A Fabulous Fourth!
July 7, 2026
Hey Cali crew!!
We cannot believe that our two weeks together have come to a close! Our busy and exciting days facilitated endless memories, and we are so lucky to have met each and every kid on our trip. Our group is a special one, and we will always cherish our time in Northern California altogether. Now for a recap of our final three days together!
Jumping right back in with Day 11, and most importantly THE FOURTH OF JULY, Emmy, dressed in a patriotic Bucee’s tee, pumped our crew up with high energy and excitement for the holiday ahead before the sun even rose. Yogurt parfaits with blueberries and strawberries in USA paper cups started the day’s theme off early, and then we hopped in the cars to travel to Yosemite Valley! We spent the day hiking up to Vernal Falls via the Mist Trail with decorative red, white, and blue attire. A challenging yet rewarding hike, the Mist Trail offers picturesque views of Vernal Falls and refreshing mist throughout the entirety of its trek. We all enjoyed summer sausage wraps (a first for most and a favorite of Charlie’s) at the top after sunbathing on rocks and dipping our toes in the chilly pond. Back at the campsite later that evening, we hit all the classic 4th of July staples: a cookout with hot dogs, mac and cheese, watermelon (which led to a watermelon eating contest that Evvie won in record time), and lemonade, red, white, and blue glow sticks, s’mores, American flags, patriotic music, and a good ‘ole dance competition with Morgan, Adelaide, and Claire Marie as our champs. Shoutout to Eleanor, Emme, Evvie, and Margaret’s performance, however, which featured a creative incorporation of glowsticks. The 4th was nothing short of FABULOUS!!!!
Day 12 offered rest as a travel day from Yosemite to Half Moon Bay for the final section of our trip. Upon our arrival to the Bay Area, we boarded a sailboat in Sausalito that sailed along the residential shores, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, and around infamous Alcatraz. Henry manned the front of the boat, subjecting himself to chilly splashes from the water below but ensuring he got the best views! Following sailing, we drove to our final campsite in the Redwoods State Park. Gigantic trees and a wooded area greeted our group, and we set up our tents and got cooking a “clean out” dinner of mac and cheese, hot dogs, ramen, and teriyaki chicken. Safe to say our crew was satisfied!!
And last but certainly not least is Day 13!!! Our final day was action packed and awesome. We had a feast for breakfast with 40 sausage patties (which we quickly learned are Emme’s favorite), pancakes, sliced strawberries, vanilla yogurt, and bagels with cream cheese. Rex rose with the sun as usual and kept Edward, Charlie, and I laughing all morning long while we waited for everyone else to emerge from their tents. A hearty breakfast fueled us well for another afternoon of surfing in Pacifica. Toby and Oliver crushed the waves out of sheer determination and Margaret took on the role of videographer, capturing everyone’s successful surfs with our GoPro! Due to its convenient beachside location, we surprised everyone with Taco Bell for lunch, sharing taco boxes and slurping on frozen Baja blasts. We hit up the thrift store and got some silly outfits to wear to our banquet dinner where we enjoyed laughing with one another and some burgers. We closed our final day with one extra long Moonup. Emmy and Claire Marie led us as Leaders of the Day with Emmy sharing a poem about Moondance that she had written on her own accord and Claire Marie getting everyone laughing by designating each member of our group a mythical character.
And now we are in the airport writing this final update and missing our kids already!!! We will remember these 14 days forever. They were truly magical:)
For the last time,
Morgan, Edward, and Charlie
Update from CAL 2B!
July 5, 2026
Hellooo Moondance family and friends and Happy 4th of July!
And just like that, 5 more jam-packed days have flown by!! We have covered a lot of ground, and our group has only gotten closer with every activity experienced together. We are so excited to share all of our new memories and adventures!
Starting off strong with Day 6, our group tackled our first day on the water at Lake Tahoe like champs despite chillier temperatures. We kayaked in crystal clear water, gazed at cool boats, raced each other, and stopped on Moon Dune beach to soak up the sunshine. Rex and Henry showed off their speedy paddling skills as tzzzv hey won the race against everyone in the kayaks! Almost everyone participated in a polar plunge by jumping off their kayaks in the deep waters of Lake Tahoe. After a great day of kayaking, we headed to Maggie’s Peak hiking trail. We enjoyed music on our way up to the peak as everyone was eager and determined to get there. Eleanor provided our group with an uplifting speech to keep morale high during steep inclines! Lots of amazing views and scenery were captured by our cameras! After a challenging hike, we went and chowed down some ice cream! From cookie dough to cookies n cream and salted caramel, we all enjoyed a sweet treat. We headed back to camp to make an amazing dinner and watch a beautiful sunset over Lake Tahoe. Margaret, Evvie, and Emme made sure the group got lots of amazing pictures with the sunset in the back to remember an amazing day full of adventure!
