Final Update from PNW 2A!
July 7, 2026
Hello again! It’s hard to believe that our trip has come to an end. There are so many emotions that come with this as this trip was filled with some of the most rewarding, genuine, awe-inspiring and precious moments. Our final days were spent climbing in Oregon and wow it was a blast!
We arrived at our campsite on Thursday evening and set up our camp where we would be staying the next three days and made some dinner. While eating dinner we had a special guest arrive… Nelson from Moondance headquarters! A moment like this requires celebration and Nelson delivered by bringing our group a cake. Everyone was so excited.
We woke up early the next morning, had some breakfast, packed our lunches, and headed out for our first day of climbing. We met up with our incredible guides and hiked to our first location. We spent the morning learning how to belay each other and got to try a bunch of different climbing routes. It was so much fun to see everyone push themselves and try new things, they absolutely crushed it! Once we all got our climbing fix in we wrapped up and headed straight to ice cream. Yummm this was the perfect way to combat the desert heat. Then we loaded up the van and headed to an incredible cliff jumping spot. This place was an oasis. Elly jumped into the water and swam to a sandbar that was in the middle of the river and we all joined her to hang out in the sun. It was seriously so refreshing and beautiful. Everyone took a couple jumps and then it was time to head back. We stopped at Walmart on the way home to get some patriotic outfits for the Fourth of July, and we found the best outfits to wear for climbing. Dinner was chicken fried rice and we spent the rest of our evening playing hacky sack and closed the evening with moonup.
Happy Fourth of July!! Everyone got dressed in their festive Fourth of July outfits and we were all ready to get climbing again. Today’s climbing adventure included learning how to repel! We all had the opportunity to do this and we climbed on new challenging routes. Zach went first on a 5’8 climb pushing himself so hard to get himself to the very top. He made it look easy and wowed all of us! After hanging out, climbing some more, and spending some time in the sun it was time to head out and keep our Fourth of July celebrations going! We headed into Bend to explore the downtown, shop, hang out by the river, and get dinner at a local food truck stop. Bend treated us well and the weather was beautiful. We went back to camp for a couple hours before heading back out for a firework show. In the meantime we played a game called 3 people on a bench and Hayden’s stories had us all dying of laughter. He was so good at this game. We loaded up our van once again and headed into town for an incredible firework show and it was truly the perfect way to end the night.
It was our final day of climbing and we had an exhilarating yet daunting task ahead of us. It was time to climb the iconic Monkey’s Face! It’s almost felt as if we had been training for this epic moment and our past few days of climbing all amounted to this moment. We were nonetheless ready for this challenge and FIRED UP! We woke up before the sun and hiked up to Monkey’s Face together. It was go time. Rob went first and we all followed his lead. This dramatic face once completed included a 200ft repel down to the bottom. One by one we conquered this climb. What an incredible feeling! We all got some ice cream afterwards and hit the road. Oregon you treated us so well. Stella was especially fond of climbing and constantly made mention of how much fun she had had climbing. She has a true love for the game!!
Before arriving at our campsite we stopped at the grocery store and split up into two teams. Jay, Hayden, Stella, Neal, and Edie on one team (Jim’s team), and Bella, Harris, Zach, Dallas, and Elly on the other (team Granny’s Kitchen). They had a budget and a time limit to gather dinner ingredients we would bring back to the campsite for a cook off. Jim’s team prepared shrimp tacos with the freshest ingredients and Granny’s Kitchen took a nostalgic approach and made gourmet Dino nuggets (or as Dallas would like to call them dry aged nuggets), kraft Mac and cheese, and Caesar salad. Rob, Katie, and Nelson had an extremely hard time deciding on a winner. Ultimately Granny’s Kitchen won the competition, as their dining experience as a whole was off the charts. We listened to Christmas music in July (thank you Neal for the suggestion), had fun deserts, played more mafia, and closed the night with moonup. Time is moving wayyyy too fast.
