Perfect Views on PNW
June 21, 2026
Howdy folks!!
We can’t believe this amazing trip has already come to an end! Over the past two weeks, this group has grown tremendously—not only in their outdoor skills, but also in their confidence, determination, and friendships. Here is the recap of our last section: Rock climbing!
After an incredible journey through the San Juan Islands and White Salmon River, we arrived at a new state park, one of the most coveted climbing destinations in the country. Towering volcanic cliffs, amazing views of the Crooked River, and, not to mention, a front row view of a bald eagle’s nest right behind our campsite. As we arrived that evening, Daniel and Elisa immediately started cooking the group pasta for dinner – a delicious way to start the climbing section. Soon after, we headed to bed early, knowing that the next few days would be chock full of climbing.
The next morning, we met our climbing guides, Carson and Jim, and headed off to our first climbing crag. Everyone quickly embraced the challenge, spending the day learning climbing techniques, belaying for one another, and pushing beyond their comfort zones on the rock. Gus and Daniel were especially eager to climb every route they could get their hands on. From the moment we arrived at the crag, they approached each climb with everything they had, proving to be natural climbers and setting a great example for the rest of the group. We wrapped up our climbing in the early afternoon as the desert sun began to beat down on us. After a great first day on the rock, the group was more than ready for a well-earned ice cream stop on the way back to camp. To spend the rest of the afternoon, we headed into Bend for a town visit and explored its downtown area. The group enjoyed wandering through local shops, grabbing snacks, and soaking up a little civilization after our time on the rock. One of the highlights was a stop at the last remaining Blockbuster in the country—Daniel was especially excited about it. That night, Gus and Thomas prepared some exquisite chicken fried rice.
The next morning, we met up with our guides again, but we kicked off the day a little differently than before—with rappelling. After learning the proper techniques and safety procedures, everyone took turns bravely descending the cliffs, embracing the challenge and enjoying a new perspective on climbing. It was Awesome! After our rappel, we went back to climbing. Feeling more confident on the wall, we tried out some harder routes today. Rachel, Gus, and Claire completed some very tough climbs! It was so exciting to watch! As the climbing went on, Jack, Elisa, and Claire decided it was the perfect time for a little tanning session between climbs. That was our sign that everyone was ready for a change of pace, so we packed up our gear and headed to Steelhead Falls for a swim. The afternoon was spent jumping in the river and basking in the sun, a perfect way to cap off the day.
The long-awaited morning had finally arrived. Before the sun was fully up, we crawled out of our sleeping bags for an early wake-up and began our hike. Despite the steep hike, the stoke was high as we made our way toward our adventure for the day: the iconic Monkey Face. Ceci and TK led the way up as we laid our eyes on the impressive rock feature. It was breathtaking. The guides were setting up the ropes as everyone got their harnesses and helmets on. The plan was to traverse on a rope to the Monkey’s mouth, climb up to the nose, then rappel 200ft all the way down to the base. Daniel immediately volunteered to go first. One by one, every student made their way down the face with composure. It was truly an experience of a lifetime! Not many folks get to say they have done that.
The next day consisted of car washes, packing, and heading to the thrift store for banquet night! The crew looked immaculate. The boys sported prom dresses while the gals rocked suits and ties. That evening, we celebrated the end of an incredible adventure with plenty of pizza. As we ate, the group shared laughs and reminisced for two weeks. Lastly, we had an emotional last month before we capped off the night. We beat the sunrise the next morning as we headed off to the airport. This trip has been absolutely incredible. Our group has connected, bonded, and grown in so many ways. Everyone has gotten out of their comfort zone and learned how capable they really are. It has been an absolute pleasure to witness. Thank you so much to the parents for letting your amazing kids join us! We miss the group already!
Much love,
Rob and Katie
Ready, Set, Raft!!
June 21, 2026
Hello Moondance Families!!
Lots has happened since we last talked. Our experiences have been nothing short of pure bliss and adventure. We woke up early with our bags packed and ready for sea kayaking! From our campsite, we drove to the most beautiful and quaint harbortown. We grabbed some pastries from a bakery stand and met our outfitters, who got us packed and prepared for the journey ahead. Once we loaded up into our tandem kayaks, we headed out! Right off the bat, we were greeted with the most incredible views of islands, nestled in the Salish Sea. Our guides told us there are 743 islands and reefs in the place we were, which was mind-blowing. There were tons of wildlife around us, and we were seeing lots of seals, bald eagles, porpoises, and jellyfish. Tamara was especially good at catching crystal and moon jellies. It was so cool to hold these guys up close.