Day 7 was spent exploring Lake Tahoe even further. The itinerary was a bit more relaxing though! Stand-up paddle boarding hit the spot, and we loved soaking in some sun and playing king of the paddleboard. By the end, Toby and Oliver were declared the champions. After paddle boarding, we had amazing buffalo chicken wraps prepared by Rex and Adelaide for lunch. After lunch, we strolled through Tahoe City and added cool stickers to our water bottles, bought some Tahoe merch, and enjoyed another ice cream cone. After a little time in the town, we got dinner at Za’s, a pizza place on the lakefront. We enjoyed three different pizzas, brussle sprouts, calamari, french fries, and some amazing company!
Day 8 started with a slow morning and a big breakfast. We hit the road and headed to Yosemite, and to everyone’s surprise, we stopped at In N Out for lunch which got everyone pumped to try out the famous burgers, fries, shakes, and paper hats for the first time. Many tapped into the secret menu, ordering their fries “Animal Style.” Somehow Toby and Oliver got free In N Out shirts. Eventually, we finally made it to our campsite, Oh Ridge, which lies right outside of Yosemite. For dinner, we enjoyed some teriyaki chicken cooked by Emme!
On Day 9 we woke up and got ready for our first day of rock climbing! We headed up to a rock wall where we learned the skills of belaying each other and the techniques of climbing before repelling down to the base of the climbing site. Everyone was so eager to get climbing after given instructions and tackle a new challenge. Emmy was a versatile member of our group, actively participating as a climber, belayer, backup belayer, and supporter! Everyone was able to take the challenge head on and become amazing climbers! We were all so happy to be climbing that we never wanted it to end!
Day 10 started off strong with another full day of rock climbing in Tuolumne Meadows with our awesome guides Drew and Jake! After a scenic car ride to our meeting spot with Yosemite Mountaineering School, we made the short hike to our rock climbing site for the day. Toby tackled some difficult climbs with ease, and Margaret scaled the cliff with equal strength! In an effort to keep lunch interesting, Morgan prepped a delicious pasta salad for everyone to enjoy. What better way to cap off a strenuous day on the mountain than ice cream?? The small town of June Lake called our group’s name, and we celebrated our efforts with cones all around. “Speculoos,” a unique ice cream flavor with cookie butter and Biscoff cookie bits, was a huge crowd pleaser. We popped into a general store to secure June Lake stickers for our water bottles and other goodies. Claire Marie finally found a used, discounted book section, and she bought four novels (she has already read six while here)!! Our day came to a close back at our Yosemite campsite with chicken quesadillas and Moonup. Margaret and Toby were designated Leader’s of the Day for the big American holiday tomorrow, and we can’t wait to watch them bring the energy all day long!!!
We are so thankful for another wonderful five days altogether! Time is truly flying by, and it is only testament to all the fun happening here in California. Until next time!!
-Morgan, Edward, and Charlie:))))
Now for some thank you’s!
Hi Mommy and Daddy, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, god bless. I am having so much fun. Yesterday and the day before we went rock climbing it was hard but it was soooo fun! I hope all of you guys are doing so well. Thank you so much for sending here. I am loving it. Love yall sooo much.
-Emmy
Hey Mama and Dad,
Happy Fourth of July!! I miss you all and love you all so much. We went rock climbing, surfing, rafting, and hiking. Thank you so much for sending me to Moondance! I’ve met tons of new people and tried lots of new things. Tell Camille I love her so much and Mills as well if you write him a letter! See you in like three days and love you
-Claire Marie
Hi Mom And Dad,
I am having such a great time. I have made so many new friends and am so glad that I came here.
Happy Fourth of July! We have gone rafting, surfing, climbing, and hiking so far and everything is great. I miss you guys a lot, and I love you so much.
-Toby
Hi Mom And Dad,
I am having lots of fun so far and just went rock climbing. Happy Fourth Of July! And I got to the top of the rock. So far we have been surfing, rafting, hiking, paddle boarding, kayaking, and rock climbing. My favorite so far has been paddle boarding. I love y’all so much.
-Eleanor
Hi Mom and Dad,
I am having so much fun! I love it here so much!!! I miss yall so much! Thank you so much for sending me to Moondance. Happy Fourth of July!!!! I hope yall have a good 4th!! How is Ford? We went rock climbing, surfing, rafting, paddle boarding, kayaking, and hiking. They are all so much fun! My favorite so far is rafting. It was so much fun!! The hiking is kinda hard but really pretty when we get to the top. I will see yall sooo soon! I love you!!
