One Final Farewell!
July 25, 2026
WHATS UP MOONDANCE FAMILIES!!!!!!!
The final days of our Pacific Northwest adventure have officially come and gone, and what an incredible way to close out an amazing two weeks together!!!! After an unforgettable backpacking section, we loaded up the ferry and headed towards the San Juan Islands. It was honestly so nice to have a little time to breathe, relax, and reflect on everything we had experienced together so far. We were all excited for one final adventure together, and we could not wait to get out on the water for our sea kayaking overnight!!!!
As we arrived on San Juan Island, we ran into a little bit of an unexpected hiccup and ended up getting a hotel room for the entire group. While this was certainly unexpected, it turned out to be a much-needed surprise for everyone! After a long backpacking trip, we were all more than ready for some hot showers, clean clothes, and a comfortable bed. The kids were thrilled to have a night to kick back and relax before our next big adventure. It was the perfect chance for everyone to recharge, and we woke up the next morning feeling rested and ready for sea kayaking!!!!
We got up early the next morning and headed over to Roche Harbor to meet our amazing kayaking guides. We packed up our dry bags, loaded everything into our kayaks, split up into pairs, and finally pushed off into the ocean!!! We began our journey through the beautiful San Juan Islands towards Jones Island State Park, where we would camp for the night. We were incredibly lucky to have such beautiful weather for our first day on the water. There was not much strong wind, which made for some smooth paddling and allowed everyone to really settle into their kayaks.
It was so much fun watching everyone work together with their paddling partners and overcome the challenges of the ocean. Palmer and Defne did an amazing job challenging themselves as a pair and working together to make their way across the channel. Every duo had their own individual challenges with the wind and current, but everyone continued to persevere and keep paddling. The whole group did such a great job throughout the day, and it was awesome to see everyone becoming more confident and efficient with each stroke.
Around lunchtime, we stopped on a beautiful beach about halfway through our journey. We had the opportunity to get out of our kayaks, stretch our legs, and explore some of the incredible bluffs overlooking the channels between the San Juan Islands. It was an amazing place to stop and take in just how beautiful the area around us was. We spent some time scouting out our route towards Jones Island before getting back into our kayaks and continuing our paddle.
Whit and I made quite the paddling team throughout the day! We worked hard together to perfect our efficiency and synchronize our strokes as we made our way across the channels. It was so much fun watching us two figure out how to work together and improve throughout the day!
Eventually, we made it to Jones Island State Park in the early afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to set up camp and explore the island. We were also lucky enough to run into some other kids around the same age as our group, which gave everyone the chance to interact and make some new friends while exploring the island. After setting up camp, we spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach, skipping rocks, soaking up the sun, and enjoying some much-needed downtime.
I got to teach Claire, Grace, Leyla, and Margot the art of skipping rocks, and we spent a good amount of time practicing our technique along the shoreline! Eventually, we transitioned into the evening and enjoyed some delicious chicken tacos cooked by our amazing guides. Whit was an absolute rockstar when it came to helping clean dishes after dinner, and his help was very much appreciated! After dinner, we gathered around for some s’mores with the other kids on the island and spent the rest of the evening hanging out, laughing, and enjoying our final night sleeping under the stars.
The next morning, we woke up relatively early and got back on the water for our paddle back towards San Juan Island. This ended up being one of the most challenging parts of our entire sea kayaking adventure. The wind and current made the paddle back much more difficult, and Grace and Claire in particular had an incredibly challenging day on the water. Both of them pushed through some serious physical and mental challenges and showed an incredible amount of perseverance. It was so inspiring to watch them battle through the tough moments and continue paddling until they finally reached the dock. They should both be incredibly proud of themselves for the grit they showed!
Eventually, we stopped at a small island along the way for lunch and a much-needed break. While we were there, James and Palmer got to watch some harbor seals swimming around in the water right in front of the island! It was an awesome little wildlife encounter and another reminder of how lucky we were to be exploring such a special part of the Pacific Northwest. After lunch, we finished our final stretch of paddling and eventually made it back to Roche Harbor!
Once we arrived back at the dock, we packed up all of our gear one last time and headed out to explore San Juan Island. We spent some time in Friday Harbor, where everyone had the chance to walk around, explore, and shop for some souvenirs to remember the trip. Eventually, we headed out to Eagle Cove for a much-needed beach break!