Hooray! It’s banquet day!! It was a beautiful morning and we got up and ate some pancakes, fresh berries, and sausage for breakfast. After packing up our camp we headed to goodwill to pick out some fun outfits we could wear out to dinner. We all had the funniest outfits. Edie was rocking a purple velvet wizard hat with a neon green floral top and some rubber ducky swim trunks. We all could not stop laughing at each other’s outfits and got a huge kick out of wearing them to dinner. Once we got back to camp we played more games, hung out, Rob and Anne Harris played us some songs on the guitar, and held our last moonup. We all had the opportunity to reflect on our incredible trip and we are truly so grateful to know and love each other and to have had the experience of a lifetime. PNW 2A is a trip that will certainly not be forgotten! Sending so much love, our hearts are so full.
With gratitude,
Katie and Rob 🙂
A Whale of a Time!
July 5, 2026
Hi there!!
We have been having the best time! Looking back and reflecting on our past few days together brings so much joy to Rob and Katie. Not only seeing how close our group has grown but also seeing everyone’s personal growth. We have had the opportunity to go on some of the coolest adventures. We left sea kayaking and white water rafting with memories and stories that we will tell forever!
We arrived at one of the San Juan Islands after a quick ferry ride from the mainland. Excited for our next adventure, we headed to our campsite, made dinner, and showered after 4 days of backpacking. Edith said it was one of the best showers and feelings ever! We ended our night with moonup and got some rest.
The next morning, we met up with our lovely kayaking outfitters, loaded up all of our gear into tandem kayaks, and set off to sea. From the very start, we were greeted with so much wildlife. Great blue herons, harbor seals, bald eagles, jelly fish, and ORCAS!!! We made our way to our destination stopping for a picnic lunch on the way. Once we arrived on the island we were spending the night on it was time to unpack our boats and set up camp! Shortly after setting up camp, our guide Zoe let us know that there was a chance we might be able to see orcas off the coast! We all got up and ran out to the bluffs to watch patiently for any whale activity. We were looking out at the water as we watched a few whale watching boats pull up into the channel. Sure enough a pod of orcas were right with them!! Gosh they were so beautiful. We saw the largest dorsal fin come up out of the water. Zach said it was the size of Rob (6ft)! Left completely in awe we sat together and watched. Then it was time to head back to start prepping for dinner and once we were settled down we got another alert! “Whales on the west side of the island!! Close to shore.” Anne Harris and Stella took off running so determined to see these whales up close and we did! Success.
It was time for dinner and our guides, Zoey and Caz, cooked us some incredible tacos. We sat around the campsite and ended our night playing a game called family. Which has been a favorite amongst the group. Elly had a huge win! We then had a magical moonup because as we were closing the night out a full moon started rising up over the water and we ran as fast as we could to watch the rest of the moon rise. How fitting for moonup! (Moondance magic is real). After a very eventful and beautiful day it was time for bed.
The next morning we ate some beautiful yogurt and oatmeal bowls with fresh fruit and were ready to head back. We paddled hard to our lunch picnic spot which was in the country’s smallest state park! We had the island all to ourselves and watched harbor seals fish right offshore. After lunch we loaded our kayaks one last time for our final stretch to the harbor. With a little bit of free time we explored the quaint downtown strip outside of the terminal and looked around a few shops. Neal found the cutest coffee shop. It was finally time to board the ferry and head back to the mainland so we loaded up into the van. After another gorgeous ferry ride filled with card games and orca sightings we drove to our campsite. We made pizzas for dinner and closed with moonup. We reflected on what an incredible time we had sea kayaking and all of our incredible wildlife sightings.
Road trip time!! After having some hash browns and eggs for breakfast we hit the road! We were heading south to get ready to white water raft. Keeping busy on the drive by playing 20 questions, answering riddles, singing karaoke, and napping. We also stopped and grabbed Chick-Fil-A for lunch. We finally arrived at our Tipi campsite with the coolest patio we spent all night hanging out on! Rob grilled burgers and we had a massive cookout. It was so good. Bella helped keep things fun by suggesting games that kept us entertained and had us all dying laughing. A highlight was having one person guess who’s voice was who’s by keeping their eyes closed while we all came up one by one saying the same phrase. So simple, yet so entertaining. None of us wanted this night to end as we stayed up late telling story after story.