Once we arrived on a new island, we soaked up some sun rays on the beach, skipped rocks(Gus is the king of rock skipping), ate lunch, played games, and watched the sunset. We had tacos for dinner, and Daniel set up our fire for us to have s’mores and sit around to tell stories. Just before going to bed, Rachel set out on a mission to find some bioluminescence. We picked out the most perfect rocks to throw into the water, and on the count of three, we hurled them into the ocean. 1…2…3! After throwing our rocks, we paused and realized our mission had failed. There was no bioluminescence to be found. We burst out laughing and will never forget that memory. We cowboy camped under the stars on this night, and Jack pointed out that we could see the Milky Way! What a day!
We woke up the next morning and made some beautiful yogurt and oatmeal bowls with fresh fruit. After fueling up for our adventure ahead, we packed up camp, loaded the kayaks, and set out to sea! It was another gorgeous day. Not a cloud in the sky. On the way back to the harbor, we stopped on a new island and ate the picnic lunch we had packed for ourselves. After a short paddle into the harbor, it was time to head to the car ferry back to the mainland. It was another beautiful and scenic ferry ride, looking at the North Cascades, Mount Baker, and the Olympic Mountains. There were views in every direction. After unloading the ferry, we headed to our campsite at a state park and made some mac and cheese for dinner. We capped our night with smores and singing songs around the campfire while Rob played the guitar. The BEST!
On Sunday morning, we woke up, packed up camp, had some hash brown and eggs for breakfast, and started our road trip down south to get ready to raft the white salmon river, yay! We made a pit stop at Canes for lunch and eventually made our way to the most epic camp spot. We stayed at a group camp owned by the legend himself. Claire and the owner helped prep and cook a big barbecue cookout with burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and watermelon… what a treat! We played card games and hung out together on the deck until the sun went down. Ceci is a wickedly talented go-fish player. No one could take her down!
The next morning, we set out to raft the White Salmon River and met our guides. They were the coolest! There was high energy this morning, and we suited up for some rapids. Starting with a bang, we came up on our first and only class 4 rapid of the day, triple drop. It was exhilarating and got everyone’s adrenaline pumping. The guides pulled our rafts over, and we were all able to get out and go cliff jumping. Elisa launched into the water off the cliff and got everyone’s energy up! This river could not have been more beautiful. After a whole day of rafting on the river, we wrapped up just before the White Salmon River empties into the Columbia River. Thomas took over our guide’s position and led our group effortlessly through a bit of our last section. Let’s go!!! Once rafting came to a close, it was time to head to Oregon. We enjoyed a spectacular sunset and made some pasta with meat sauce to fuel up for a day of climbing tomorrow. We are having the best time!!
All the best,
Katie + Rob
Perfect Start to PNW!
June 12, 2026
What an unforgettable past couple of days we’ve had together. Our group truly has incredible bond and love for each other that has been so special to witness and be apart of. We have spent the past few days backpacking through the Northern Cascades, an activity that has bonded us like no other!
After picking everyone up from the airport we grabbed dinner from MOD pizza and headed straight to our first campsite. We spent the evening setting up camp, learning how to set up tents, and other skills we would be using on our backpacking trip. We capped the night by holding our first moonup to set the expectations for the trip and get some good ole Moondance vibes going.
The next morning, we woke up early to start prepping for backpacking. We packed our packs, ate breakfast burritos, and headed to the trailhead! We hiked out to our first campsite, set up camp, and began cooking backpackers jambalaya. That evening we gathered around at moonup and reflected on our first day out in the woods.
It was a beautiful misty morning. We woke up well rested and Daniel and Thomas made breakfast quesadillas to fuel us for the journey ahead. Our leaders of the day (LOD’s) were Rachel and Gus fufilled their rolls diligently by helping everyone through tree obstacles on the trail making sure everyone was in good spirits and encouraging everyone on our journey. We were hiking along Ross lake that is encompassed by the most beautiful snowcapped mountains. Claire kept our group in high spirits with her unshakable energy and optimism. We pushed ourselves hard on this day making our arrival at the campground so much sweeter! We celebrated with chicken pesto pasta, told stories, and laughed together as the sun set over the lake, behind the mountains.