Eagle Cove was the perfect place to relax after such a busy few days. We spent the afternoon throwing the football around, listening to music, interacting with some of the friendly dogs on the beach, and simply enjoying being outside together. Alden especially loved getting to play football with everyone and meeting all of the dogs wandering around the beach! It was so nice to finally have some time to kick back, relax, and enjoy each other’s company without having to worry about hiking or paddling anywhere.
After our beach day, we headed back to camp where we finally got the chance to fully clean up after our backpacking trip. We organized our gear, cleaned everything out, and started preparing for the end of our adventure. Meghan and James did an awesome job helping cook up a delicious chili dinner for the group, and everyone pitched in to help clean and organize all of our gear. It was definitely a group effort, and everyone did their part to make sure we were ready for the final stretch of our trip!
The next morning, we woke up early and hopped on the ferry back to the mainland in Anacortes. We had one final full day together before heading home, and we wanted to make the most of it! We spent the day exploring different parts of northern Washington, including Mount Vernon and Bellingham, and got to see parts of the state that we normally would not have had the opportunity to visit on our itinerary.
After working up an appetite, we stopped at Chipotle for a much-needed lunch. Everyone was full, happy, and ready for our next adventure of the day! We then headed to Goodwill, where everyone split up into partners and got the chance to pick out an outfit for each other to wear to dinner. There were some truly legendary outfits that came out of this activity! I had the pleasure of picking out Palmer’s outfit, and it was pretty incredible watching him walk out looking absolutely fabulous in a full dress and pink backpack. Everyone got into the spirit of the activity, and we had so many laughs watching each other model the outfits that had been chosen.
After everyone had changed into their new looks, we headed to Panda Express for some delicious Asian food. We were all pretty hungry after a long day of exploring, and everyone happily enjoyed a big meal together. It was the perfect combination of hilarious outfits, great food, and lots of laughs as we celebrated our final full day together.
After dinner, it was time for some of the less glamorous parts of ending a Moondance trip! We headed to the car wash to clean and vacuum out the van, empty the U-Haul, and get everything organized for the journey home. Leyla and James were incredibly helpful with vacuuming out the van and clearing out all of the trash. Whit also stepped up in a huge way, helping move the U-Haul around and assisting with unhooking and re-hooking the trailer multiple times as we worked to get everything situated. It was a true team effort, and we could not have done it without everyone’s help!
Finally, we headed out to one of the most beautiful spots of the entire trip for our final Moonup. We found a point overlooking the ocean and gathered together one last time as a group. Our LODs, James and Margot, did an incredible job leading the group through some thoughtful and hard-hitting questions that sparked curiosity and encouraged everyone to reflect on the past two weeks. It was so special to see how seriously everyone took this final Moonup and how willing the group was to open up and think about everything we had experienced together.
Looking back, it is hard to believe that our two weeks together have already come to an end. From rafting and climbing to backpacking through the Northern Cascades and sea kayaking through the San Juan Islands, this group has truly experienced it all! We have shared countless laughs, overcome challenges together, made memories that we will never forget, and somehow managed to become one big Moondance family along the way.
Grace and I are beyond thankful that we had the opportunity to spend these past two weeks with such an incredible group of kids. It has truly been an honor to explore such a beautiful and unique part of the country with all of them. We are so proud of every single person in this group for the way they challenged themselves, supported one another, and embraced every adventure that came their way.
Thank you all so much for trusting us with your amazing kids and allowing us to share this experience with them. We hope they come home with stories they will be telling for years to come, new friendships that last far beyond this summer, and a whole lot of memories from an unforgettable adventure in the Pacific Northwest!
We cannot believe it is already time to say goodbye, but we are so grateful for every single moment we got to spend with this group. Thank you for an absolutely incredible two weeks, Moondance families!!!!
Until the next adventure!!!!
Best,
Grace and Will
Miles, Milkshakes, and Memories
July 21, 2026
WHATS UP MOONDANCE FAMILIES!!!!!!!
The vibes in the Pacific Northwest have been through the roof!!!! We have become one big happy family, with many inside jokes of course! It’s been a super busy past few days so let’s get you updated!
