the dips under the swelling waves. The sun and salty water tired us out, but the best kind of tired where you know you’re going to have a good nap later in the day. So naturally, we had a delicious meal at one big table, and headed to a cove for some beach naps and hang out time. While these more relaxed parts of the trip may seem a little less exciting than the fun activities, they are often the best parts of the trip. Doing adventurous outdoor activities with the group is a common ground that bonds us, but the true friendships that have formed throughout this trip have solidified in the down time, where the company of one another is all that you need for some entertainment.
Our last day together was spent in Ljubljana, a quant European city with a river running through, bikers all around, and markets lining the cobblestone streets. After spending two weeks in the outdoors, we treated ourselves to a shopping day in the Slovenian capital. It was too fun picking out outfits for each other before banquet dinner, and roaming around the city like old friends on vacation. I truly think we got even closer during this last 24 hour period, which is hard to think is possible after living together for 2 weeks. We have absolutely loved getting to know your kids throughout this entire experience. They are leaders, kind hearted, funny, responsible, energetic, and passionate people. We would be lucky to have any and all of them as campers again. We hope you guys have the best rest of your summer and will miss you soooo much! Oh and send Brennan a text, he has a toast for you…
Love y’all!
Love,
Winborne Broughton and Brennan Humberston
Moving in the Mountains!
July 13, 2025
Dear Slovenia 2A Families,
Hello again from just outside the town of Bovec, where we’re staying at our wonderful campsite. We’ve been eating well the last couple of days, chef George has been treating us right. This campsite has a fun, do-it-yourself style where all campers must clean and return dishes to the kitchen area after meals, and we’ve been having quite the time here.
To catch you up, I’m going to take you back to the beginning of our trekking through the stunning Triglav National Park. Our first day of trekking was the most challenging, about 5.5 miles with a good amount of uphill. We had our first break at a pasture where cows were lounging around by a beautiful lake. We kept on trudging and climbed an even steeper set of hills. Luka and Miha, our outfitters, led the way and introduced us to the flower of the day.
After more hiking with minimal stops, we finally made it to our first mountain hut. Everyone in the group was starving, and lots of people had the goulash with macaron! We got to share one big bunk room in our mountain hut! We played Mafia before bed, and it got pretty rowdy. Lily B was not the greatest at this game, it was pretty easy for the group to guess she was Mafia (maybe she doesn’t have the best poker face). We got a good night’s rest and woke up early to get going on our second day of trekking.
Will, Kate, and Myatt loved sharing stories with the group while we hiked. This day of trekking had a bit of uphill but also some nice descents and a great viewpoint. We reached our second mountain hut where the kids were thrilled to have ice cream, Lily B was especially joyous about this. We ate a really good lunch that everyone loved and played a lot of Egyptian Rat Screw, a card game involving fast reflexes and slapping the discard pile. George, Myatt, Lilly M, and Wyatt were pros at this game, they’ve definitely got some sharp instincts! Everyone went to bed that night ready for the next hut.
The next morning we woke up and had a slower breakfast and morning while we waited out some thunderstorms. ate breakfast, and then had a loooong wait before starting to trek because of nonstop rain and thunderstorms. Everyone got creative to pass the time! The boys did a workout in the hallway with push-ups, wall sits, and planks while the girls played a dance-type game where they passed dances around in a circle. Olivia loved this game and had some killer moves! By the time the storm passed, everyone was excited to get on the trail!
This was the best day of hiking because we traveled through old sites used by Italians and Slovenians during WWII. We explored some cool old bunkers with our headlamps and had incredible views. We kept moving through the mountains and past old stone buildings from wartime. When we arrived at our third mountain hut, we were all tired and hungry from a big day of hiking and exploring. After dinner we headed down to a nearby lake for a scenic Moonup. Sam and Lily B were our Leaders of the Day, and Sam gave a great little Nug Jug story to kick off Moonup; it wasn’t expected, and the group was all smiles afterwards!
The next day, we hiked down a long series of switchbacks until we made it outside of Triglav National Park. Everyone was proud of their hard work, giving high fives all around, and ready for a celebratory meal! We went straight to a restaurant where everyone got Mexican Cokes that had local Slovenian names on them. After the bellies were full, we came to the campsite where we’re staying now. We crawled into our wonderful canvas tents and had a big night’s rest.
The next day we woke up early, ate, and headed into the Soča Valley for canyoneering. This was AWESOME. Everyone was jumping off rocks, sliding down natural waterslides, clamping and climbing over and around rocks. It was full of adventure. Lilly M enjoyed it so much she let everyone know by yelling loudly every time she slid or jumped off something. We came back to the campsite and walked to a nearby river that was very cold. George and Brennan did a series of polar plunges with push-ups afterwards. After the river, Lauren, Archer, Julia, and Brennan went for a 4.5 mile run to a beautiful nearby waterfall. Lauren was leading the way! We passed through someone’s farm with dozens of long-horned goats staring at us curiously. We kept on running through a single-track trail that had a couple of rapid descents. Archer shared some helpful breathing techniques with the group. We arrived at this beautiful waterfall and talked about how amazing a place we were in. On the way back, Julia gave us some details about one of her half marathons she ran in Utah (the Haunted Half), which was fun to hear about!
This group of kids is so strong, it’s incredible! We got back from the run and did a wonderful Moonup that got a little emotional, led by our wonderful Leaders of the Day, Olivia and Myatt.
Thank you so much for sharing these kids with us and giving them the opportunities to explore the outdoors and make lasting memories and friendships. It is very special. How lucky are we to be a part of it.
From your leaders, Brennan and Winborne
Shoutouts!
