Bon Voyage, British Columbia!
June 20, 2026
Hey Moondance Families!
The kids woke up super excited to start our rafting trip! We had a slower morning, so we were able to sleep in! We cooked this kids’ favorite breakfast- sprinkle pancakes and sausage. After everyone was full, we packed up for our overnight rafting trip. It was a short drive away, and we arrived right before lunch. We met our guides (who were super awesome), packed all our stuff in dry bags, and ate lunch before heading out! Our incredible LODs for the day, McCall and Lucas, helped make some homemade guacamole as a fun addition to lunch! It was delicious; they are natural chefs! Once everyone was full, we got on the rafting bus. Our guides were quite funny and kept us laughing the whole way. One of them and Thompson bonded over their mutual love for various types of rocks! After a bus ride full of laughter, we were finally at the spot on the river to begin our raft. We got on our wetsuits, helmets, and life jacket, and hopped into the boats. The kids did awesome paddling and handling the rapids like pros! Lucas and Charlie “rode the bull” by sitting on the very front of the boat, as we went through some of the more tame rapids. After a couple hours of rafting, we arrived at camp! It was a beautiful island off the river, and the kids absolutely loved it. We set up our tents, and by the time we finished, our guides had prepared a lovely charcuterie appetizer of fruit, cheese and crackers! We all thought it was delicious, but we had no idea what was in store for us! They served burgers, salmon, garlic bread, corn, caesar salad, potatoes, and chocolate lava cake for desert. It was absolutely amazing! Everyone was absolutely stuffed, and we then sat around a fire they had prepared for us- chatting and laughing about our day. William had us all dying laughing as he gave a “what’s in my bag” tour, but he somehow seemed to forget all his essentials 🙂 ! We headed into moonup and some of our guides even joined! We headed to bed, and the kids loved that we were at our own island and not a campground, so there was technically no quiet hours! After lots and lots of laugher, the kids finally drifted off to sleep excited to get back on the water tomorrow!
Our guides woke us up by shaking the tents. Virginia Larsen was convinced that it was a bear and screamed which gave everyone at camp quite the wake-up and laugh! Once we were dressed and ready, we sat down for breakfast. They served berry french toast, fruit, bacon, yogurt, and granola. Just like the dinner, it was absolutely delicious! The kids all put on sunscreen and bathing suits, and we headed back on the water! Today was a much more chill float day, so we didn’t have to wear our wetsuits, which was very nice! It was beautiful outside! Before we knew it, we were at the end of our rafting section. We helped our guides put the boats up and headed back to home base to unpack and eat lunch. We enjoyed caesar salad wraps again, since they were such a group favorite, and peanut butter and jellys! We packed up and headed on a quick hike to see a beautiful waterfall. After everyone had taken in the beautiful views, we hopped back in the van and surprised the kids with ice cream!! We stopped at a delicious little shop where the kids got cones that were as big as their faces! We sat outside enjoying our ice cream and started planning for dinner that night. For our last night cooking, the kids wanted to do an iron chef cooking competition! We spilt them into teams. We stopped at the grocery store so they could get the food they needed, and we then headed back to camp so they could start cooking! Myra, McCall, Anna, Parker, Lucas and Thompson cooked tacos with fresh grilled vegetables and homemade guacamole, which was fabulous! Tennessee, Virginia Larsen, Libby, William, Charlie and Asher cooked pasta with broccolini and a caprese salad, which was also amazing! Both groups diners were so delicious and the judges (aka leaders) were very impressed! The kids ate the dinners they cooked then we surprised them with a skillet Oreo brownie for desert! Our LODs, William and Virginia Larsen, led us in a wonderful moonup, and the kids headed to bed!
Yesterday, the kids woke up with so much energy! They can totally tell when we are cooking their favorite breakfast- sprinkle pancakes! We added chocolate chips today since it was our last morning cooking! We also cooked up our last batch of Canadian sausage and urged them to fill up on as much authentic Canadian maple syrup as they could! We packed up camp and hopped in the van to head back to Seattle! It wouldn’t be a true trip to Canada if the kids didn’t get to try some Tim Hortons. So we stopped there on the way and picked up some donuts! Everyone got to pick a flavor they wanted and their reviews were through the roof! Parker and Asher especially enjoyed their donuts! We continued on our drive, stopped at a park for lunch, and then before we knew it, we were at our final campsite! We set up for our last night, and the kids showered and got ready for dinner! For our last dinner, we went to a local Mexican restaurant that was absolutely delicious! All of the kids loved their food, but especially Libby and Anna, who got amazing quesadillas! We headed back to camp and built a fire to sit around. We spent time chatting and laughing for a bit, before heading into moon-up. We went around to each kid giving them compliments and nugs! Since it was out last night, we couldn’t just go to bed, so we stayed up talking and laughing around the fire. Tennessee and Myra had quite the contagious laugh, and before we knew it, the whole group was dying laughing. Finally, we headed off to bed to squeeze in a few hours of sleep before our early morning travel day tomorrow!