-Adelaide
Hey Mom and Dad!!
I miss you guys so much, and I can’t wait to see you again! I do not want to leave (no offense).
The ONLY thing that would top this trip is a surprise puppy. All of the views are beautiful and the hikes are so fun. We recently went rock climbing and it was soooo scary but also very cool.
I have loved every meal and the campsites are pretty. Happy Fourth of July!!! Thank you so much for sending me to Moondance. It was the best decision of my life.
-Evvie
Hi Mom and Dad!!! Thanks soooo much for allowing me to go to Moondance and make the friends I’ve made. These two weeks have gotten me out of my comfort zone and have let me try new things, which I am grateful for. We have gone hiking with the best views at the end, we went rock climbing on really steep rocks yesterday, and have done so many fun things I can’t wait to tell you about! Today is the 4th of July!!!! We woke up so early to go on a hike, and I’m so excited!! I am having so much fun, and leaving is so bittersweet. I don’t want to leave, but I am also very excited to see you guys!! I miss you so much, and I hope the two weeks I’ve been away from you, you’ve had a good time missing me:) Love you guys so much and can’t wait to see you soon!!
-Margaret
Dear Mom and Dad,
I am having so much fun!!! We are about to go on a hike for the 4th of July, and I am super excited. I miss both of you so much, but I’m having a lot of fun in California! Thank you for letting me go to Moondance and experience all these cool things. Yesterday we went rock climbing, and it was really hard but tons of fun!!! Love and miss yall!!!
-Emme
Hi Mom and Dad,
Thank you so much for sending me to camp. I am having a great time at camp. We just got to Yosemite and already did some really cool hikes. Lake Tahoe is also really cool. I pushed everyone in. They made us get up so early to get to a hike on the 4th of July. Can’t wait to come home and see you.
-Oliver
Dear Mila and pa
I have had a great time at camp and wanted to thank you for taking the time to send me. My favorite activity has been rock climbing and surfing was a close second. I don’t know when you’ll get this but today for me is the fourth of July so have a happy fourth. Love you two and can’t wait to see you soon. From Rex ps: the food has been pretty good
-Rex
Hi mother and father,
How’ve y’all been at home. Has Ollie missed me? Happy Fourth of July. America is officially 250 years old. Right now we are in Yosemite, about to go on a hike. Tomorrow we are leaving Yosemite and then I’m pretty sure we’re surfing. Camp has been so fun and I’m so grateful that I have the opportunity to go to camp in California and meet new friends. I can’t wait to see yall on Wednesday.
-Henry
Chronicles of the Cali Campers
June 29, 2026
Hey Moondancers!!!!!
We are so pumped to be writing our first trip update for our AMAZING second session!! The past five days have been so incredibly memorable, and the time is flying by!! Our excellent eleven campers are hilarious, kind, thoughtful, adventurous, and fun; we can’t wait to learn more about each of them in the days to come:)
Following the airport meet-and-greet on Day 1, our group made the drive down to Point Reyes National Seashore to set up camp for the very first time! No first car ride in the Golden State would be complete without blasting “California Gurls” by Katy Perry, so of course we ensured that happened. Once tents were built and all was settled, we immediately jumped into an exciting game of “Spoons” that Margaret suggested we do by sticking out our tongues instead (no spoons in sight, improvisation necessary). Somehow Morgan segwayed into delegating each person a “personality fruit” which proved to spark conversation and debate amongst everyone. Meanwhile, Charlie secretly snuck off to grab some first-night pizza, surprising everyone upon his return! Our first Moonup capped off our evening together with Rex and Claire Marie being nominated as our very first Leaders of the Day!! Between Rex’s humor and high energy and Claire Marie’s enthusiasm for the 14 days ahead, the two proved well fit for the role right off the bat!
Day 2 started with a slow, classic breakfast: pancakes, strawberries, and scrambled eggs. A hearty start to the day fueled us well for the hike that we completed in the afternoon. A short trail along the shore led to picturesque views of the ocean, rocks, and birds below, and we celebrated our group’s effort with chicken caesar wraps all around. We jumped in the car to head to our second campsite of the trip, which proved to be one of the coolest set-ups any of us had ever seen. Amazing views of the surrounding hills and a private campground with plenty of space for running around prompted football games where Toby starred as his team’s winning quarterback. All 14 of us quickly concluded that cowboy camping would be the perfect way to close out our awesome second day altogether.