We began our journey to the Northern Cascades on July 16th! We headed towards the park with a few crucial stops along the way, oil change and backpacking groceries! Once we made it to the park we all gathered for a group picture in front of the park sign. We then headed to our campground to dive into some backpacking lessons. The kids learned how to set up a backpacking stove, how to use bear cans, how to pack a pack, and much more that would turn out to be helpful in the backcountry. Leyla, Defne, and Margot shared helpful tips from their previous backpacking trips! Once everyone had their gear all packed up we started cooking our final meal in the front country. Burgers were on the menu and our LODs, Alden and Claire, were on the stove and made everyone some delicious burgers. The rest of the crew started on making friendship bracelets, which were Meghan’s great idea!! After dinner we cleaned up the dishes and headed to bed because we had an early morning the next day!
We woke up bright and early the next morning and finished packing our packs and devouring a quick breakfast. We all loaded into the van and headed to the trail head. We had a quick one mile hike down to where we met our water taxi, the boys hopped on the first boat and the girls got on a second boat quickly after! The vibes were high as we reached our starting point with some incredible 360 views on the boat ride. Once we made it to the dock, we set up a yummy lunch of summer sausage and cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. After lunch, we all got our packs on and took a quick picture to remember the moment. We started our quick hike and everyone was feeling great!!! We crushed our hike in a record time and made it to camp with maximum time to chill. Once everyone set up at camp, we all found our way quickly to the lake. Everyone jumped off the dock before we decided to find a cliff jumping spot. We found a small cliff to jump off of and everyone happily jumped into the water. Whit was definitely the most excited about the spot!! We headed back to the campsite and everyone got fresh clothes on. James and Palmer headed straight for their hammocks to take a legendary nap, while a lot of people gathered on the dock to chat for a few hours. Soon it was time to cook dinner! Our LODs, Meghan and Margot helped cook up some delicious taco bowls for the group. Margot perfected her beef cooking skills and there were many compliments to the chef. We then headed out to the dock to watch the sunset and do Moonup. The LODs led a very sweet Moonup to close off an amazing first day of backpacking!
The next day had a slower start than the previous day. We all slowly woke up to an incredible view of the lake and mountains. We boiled some water for oatmeal, which everyone enjoyed to prepare for a big hiking day ahead of us. After breakfast we all packed up camp and got our packs on. Our day of hiking started immediately with a very long and steep uphill, but everyone conquered it with a lot of grit. Grace and Claire were true troopers during the hike and even motivated others around them. Once we made it to the top of the hill we all stopped for a well deserved snack break! We continued on for a bit further until we reached a big flowing river where we could fill up our waters. James was feeling brave and even jumped in the freezing cold water. Once we all had fresh water we walked a little further and then stopped for lunch. Another tortilla lunch on the trail, everyone was growing to love summer sausage! We cleaned up lunch, packed up our bags, and hit the trail for the last few miles of the day. A lot of the girls powered through by singing songs and the guys moved quickly for the last few miles. We quickly made it to the campsite for the night which was located right along a big river. We all filled up our waters again and dipped our fit in the river after a long day of hiking. Meghan and Layla tucked in for a nap right along the river, which made for perfect white noise. The rest of the group spent some time perfecting their hacksack skills with a newly found sack. Later we started cooking up dinner which was pesto chicken pasta! James and Whit even volunteered to drink the chicken juice from the chicken cans, which was legendary. Once dinner was ready everyone happily chowed down on a warm meal. We all cleaned our dishes after dinner before Moonup. Moonup was led by our LODs, James and Layla. They started Moonup with a round of Imposter, which went on for a while, but everyone was having so much fun!! The rest of Moonup was very wholesome as this group has become so bonded. After we closed off Moonup everyone headed off to bed after a long day of hiking.