Today, we got up bright and early!! We got the sleepy kids up and then headed to the airport! After getting everyone’s stuff correctly organized, we started to say our goodbyes! Roxie and Will took the unaccompanied minor kids to their flights, and I hung back with those who were being picked up by parents! The goodbye was totally bittersweet; everyone was so sad to leave the amazing friends they made on this trip, but they were overjoyed by the memories made and the incredible time that was had!!
It has truly been such a pleasure being leaders to each one of these kids. This trip would not have been the same without each and every one of them! The personal growth we saw in every one was incredible, and we are incredibly proud. We are to grateful to have been able to share two incredible weeks in British Columbia!!
With love,
Livvy, Roxie and Will
Fun, Ferries, And Yummy Food!
June 17, 2026
Hey Moondance Families!
The kids woke up early filled with excitement to get on the water and catch some fish. We had a quicker breakfast of sausage and english muffins before piling into the van and heading to the pier. Our LODs, Asher and Libby, did an amazing job of leading the group to make sure everyone was ready on time. We met up with our guides and split up into three boats and got right on the water. It was our warmest day yet, so it was very nice to spend it on the cool water. Once we got further out in the water, the guides explained how the gear worked and what to do once a fish got on the line. We boated around for a little bit and it was not long before all three boats had fish on the line. Virginia Larsen and Thompson were especially pumped about catching the fish. All the kids did an amazing job and we caught lots of big salmon. After we had caught lots of fish, we headed back to the dock and our guides cut up two of the fish for us to take back to our campsite to cook. While they were doing that, we took the kids to the ice cream shop on the pier and we all enjoyed different flavors of giant ice cream cones, laughing and sharing stories from each of our fishing boats. We then headed back to our camp right on the beach and, of course, had to hop in the water. The kids all went swimming in the ocean, which felt so nice after a hot day on the boat in the sun. The girls laid out on the rocks, and the boys played a makeshift game of baseball. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner! William took charge, cooking the salmon we caught today as an appetizer, and he did an absolutely phenomenal job cooking it. He made salmon nuggets that were marinated in a soy maple glaze and lemon butter. It was absolutely delicious, and we were all extremely impressed. For dinner, we had personal pizzas that the kids got to make, and we even popped some popcorn for a treat! We cleaned up from dinner and headed into moon-up. It was such a beautiful night that we couldn’t just go to bed, so we headed back to the beach to take in the incredibly beautiful view. Those who had enos decided it would be a nice night to sleep in them! We headed to bed dreaming about that delicious salmon.
The next morning was slower, which was nice after our earlier fishing morning. For breakfast, we cooked biscuits with bacon and eggs, along with some coffee and hot chocolate, despite it being the warmest morning yet 🙂 ! It was a delicious breakfast, and once everyone was full, we packed up camp and loaded up for our travel day to Tofino. We took the quick ferry again, and it put us back on Vancouver Island. We began our drive and stopped at a beautiful park to enjoy our lunches. After that stop, we continued on with our drive to the campsite. Upon arriving, we quickly cooked up dinner! We had burgers, mac and cheese, and green beans. It was delicious! We have been loving moon-ups on the beach so we headed down there. Our LODs, Lucas and Virginia Larsen, did a fantastic job leading us in moon-up before we headed to bed. Everyone was excited about our next activity of surfing and stand up paddle boarding!