Yesterday morning we woke up with a large objective and a task that may seem daunting to some, but our crew was determined to reach the summit (6,102 ft). This was no easy fleet. We fueled up with more breakfast quesadillas, these are Elisa’s favorite and set out on our hike. As we gained more elevation the tree line began to thin out, revealing the most spectacular views of the mountains and it really put into perspective our tiny we are. It was incredible to be able to summit a mountain of this size!! As we came up over the crest of the hill we could see the desolation fire lookout tower right before our eyes. Energy was high and as a group we knew we would all summit together. Rachel, Elisa, and Ceci really came together at this moment and offered some words of encouragement to get each other to the top. Summiting the peak felt like we were on top of the world with 360° views of awe inspiring mountains. Some of the mountains we were looking at were in Canada which was mind blowing. We met a deer at the top and named him Rob. He hung out until it was time for us to head back to camp. Miraculously a rainbow appeared right as we were leaving. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better!!! When we got back Jack and Gus prepared the best taco bowls ever. As a group we were so proud of what we had accomplished on this day.
Today, we woke up and packed up our camp to head down to the dock where a water taxi picked us up from our camp. How cool is that!! We were able to take a boat back to the trailhead where we began. It really couldn’t have been a more beautiful morning. Tamara got the energy going on our ride back and we sang so many song as we passed several waterfalls and glacial mountains. We made it back to the car and headed to get burgers for lunch. Yummmm! Milkshakes and burgers were nonnegotiable after being in the backcountry for a couple days. It was then time to head over to San Juan island. The ferry ride over was gorgeous with views of Mount Baker, other San Juan islands, bald eagles, seals, and jellyfish. Once arriving at our campsite Ceci and Claire made everyone pizza for dinner and it was delicious. Our hearts are so full as reflecting on these past few days and have come to really know and appreciate each other’s company.
We’re all so excited for what’s to come!! Cheers!
Talk soon 🙂
Katie + Rob
Hi Mom and Dad we’ve gone backpacking and sea kayaking. I miss you all, and we still have white water rafting and rock climbing! See you all soon – Thomas
Hello Mom and Dad, I’m having lots of fun and the people on my trip are great. The backpacking and hiking was super cool and I’m excited for the rest of the trip. I miss you all lots, pet the dogs for me, and say hi to everyone! -Gus
Hi Mom and Dad this trip has been great so far. I have made new friends and have recently gone hiking and kayaking. I miss you all so much and I can’t wait to see you all when I get home. Love you! P.S I’ve been to the Pacific Northwest and you haven’t! -Daniel
Hi Mom and Dad I’m having so much fun. Wish Bea luck on the Dolomites, I love and miss you all so much. See you in a week! -Claire
Hi I love you guys, and I’m having lots of fun. I’ve met lots of cool people. I backpacked a lot, and submitted a mountain. Mom, I walked more miles than you do in your marathon! Tell my sisters that I love them! -Tamara
Hi everyone I love and miss yall I’ve had great experiences like summiting a mountain and sea kayaking so far. I love my group and can’t wait to see what’s to come. Hope everything is good back at home! -Ceci
Hello! Miss you all tons! We have done so much so far and I’m excited to see ur faces again! Please text Iacopo this: “Miss you a ton and can’t wait to get back and tell you everything!” And tell Trevor hello also! -Rachel
Hey Mom and Dad Moondance is so fun, I love the group of people here. I met some Greystone girls. We submitted a mountain so that was cool, and I got a nice tan. Tell Gabby and Jake I say hi! -Elisa
Tell Steve and Layla I say hi. We submitted a mountain it was so cool. Tell Kristen I say hi. I love and miss yall so much! -Jack
Safe Arrival!
June 7, 2026
Hello Pacific Northwest Families!
We heard from our leaders last night that the group has landed safely in Seattle! Please remember that our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will post trip updates throughout the trip! This will allow you to follow along with their adventure. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