Day 3 started off strong with surfing!!!!! Emme and Rex proved to be amazing surfers from the get-go, and their positivity encouraged others to find their own footing on each of their surfboards. Our amazing surfing guides Stone, Alice, Stephen, and David kept the energy high throughout our lesson and helped each of us find the perfect waves! Following surfing, we road tripped to our next town, marking the beginning of our white water rafting section of the trip. On the way, Eleanor noticed that the gas station offered free slushies! Safe to say 14 blue raspberry stained mouths followed that discovery;) Oliver kept the car ride upbeat by playing a heated game of sweet and sour, and before we knew it, we had arrived at camp, which offered beach volleyball courts, river access, and Spikeball!! Fast friends were made on the beach volleyball court while others stayed back and played round after round of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza (sponsored by Adelaide). Day 3 came to a close with ramen + hibachi-style veggies and another epic Moonup!
And helloooo Day 4!!! Wow, it was an exciting one! Breakfast tacos fired our group up for our very first day of white water rafting on the South Fork of the American River, specifically the lower section: The Gorge. Emmy and Claire Marie bravely volunteered to man the front of our raft, and our river guides expertly navigated our crew through Class II and III rapids. Later that night, All Outdoors prepared a fabulous dinner for everyone consisting of steak, pasta, salad, and garlic bread while Emme, Evvie, Margaret, Toby, and Oliver expanded upon their elaborate group handshake. Charlie brought the guitar out and strung some chords while Morgan and Edward sang along; we promised to start a band by the end;) We ended the evening with an intense dancing game, which Oliver won following a “Moo-off” tiebreaker.
And now for today! Day 5! We rafted the upper section of the American River’s South Fork, coined “Chili Bar.” More Class II and III rapids were experienced along with several group swimming stops. We started our drive to Lake Tahoe immediately after and soon arrived at our fourth campsite. Henry and Emme cooked the group tacos, and they were a crowd pleaser. The full moon and cotton candy sunset combination as our backdrop only elevated our first night by the lake even more! Our lakeside Moonup closed with Margaret and Eleanor delegated as our Leaders of the Day for Day 6.
More exciting memories, activities, meals, and games to come! We can’t wait to watch it all unfold:)
-Morgan, Edward, and Charlie
Now for some Shoutouts!!
Dear Mom and Dad
I miss you guys a lot. I am having so much fun. How are the dogs?
Love, Toby
Hi Mom and Dad,
I’m having a great time. Everybody is really nice. How’s Maple (and Henry)? Can’t wait to see you.
Love you, Oliver
Heyy mom and dad!
My counselors are AWESOME! At one campsite we met a bunch of cool people and got some sick pictures. I love y’all so much and miss you. I’ve made a bunch of new friends and don’t want to leave!!!
-Emme
Hey Mom and Dad,
I miss you so much! I have had the best time of my life! It has been pretty cold in the water and outside. I have done a lot of things out of my comfort zone. We went surfing and it was so cold. We just got to Lake Tahoe. How is everything at home? I love you!
Love, Adelaide
Hey Fam,
I miss you sooo much. We have surfed and rafted, and rafting was soooo fun. We are in Tahoe right now, it is so pretty.
Love you guys so much!
-Emmy Stiller
Dear Mom and Dad
I miss you and love you so much. We hiked. It was cold.
Love CM
Dear Mom and Dad.
I have had lots of fun and have gone surfing and it was really cold. My counselors have been really funny.
Love y’all – Eleanor
Dear Mother and Father,
I am having an amazing time in California. Yesterday and today we white water rafted and on Friday we went surfing. Today we got to Lake Tahoe and the water is very cold. All of our campsites have been very good. I’m so thankful to be here. I love y’all so so much.
Love, Henry
Hi Mom and Dad!
California is sooooooo much fun and I am having the best time ever. No offense but I haven’t even thought about home life and I feel great!!!!! I miss Jackson so much more every time I see cute dogs. I love my counselors so much and they are so chill and laid back. I learned how to surf (kinda) and rafting was awesome. I learned how to build a tent and slept outside of it one night. I made SO many friends and don’t wanna leave. I miss and love y’all so much
Margaret
Dear Mother and Father.
Love love you soooooooo much and miss you. All the counselors are super chill. I love the food and was a great surfer.
Love Rex
Dear Mom and Dad,
California is so much fun. We surfed and we swam in Lake Tahoe and it was super cold. How’s Watts doing with rushing + how’s Baker? I miss y’all. Let me know when we are getting another puppy.
Love Evvie
Safe Arrival!
June 24, 2026
Hello California Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in San Francisco! 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