The kids were able to sleep in, and we cooked sausage and english muffins for breakfast. We then got the strange question, asking if we had any burgers left over from last night. Confused, we said yes, and the kids asked if we could have them for breakfast. We all laughed and agreed to serve them up as another breakfast option! Charlie especially loved our “unconventional” burger breakfast! We then got our swimsuits on and headed to the beach to meet our guides. They were awesome and helped us get into our wet suits before getting on the water. Everyone excitedly got on a paddle board, and we started to paddle around the bay. It was a beautiful, warm day, and the sun was shining bright! Thompson and Anna, our LODs, helped lead the pack on the water. We paddled near some smaller rocks, and there were starfish that the kids were able to pick up! That was very cool, and all of the kids loved it! Lucas was especially skilled on the paddle board, doing tricks and even wheelies. After a few hours paddling around and playing games, we headed back to the campsite for lunch. We had chicken caesar salad wraps with chips and apples. The kids all loved them, but especially Tennessee! After everyone had fueled up, we headed to a different beach for surfing! We got back into our wet suits and headed to the beach with our surfboards. The guides gave a quick lesson and we then headed out. The kids loved it! They were all so impressive, and their laughter could be heard all across the beach, especially from McCall! It was Charlie, Libby, Lucas, Myra and Parker’s first time surfing, and they absolutely killed it! After a couple hours of surfing, we got out of the water, and headed back to camp. Everyone dried off and changed, while we cooked bacon grilled cheeses and tomato soup that the kids had been requesting, with a side of veggies. The kids talked all dinner about surfing and paddle boarding, sharing how much fun they had. Tired from the day, but excited for tomorrow, we headed into moon-up, and then to bed!
Yesterday, we woke up excited to go back to our same water activities as yesterday. We had a little more time this morning, so we cooked sprinkle pancakes, sausage, and bacon! Anna said the first word she heard that morning was “sprinkles,” and she immediately popped out of her tent! We got the kids ready and headed back to paddle boarding. We paddled around today finding even more starfish. William by far had most starfish on his board, which gave us all a good laugh. Then with the help of our guides, we lined all the paddle boards up so the kids could run across them. It was hilarious to watch! We hopped out of the water just in time to head back to our campsite for lunch! We grilled hot dogs and had some pretzels and sliced apples. One of the kids had a grand idea to make a maple syrup and almond butter dip for the apples, which was delicious! With full stomachs and excited to surf again, we headed to a new beach! We tossed on our wetsuits and headed in the water. Myra was killing it on the surf board today! We ended surfing with enough time to go into an adorable town. We all walked around enjoying ice cream and popping in different stores. Then everyone was hungry again, so we surprised the kids with dinner at a delicious local taco shop. The kids enjoyed quesadillas, tacos, and burritos, as they laughed about some of their surfing wipeouts. We headed back to camp and began making a fire for s’mores! Parker lead the charge building the fire, which impressed us all! The people at the campsite next to us asked what we were doing and when we told them we were making s’mores, they were very confused. Turns out they were from Germany and had never had a s’more! The kids couldn’t believe this and insisted they had some. We all laughed as they tried them and shared they were way too sweet! The kids seemed to have a different opinion because they ate them until they were completely stuffed! We headed back down to our favorite spot on the beach for a wonderful moon-up lead by our amazing LODs, Charlie and Myra. Before moon-up, on a s’more induced sugar high, the kids played a game of tag on the beach, running all around the beach. It made us so happy to watch them having fun with each other and laughing so hard that they had to take a break. Libby’s laugher was especially infectious and completely contagious. Tired from such an awesome day of surfing and paddle boarding, and full from tacos and s’mores, we headed to bed!
This morning, we woke up the kids with sausage, yogurt, english muffins, and fresh mango!! Asher was especially excited when he saw the mango and said it was delicious! McCall was a huge help in tidying up camp and helping us get ready before we all headed in the van ready for our drive. We arrived at the ferry, which was taking us back to the main island. Since it is a longer ride, we had the opportunity to get out and stretch our legs. Libby enjoyed another massive ice cream cone making us all laugh. Parker sat up top with us and took in the incredible views. Afterwards, we headed to a beautiful lake and park to sit and enjoy some beautiful weather. We played spike ball, read, and spent time together! We were soon greeted by some overly friendly geese who especially loved Myra and Libby. After sitting out in the sun, we decided to head back to camp. We had a delicious dinner of pesto pasta with garlic bread and our amazing LODs, Tennessee and Asher, transitioned us into moon-up. Our campsite for tonight was absolutely beautiful and near a waterfall! The kids went to bed excited about rafting tomorrow!
We have had the most amazing time on our trip! It has truly been such a joy watching these kids learn, grow, and make wonderful friendships! All of the kids have tried something new and stepped out of their comfort zone. Will, Roxie, and I are so proud of them! We will be so sad to see them go in a couple days but are incredibly excited for these next final days of our trip!
Cheers!