It was time for our white water rafting trip. We all woke up and had pancakes, berries, and sausage for breakfast. Once we arrived at the river it was go time. Excitement was high and Dallas and Hayden led one of our rafts through a class 4 rapid! This really got everyone’s adrenaline pumping. Our guides pulled our rafts off to the side of the river and let us out so we could cliff jump in the middle of our trip. This was so much fun and so refreshing. Jay, once again, was so excited for this jump and got everyone else just as excited. The raft journey continued and was filled with more rapids, a lunch picnic, beautiful scenery, views of Mount Hood, bald eagles, and crystal clear glacial runoff. This river is truly magical. We wrapped up and headed to our next campsite. Taking the scenic route we came so close to Mount hood and were all completely blown away.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the people who have made this trip so special, our new friendships, new memories, breathtaking views, and all the experiences we’ve had the opportunity to share together. Sending love!
All the best,
Katie and Rob
Hey Mom and Dad! Thank you for sending me to PNW this year. Tell Sprinks I miss her. I love you both. -Stella
Thank you Mom and Dad for giving me this opportunity. I’m so grateful to be here. I love you! -Edith
I’ve literally had so much fun. Thank you so much for putting me in Pacific Northwest. See you soon! Also I’m so sorry I spent all my money at Walmart… -Neal
Thank you so much Mom and Dad. I’m so grateful I got the opportunity to experience this. Happy birthday Father and Brother, sorry I couldn’t be there to celebrate you but just know I’m celebrating for you in Oregon! -Bella
Thank you so much for letting me come here. I am having the best time. Happy Fourth of July! Tell Scout I miss him and I love him so much. I love you! -Harris
Thanks Mom and Dad for sending me on this amazing trip! It’s been such a great experience and I love all of my new friends! Love you and see you soon. -Elly
Hi guys! I’m having an amazing time in Oregon and it’s crazy to be back home everything feels so familiar. We finished sea kayaking and rafting and now we’re rock climbing and it’s all been amazing. Thank you for this opportunity it’s been amazing. (P.S Happy Dirthday Dad!) -Zach
Thank you so much for sending me on this wonderful trip. This has been so fun and exciting. We got to see orcas while sea kayaking! -Hayden
Thanks Mom and Dad for this experience. I am having a great time and have a surprise for you when I get home. I can’t wait to tell you all about the trip. -Jay
Thank you everyone for this opportunity, I’m having a great time out here in the Pacific Northwest. I climbed a 5’10! Love and miss you guys. -Dallas
Backpacking With New Friends!
June 29, 2026
Hi everyone!! What an incredible couple of days we’ve had together backpacking in the North Cascades. It’s hard for us all to believe we just met for the first time a couple days ago. Backpacking has bonded our group and we have shared some unforgettable memories.
The trip started with good vibes while playing cards at the airport waiting for everyone to arrive. Once we had everyone it was time to start heading to our first campsite. We stopped to get some pizza along the way! Yummm!! We spent the evening setting up camp, learning how to set up tents, and other skills we would be using on our backpacking trip. Once we wrapped up lessons we spent the rest of the night hacky sacking, playing guitar, go-fish, Egyptian rat slap, B.S., and any other card games that came to mind. Anne Harris was always keeping things fun and exciting by finding creative ways to mix up our card games. This is also when we learned that Neal was a legend at go-fish. Another honorable mention was a debut performance from the “Moon 4” Jay, Dallas, Zach, and Hayden. They performed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and the crowd went wild. We did our first moonup before bed to set some trip expectations and get some good Moondance vibes going.
We woke up early and excited for the adventure that we had ahead of us… backpacking!!!! Wooohoooo!! Rob cheffed up some incredible breakfast sandwiches for the group and we packed our backpacks and headed to the trailhead! Our leaders of the day (LOD’s), Dallas and Stella, shared some words of encouragement in our morning huddle to get us hyped for the journey ahead. We started with a quick ride on a water taxi on the lake with 360° views of mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, and pristine untouched forest. After being dropped off at our stop, it was a short hike to our campsite. We set up camp and went to explore some cliff jumping spots. After scouting out the conditions of the jumping rocks, Jay went first and took a big leap into the water. The rest of our group followed. The adrenaline was high and the water was so refreshing and beautiful. After working up an appetite we had pesto chicken pasta for dinner and played games until the sun went down. Zach and Edie put up an incredible game of Mafia where they fooled everyone together and won the whole game! LOD’s led our moonup and then it was time to get some sleep before another big day of hiking!
