Ciao Bella!
July 5, 2026
Day 7 of DOL2A is in full swing and we are sitting at Lagazuoi, the second highest Refugio in the Dolomites! The past few days have been packed full of energy as our group has gotten to know each other while exploring this incredible place! With a smooth arrival in Venice, we were off to Cortina to kick off day 2. We wandered through the town, exploring the remains of bob sled track from the 1956 Olympics sitting next to the new track from the 2026 Olympics. We played a few icebreakers, powered through the jet lag, and shared our first Italian pizzas together to kick off our trip!
Day 3 got started with a short hike to lead us to the starting point of our very first Via Ferrata! As we all clipped in to the side of the mountain, we began the traverse across the cliff edge, JB facing his fear of heights and leading the group at the front. We saw two waterfalls flowing into the canyon, getting to walk behind one of them! It was the perfect activity to introduce us to the beauty of the Dolomites and give us a small glimpse of all this place has to offer. We hiked back down into Cortina where we spent the afternoon prepping for the trekking portion of our trip and playing games in a field next to our hotel! While we haven’t been able to watch any of the real World Cup games, we had an intense showdown of our own, playing in teams of 2, all against each other in a fight for gold. We also started working on our hacky sack skills, frisbee throwing, and of course had to play shake and bop. After dinner and Moonup, we settled in to rest up for our first big trek.
We enjoyed breakfast together on Day 4 before driving up to our trail head to begin making our way to our very first Refugio. With our packs on our back and full waters, Taylor strapped Monk Monk to the side of her pack as we eased onto the trail before making our first uphill pass. Our group absolutely crushed it, stayed focused the entire way up and pushing through the challenges, specially the massive ant piles, along the way. We all felt a sense of accomplishment when we finally arrived at Fodora Velda. Getting to watch the kids see their first mountain hut was such a cool moment, and the pride they all had for making it there together was a reminder of the impact these experiences can have. The boys walked down the hill for a scenic sack, while the girls enjoyed the view and listened to music. A ton of cows made their way right over to us, four of them eating grass out of Lila’s hand! We had an incredible dinner and Moonup before our nighttime exploration to the caves to wrap up the day!
Day 5 began with a farewell breakfast at Fodora Velda before making our way to Refugio number 2! We began learning trail games and dove deeper into conversation as we trekked along the Alta Via 1 to reach Lavarella, a family run Refugio with a warm welcome that makes you feel like you are at home. After eating our lunch on the lake, we spent the afternoon on the patio playing games and soaking in the sun. With the help of our outfitters translation skill, we all learned how to play Solo, the Italian version of Uno, but with many twists keeping everyone on their toes. After a few rounds, we made our way inside for dinner before heading right back out to the lake for Moonup to close out another amazing day!
Day 6 was not like any normal day, as we woke up the kids to courtesy of the red, white, and blue to bring a celebration of independence overseas! After surprising them with a flag painted on Dugger’s chest, the vibes were high as they all dressed out in patriotic colors and began to paint up. George followed in suit with a flag across his chest, sporting it all day to everyone we passed on the trail! We talked about favorite traditions from home and listed to lots of American themed music as we headed to a beautiful lookout spot for lunch! We played hacky sack at the top and sat for a while admiring the view before we began the decent back to Lavarella! The afternoon was spent playing games, with Arden dominating in Makato, a newfound group favorite stick game incorporating focus and skill to take the win. After having dinner together, we gathered outside of a small chapel where we had one of our Refugio friends join us for Moonup! Getting to show someone else the power of the Moondance magic was such a special moment for the group as we all talked about pieces of our life we have learned from and how we will continue to learn from this experience and everything else we will encounter in the future.
While we were sad to say goodbye to Lavarella this morning, the energy was high for our biggest trekking day yet. As we set out onto the trail, we received word that John Summit, a famous DJ, is currently trekking through the Dolomites in the same area we are in, so Cate and Louise immediately began plotting a plan to find him. After a slow and steady climb into to the trail, we made it to the first big pass up. The kids made killer timing before descending into the saddle where we sat by the lake for lunch. As the sun was beating down, Albert, Bennett, and Mont decided to take the plunge and swim all the way across the lake and back! It was the perfect entertainment to keep the group motivated before beginning the last leg of the climb. We stopped at a fresh spring for water and started to make our way up with Maggie leading trail games and keeping everyone distracted along the way! The time flew by, and the group pushed through until finally reaching 2752 meters and admiring the panoramic views surrounding us! After a little bit of rest, we gathered at the picnic table for a group game of Egyptian Rat Slap. After an intense round, Arlo locked in for a truly legendary win, finishing the game in perfect timing for dinner. We had a well deserved meal followed by ice cream before we heading up to a lookout for Moonup. With the cold wind blowing, we bundled up to enjoy the mountain air and spend some time reflecting on all of the challenges we pushed through today and the bonds we have built over the past week.