Livvy, Will and Roxie
All the views and activities have been so much fun! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip. Can’t wait to see you guys soon! Love, Charlie
I have been having so much fun in this trip and can’t wait to do it again next year. Thank you so much for sending me here. Love, Thompson
Thank y’all so much for sending me on this trip! It has been so so much fun, and I really want to do another one next year!! Love y’all – Tennessee
I have been having the best time. Thank you so much for sending me!!! I miss you guys! Thanks again, love you!! – VL
I’m loving the trip so much! Thank you so much, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it! Love and miss you so much! – McCall
I am having the best time on this trip! Thank you so much for sending me! I can’t wait to tell you all about it this weekend!! Love and miss you! -Anna
Thank you so much for sending me on this trip! I am having an amazing time! Love you! Miss you! See you soon! Love, Myra
I’m having such a blast in BC! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip and see y’all soon. – Libby
Thank you so much for sending me on this trip. I’m having so much fun. I’m gonna tell you guys all the stuff that we did in BC. – Lucas
I am having a great time in British Columbia. Thank you for sending me on this trip, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get home. Love, Parker
Dear Mom and Dad, Thank you for sending me on this trip. I am having the best time ever love you. – William
Bouncing Off The Rocks in BCO!
June 12, 2026
Hey Moondance Families!
We had a wonderful arrival to the airport! As the kids landed we played hackey sack, cards, listened to music and got to know each other! Once everyone arrived, we got in our vans and headed to our first campsite, which was about three hours away. We spent the whole time listening to music and singing. Thomason impressed us all with his knowledge of Ella Langley lyrics. We were then successfully into Canada! Once we got to camp, we set up our campsite. Anna was especially skilled at setting up the tents. We picked up some delicious pizza for dinner for our first meal in Canada! It was a beautiful night at the campsite. We had moonup at a gorgeous wooded spot, before heading to bed for a much needed night of rest!
The second day, everyone woke up excited for our day to see more of Canada. Asher and Virginia Larson were the first up and at em, and they were a great help getting the rest of the group up! We cooked some sausage biscuits for breakfast and got ready for the day! Tennesee and Charlie as LODs (leaders of the day) did an amazing job leading the group in doing a camp cleanup and sweep to make sure we hadn’t left anything behind. We all piled in the van and headed to our ferry terminal. The ferry ride was beautiful, giving us a wonderful 360 view of the mountains. Libby made us all laugh as she attempted to eat a giant ice cream cone, but she ultimately spilled it everywhere! After we got off the ferry, we headed to our campsite for the night. It’s right on the beach, so naturally after we set up camp, we headed to the water. We played soccer and spikeball on the beach, which Lucas won, before heading back to camp to enjoy some chips, salsa, and queso for a little appetizer, followed by delicious quesadillas that Myra helped make! To finish out the night, William took it upon himself to give everyone in the group silly nicknames, which gave everyone a good laugh before heading into moon up and off to sleep!
The kids woke up eager to start out first activity- rock climbing. They quickly scrambled out of their tents when they leaned that we had cinnamon rolls ready for them for breakfast, as well as eggs, sausage, cherries, and english muffins with jam. After filling up from breakfast, we loaded the van and drove to a beautiful lake, where we met with our amazing rock climbing guides. They taught us all the proper climbing techniques, and the kids started their climb! They did amazing! All of the leaders and guides were so impressed. Parker in particular loved this activity and jumped at any chance he could to get on the rocks! After all the kids had had many chances to climb, belay, and repel, we headed back to camp. Back at camp, we played another heated game of spikeball, which William won today! To wrap up our day, we cooked a delicious chicken and vegetable friend rice meal with the help of our wonderful LODs, Thompson and Anna, before they closed up the night with moonup. The kids headed to bed chatting about how excited they were to climb again tomorrow.
Yesterday, we woke up excited for our second day of rock climbing! We all enjoyed sausage and cream cheese for breakfast to fuel up for the day. Our wonderful LODs, McCall and Parker, rounded up the group after breakfast and we loaded up the van and headed to a different spot today to do some different climbs and repels. The kids were absolutely stoked. Charlie and Thompson took it upon themselves to see how quickly they could repel the 75-foot rock face. We were all quite impressed when they could do it in under 40 seconds! After climbing, we headed back to camp and went to the beach at our campsite. William and Myra were brave and jumped right into the beautiful, chilly ocean water. We headed back to camp and enjoyed pasta, vegetables, and garlic bread. Asher was particularly passionate about his love for garlic bread! We ended the night with moonup and lots of laughter before headed to bed.