We woke up with the sun and all started getting ready! On the breakfast menu we had quesadillas which were a crowd favorite. It was time to start our journey. We had some miles ahead of us and Hayden always had a positive mentality towards backpacking that kept our group moving on difficult parts of the trail. It was a very scenic hike up to our next campsites. We made some stops along the way for lunch, snacks, water, and we also found an old log cabin in the woods! We all piled into the small cabin with our huge backpacks on. When we finally made it to our campsite and set up camp we played more games, made taco bowls for dinner, and ended with Moonup. Wow this trip is flying by, and we’re all feeling super grateful to be a part of these experiences together as they have truly been once in a lifetime!
It was another beautiful, crisp morning and we got ourselves ready to head to our final backpacking campsite. The group had a collective sense of determination today as we flew through our 6 mile hike. When we arrived at the lake where we would be camping, we were in complete awe of the mountains that towered over this lake. There were jagged peaks that had misty clouds rolling in and out all afternoon. We all decided to take a dip and Elly and Bella dove in and we’re completely stunned by the views and how small the mountains made us feel. So spectacular, magical, and special. We hung out alllll afternoon playing more games together, laughing, and we had jambalaya for dinner. We closed our night with moonup and at the end walked down to the edge of the lake and yelled “MOONDANCE!” It echoed loudly off the walls of the mountains and everyone’s jaws dropped. What a great day.
It was an early wake up call this morning and we ate some oatmeal, packed up camp, said bye to the most beautiful campsite, and hit the trail! We had a water taxi ride back to the trailhead we began at accompanied by some more gorgeous views. We also saw a young black bear on shore while boating back! How cool!! Once we made it back to the van we celebrated completing 22 miles and headed straight into town to get burgers and milkshakes! This was the best reward.
We’re now on the ferry reflecting on what an incredible adventure that was and are equally excited for what’s to come. Grateful is an understatement. Talk soon!
Much love,
Katie and Rob 🙂
SHOUTOUTS:
Hey guys, I’m having a great time out here we just finished backpacking and there were some beautiful views. My favorite parts were cliff jumping, hacky sack, and group games. Can’t wait to see you soon! P.S happy birthday Dad! -Zach
Hi Mom and Dad I’m having so much fun. The letter I sent you will arrive soon. Went to Canada and saw a bunch of animals and a bear! Thank you for sending me on this trip. Tell the neighbors I say hi. -Jay
Hi Mom and Dad this trip has been super fun. We just got done with an awesome backpacking trip. Super excited for the next activity, see you soon! -Hayden
Hey Mom and Dad! Wassup? I hope Friday went well. I’m having so much fun. Ever hiked to Canada? I have! Miss you lots, love you! -Stella
Hi family I love you and I miss you. I’m having the best time and I can’t wait to see you when I get home! -Edie
Hi! I’ve been having so much fun and I’m excited for you to get my postcard to hear about what we’ve been doing! See you in 8 days! -Neal
Dear mom and dad I miss you sooooo much I’ve met lots of cool people and have done lots of amazing things like backpack 22 miles. The views were absolutely amazing write walker and text William that I miss them. Love you! -Anne Harris
Hey Mom and Dad I’m having so much fun! PNW is so gorgeous and I can’t wait to show you all the photos. Love and miss you! -Elly
Hey fam! Miss you lots I’m having so many great experiences give the dogs extra love for me. Can’t wait to hear about everything I miss. Love you! -Bella
Sup guys I’m having a great time we just got done backpacking and I’m so excited for sea kayaking. Please order my retainer and please say hi to the pets for me. -Dallas
Safe Arrival!
June 24, 2026
Hello Pacific Northwest Families!
We heard from our leaders 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