As we get prepare for all that is to come in the next week, we cannot thank you enough for the chance to share this experience with your kids. While the place we are in is incredibly special, it would not be breaks the same without the twelve unique personalities that make this trip exactly what it is. The constant chaos and thrill for adventure brings a new sense of joy to every day, and we have loved getting to see them soak in every aspect of this time we have together! Ciao and bueno note for now!
SHOUT OUTS!
Hey mom and dad!!! I’m having such a blast in Italy. I am LOVING the food. Like actually. Fourth of July was a ton of fun too. Today we did our longest trek and it was tough to say the least but we powered through and got to the Refugio. Don’t worry I am spending the euros you gave me. ✌️Also John Summit is in the Dolomites so stay tuned for a photo of us soon❗️
– Cate
Hey mom, dad, bailes, foster, and liv ☺️😘!!! I’m having a great time, and the food is amazing!! Hope y’all’s 4th of July was fun, we had a blast!!! Today we did our hardest trek and it was so hard but… I made it!!!! And the view is insane. I love the group and made so many new friends! Miss y’all and see you soon!
Love – Maggie.
HI FAM!! And Alice and Elle! I am having the best time ever! I love Italy and it is so so pretty. We’ve done a lot of trekking and it’s been such a cool experience. I miss y’all but never want to leave. My group and leaders are so fun and I love everyone. Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity, I’m so grateful to be here. Also!! HBD Joe!! I can’t believe your 10 love you so much!! And happy 4th of course 🇺🇸🇺🇸. I’ll see y’all in a week unfortunately don’t forget to LOTE (live on the edge)
– Taylor❤️
Hi fam!! Miss y’all so much but never want to go home! I love Italy so much and I am having the best time with my group and leaders. We did a very hard hike today but trekking has been so much fun and the views are amazingggg. I hope yall had a good 4th and are having fun on vacay!! Miss y’all so much, see yall in a week!
– Love Louise ❤️❤️
Hi guys,
I am having so much fun and having the best time ever. The scenery is nothing you could imagine, it is truly beautiful. My group is so awesome and we are having the best time. I can’t wait to tell you all about the good times and the incredible landscape. I want to thank you for bestowing this incredible gift upon me it is truly amazing, I am so grateful. I love you guys so much and I hope you all are doing well.
Love, Bennett
Hey mom and dad, I am having a bunch of fun and today we hiked 9 miles to a new refugeo. The views are very cool and steep. I hope yall had a fun 4th and we celebrated here. I have made a lot of new friends. Love yall and can’t wait to see you in a week!🏔️⛰️🏞️🧗
-Mont
Hi mom and dad!!!! The views here are so good and today we hiked 9 miles. I miss y’all so much and tell Adelaide and Josephine and hunter I miss them. If yall went to ms for the 4th I hope you had fun and I love you guys so much! I can’t wait to tell yall about my trip it’s been amazing and everyone is so nice!
-Arden
Hi mom and dad! I’m having so much fun! We hiked almost ten miles today and are staying at the second highest Refugio in the Dolomites! It’s much more challenging than last year but so so much fun. Miss you guys. Love you and see you soon!
-Albert
Hi mom dad Augie and Willow! I’m having an absolute blast here in Italy. Everything is the sickest thing I’ve ever seen. Today, we had this super hard trek where we stopped at this cool lagoon for lunch and swam and ate and enjoyed and then we went to this place and there were so many sick caves and we explored and it was awesome. There are so many cows and they’re all lazy but chill. Im just a mountain dude now but I miss you guys and love you guys so much!! See you soon and hope wiz is doing better.
Love, Arlo
Hi, Mom and Dad. I am having fun. I hope Gigi stays at camp all summer. I hope Otis is good. We have trekked a lot, around 8 miles a day. I love my group and counselors. Lot of cows here and the views are incredible. I hope my friends aren’t having fun without me. The places we stay are very nice, like you wouldn’t expect it at all. You and dad would love it here, Henry would not.
Love you, George
Hi momma, dad, ford, nana, poppop,
Happy anniversary today! I miss y’all like a crazy amount. Ford, I hope all your lax tourneys are going well. Ellie, I miss you and your letters always give me something to look forward to every day. The food is so fresh and yummy, the views are so breathtaking, and the people are so fun.
I can’t wait to get coffee and tacos at brew when I get back, plus CAVA!!! Hiking is so fun, we need to do it more often. I love you guys so much, I can’t wait to see y’all soon! thinking of yall all the time ❤️❤️✌️
-Lila
Susie & Slim,
Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity in los Dolomites de Italia Norte. I’ve quite enjoyed the views, and especially the weather a high of 72 and low of 57. Very chilly at night, and limited sweat in the day. The trekking has been challenging however the views at the end have been more than worth it. Lastly , La comida es muy bien con mucho pasta y pizza con perciutto. I miss golf quite a bit , and mi aeroporto. Ciao! Hasta luego!
-JB
Safe Arrival!
June 30, 2026
Hello Dolomites Families!
We heard from our leaders early this morning that the group has landed safely in Venice! 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