Today, we had a slower morning, which was nice for everyone. We cooked sprinkle pancakes with authentic Canadian maple syrup with sausage and strawberries. We then took a quick ferry! Afterwards, we drove to the trailhead of our mountain trail to do a nice day hike. It was a lovely loop with incredible views of Canada. Tennesee and Lucas did a great job leading the group. The views were absolutely stunning, and we were all in awe. After our hike, we headed to our next campsite, and began unpacking. McCall’s super sweet and helpful self offered to help whenever needed. It was an incredibly beautiful campsite right on a beach, looking over the mountains. The kids swung in their ENOs and played on the beach until dinner was ready. Virginia Larson especially loved the ENOs and helped lead the construction of an ENO tower. For dinner, we enjoyed taco and rice bowls, and for desert, a huge skillet cookie that was loved by all, but especially Anna and Libby! After the cookie was quickly eaten, we settled in for our moonup, which took extra long, because everyone had a bad case of the giggles and could not stop laughing. The kids headed to bed incredibly excited about fishing tomorrow.
We have had an absolute blast together- laughing, learning, and enjoying every moment. Will, Roxie and I all want to thank you so much for sharing your kids with us for these two weeks. It has truly been such a joy to get to know each and every one of them. We feel so lucky to have them on our trip, and we can not wait for all that is to come!!
Talk soon!
Livvy, Will, Roxie
Shoutouts
Hi Mom, Dad, and Ellie. I’m having an amazing time. So far, we have done rock climbing and rappelling. I miss you! Love you! See you soon! -Myra
Hi Mom and Dad! I am having so much fun! We got to go climbing, and we got to go on a ferry, and we are going to go fishing. Miss you so much see you soon. -William
Hii, I miss you both so much! I’m having so much fun! Everyone is so nice and funny. We went climbing and hiking today. I miss y’all so much. I hope Cece is having so much fun at Illahee ❤️ and y’all had fun in Bermuda. Tell everyone I say hi. I will see you soon love you -VL
Hi Mom, Dad, Thomas, and Charlie. I’m having a great time here, everyone is very funny. We went climbing and repelling, and it was very fun. I miss y’all have a good time -Lucas
Hi Mom, hi Dad, and hello to my brother, I am having a great time at Moondance, and I have an amazing group. The activities we have done so far include rock climbing, which was awesome. BC has some of the best views I have seen. Looking forward to the rest of the activities. Love you all. -Parker
Hi Mom and Dad, I love y’all so much and I’m having the best time in BCO! My group is so fun, and my leaders are the best!!! Tell Ginnie hi for me. Love y’all and please feed my sourdough and if you can’t, can you please put it in the fridge? Love you! Tennesee
Hi Mom and Dad, I am having fun. We went rock climbing and repelling which was fun. We also went to the beach and are going fishing. I am excited for the other actives. Tell Greta and Winston hi for me. Bye, love you. -Asher
Hi Mom and Dad, I am having a blast. We have done so much fun stuff and it is so pretty in British Columbia. Tell Mary to have fun in Galapagos -Libby
Hi Mom, Dad, Bert, and Maple! I am having SO MUCH FUN! My favorite parts have been repelling down a 74-foot cliff and going into Costco with Thompson and getting all the free samples. Tell Nana, Popop, Gaga, and Bob hi for me. I miss you all so much and I can’t wait to see you! Love you all so much!! ❤️ love you, Anna
Wussup Padre y Madre! How we been. I’m having so much fun here. I went to Costco with Anna and tried all the free samples. You should get a Costco card. I went down a big cliff in 23 seconds. Everyone is so nice, and we are all vibing in the car. I hope you are taking good care of Lyle. Tootle too! 😎🫎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎 Your favorite son, Thompson
Dead Mommy, Daddy, Cricket and Pups, I loved rock climbing and repelling, and the views from the hike up were beautiful. I really want to take y’all here. My favorite part though has definitely been the moonups and dinners, and I am so close with everyone. Give bashs extra love for me. Love your favorite child, McCall
Wassup Mom, Dad, Carter, and Tate. I’m having an amazing time here. We went climbing on Tuesday and Wednesday, and I had a blast. I wish y’all could see what I’m seeing right now. Hope y’all are having fun. I can’t wait to see you guys soon! Love, Charlie
Safe Arrival
June 7, 2026
Hello British Columbia families!
We just heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Seattle, and they are now getting ready to head to Canada!
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