July 7, 2025
Shoutouts
Will – hey mom miss yaaaaa
I’m Wyatt- Dober don! Miss y’all but having a blast for sure. I’ve got a really fun group and yesterday we went to a cool spot with the locals. See yall soon
Archer – Hey I hope y’all are having fun in Portugal! I’m having a great time here and I am excited for the rest of the trip! Miss y’all!
George-Good food, great people and fun activities, hope home life is treating y’all well. Tell the brothers hello for me.
Lily – Hii guys I miss y’all sooo much, I’m having the best time ever. It is so beautiful, I love it. We are about to go hiking and I can’t wait. I love you guys, tell char hi for me. Also I love my group ❤️❤️
Olivia R- Hi mom, dad, Ava, and large I miss y’all so much!! I’m having a blast and love my group. I hope yall are enjoying the Bahamas and Cabo and large I hope yall had a great fourth. Slovenia is gorgeous and we’re about to start hiking for four days. love yall!!
Lilly M- Hiiiii fam Doo here 😆😆😆 Slovenia is great, it’s probably the prettiest place I’ve ever been. The group is great! We have rock climbed, paddle boarded, and swam. Today we leave for trekking! My backpack is really heavy so I hope that doesn’t slow me down. So excited for the rest of this trip! Excited to see yall ❤️❤️❤️ shoutout to tortas miss yall
Kate- Hi fam!! I’m having so much fun. We went rock climbing and paddle boarding yesterday and are starting our trek today. I’m super excited. Love my group. I miss you guys lots! liv – hope you’re having the BEST time at camp. love you guys the most❤️ (Durland, Grey, Meg I miss you guys so much. the trip has been great.)
Lauren – Hey! This trip is amazing and I’m loving every minute of it! Can’t wait to see everyone and hope everyone is doing well! Love y’all!
Myatt- Hey Guys!!! I am having so much fun! Slovenia is amazing and I can’t wait to show yall pictures! I miss yall so much but I will see yall soon! Pick me up with chipotle! Love yall!🤟🤟
Julia- hey family!!! Today is day 5 and I’m having a blast here. I’ve met really great people and I’ve enjoyed the activities like rock climbing. I’m excited to tell yall about the trip and miss u!! Hope the 4th of July was fun!
Sam- HEY MOM AND DAD, ITS DAY FIVE IN A INSANELY COOL PLACE. GOOD VIEWS AND FOOD. I MISS YALL ALOT. TELL MY BROTHERS I SAID HEY. CANT WAIT TO GO TO THE BEACH WITH YALL.
From Hiking to Ice Cream
July 7, 2025
Dear Slovenia 2A Families,
Hello from the beautiful town of Bohinj! We can hardly believe how quickly the days have flown by already. From the moment we picked up the group at the Venice airport, it’s been a nonstop adventure. After settling into our lakeside hostel with views straight out of a postcard, we jumped right into the water for our first swim in the refreshing lake. On night one, we were spoiled with a Slovenian barbecue dinner where Archer stole the show with his magic tricks and charm. It was the perfect start to what’s already proving to be an unforgettable trip.
Day two began with a “warm-up” hike-though calling it a warm-up might be a bit generous, considering the steep climb we tackled. Sam led the group with impressive pace where he took us to the top, we were rewarded with a stunning panoramic view of the Julian Alps-where we’ll soon be trekking. In the afternoon, we visited the magical Lake Bled, where the group rowed wooden boats out to Slovenia’s only island. We climbed the 99 steps to the church (no one carried anyone, don’t worry!) and rewarded ourselves with ice cream. Olivia and I bonded over our mutual love for coffee ice cream-clearly a top-tier flavor. That night, we celebrated the Fourth of July with a Moonup, ice cream round two, and a patriotic party. Kate and Lilly M. kept the group buzzing with games like Green Glass Door, hot seat, and two truths and a lie, bringing everyone together. Will may have won the games portion of the day, though-leading an epic paddle board war that had nearly everyone flipped into the lake by the end!
Day three was jam-packed and might just be our favorite yet. We kicked it off with rock climbing in a gorgeous outdoor spot surrounded by pine trees and mountain air. George mastered the climbing wall so effortlessly that our Slovenian guides invited him to attempt a secret bonus wall that no one else even saw-safe to say, he’s got a backup career if he ever needs one. Julia also crushed the climb, flying up the more advanced rope with ease and confidence. The group was in awe. In the afternoon, we soaked up the sunshine with some paddle boarding. Lily B. stood tall with grace the entire time-until Will, of course, flipped her in, completing his mission. Meanwhile, Lauren floated peacefully through it all, soaking in the calm of the lake. That evening, we visited a local town celebration hosted by the Bohinj fire department. Wyatt became fast friends with some of the locals, while Myatt led the group in a version of the Cotton Eyed Joe that shockingly matched the beat of a traditional Slovenian folk song. If you’ve never seen American country dance meet Alpine accordion, you’re missing out.
Every night, Moonup has given us a chance to reflect, laugh, and grow closer as a group. We’ve passed around games like Junebugs (think of it like a fast-paced version of hot potato meets the golden snitch), shared highlights of our days, and learned more about each other than we ever expected in just a few days. Kate, Lilly M., and the rest of the crew have kept spirits high with riddles and stories, and it’s clear that this is a group that clicks. We’re already seeing friendships form that we know will last well beyond this trip.
Tomorrow, we head out for our hut-to-hut trekking journey through the Julian Alps, and we can’t wait to tell you all about it when we return. It’s a privilege to spend these days with such a joyful, curious, and kind-hearted group of kids. Thank you for sharing them with us-they’re truly making this trip something special.
All the best,
Winborne Broughton and Brennan Humberston
Safe Arrival!
July 3, 2025
Hello Slovenia Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely! 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