The next morning also had a slow start, but we got the day rolling with chocolate chip pancakes!! The pancakes were cooked by our Allstar LODs, Palmer and Grace. They made sure to add more than enough chocolate chips to please the crowds. Alden might’ve enjoyed them the most and came back for both seconds and thirds! After breakfast was cleaned up we filled our waters up from the river one last time before heading out for another 6 miles to our last campsite. We started with some more uphill hiking, which was hard, but the group was rewarded with a waterfall we could dip our heads in about halfway through the hike. Layla and Meghan dipped their heads in each 3 times, they said it revived them! The vibes were very high after the waterfall dip. We got back on the trail for the last few miles of the day, only stopping once more for a quick lunch. These miles went by very fast as they were filled with many funny stories from the group. Once we reached our final camp, everyone threw on their swimsuits and jumped right into the lake. The water was cold but very refreshing. Defne had to be splashed by Layla to finally go in the water, but once she was in the water she didn’t want to get out. We all hung out by the lake for a while, until everyone was ready to put on dry clothes. We all went up and changed into cleanish clothes and got ready for the night. Some people chose to hang by the lake, while others set up hammocks and chilled in those. Many giggles were shared in the hammock area, James and Alden had many good jokes! Once everyone was hungry enough we got dinner started, Mac and cheese with chicken was for dinner tonight. Whit happily offered to drink the chicken juice yet again. Grace and Palmer got back in the kitchen and cheffed up another amazing meal for the group! After everyone devoured the yummy food we all helped clean dishes. Once everything was clean we headed down to the lake for Moonup. The LODs led a very silly Moonup, which had everyone bent over laughing by the end! We all ended the Moonup with a howl which echoed across the lake. We all soaked in the views of our final night in the backcountry. Grace and Margot spent a lot of time vlogging on Grace’s camera, they captured a lot of great footage! We then had some major leaders step up and volunteer to fill everyone’s waters even though the creek was a 15 minute walk away and it was already 10PM. Layla, Meghan, James, and Palmer ventured out to the creek and came back 30 minutes later with some crisp water for everyone to drink!! We all gulped down some fresh water and then tucked in for an early morning the next day.
We started our last day early, with some oatmeal and tunes in the morning. Everyone was excited to get back into civilization, but also sad to leave behind such a special part of the trip. Once everyone was all packed and ready to head out we got our packs on and hopped on the trail. The hike was an easy one compared to the past few days, so we flew through it in just an hour and half, still enough time to share some last trail stories and laughs. Once we made it to the dock the guys jumped right into the water while the girls finished off our snack bags. The first boat quickly came and took the girls back to the first dock. The second group got to hang out for longer while we waited for the boat to come back. We swam a lot and adventured around the area looking for a good jumping spot, but we were unlucky and couldn’t find a good one. The vibes were still high because we had good music and sun to hang out in for the next hour. Once the boat came back we quickly hopped on and enjoyed the scenic ride back to where our journey first began. We hopped back out of the boat and then began the mile uphill trek back to the van. James quickly took the lead and sped up the hill. We all made it up without stopping once, which was very impressive!! Once we were all to the top we shared high fives and congratulations after completing an amazing backpacking trip!!! We all piled into the van and headed to a local burger spot. Once we made it to Cascade burgers everyone excitedly ate burgers, fries, and milkshakes. A pretty great end to the backpacking section of our trip. We climbed back into the van and headed out to the San Juan Islands, with a quick stop at a grocery store to grab some last minute supplies. We are now on the ferry over to the island!!!!! The vibes are great heading into our last adventure of the trip!! Everyone is so excited to close out such an amazing session in the Pacific Northwest with a very special sea kayaking overnight trip!!!!!
Will and I can’t believe we just have a few more days with this amazing group of kids. We have shared so many laughs that our stomachs hurt! I couldn’t have asked for a better group to close out the summer!!! We are so thankful to you all for sharing your amazing kids with us for these two weeks!!! Off to enjoy our last incredible adventure!!! Talk soon!!!
Best,
Grace and Will 🥾🪻🏔️
Palmer- Hi mom and dad. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip I have had so much fun and met so many cool people I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it. I miss libbie birdie and baker and can’t wait to see them.
Meghan- hey mom and dad! Thank you so so so much for sending me on this Moondance trip. I am so extremely grateful for this experience and it has been a blast. I’ve met so many amazing people and I can’t wait to share all my memories with you when I come back. I miss and love you guys so much! See you soon. 🩷
Leyla- hey Mom and dad thank you so so much for sending me on moondance 🌕 I am so so sooooooo grateful, and feel blessed. I have had such an amazing time and will come back next year. I really am super excited to see you guys. I love you, leyla. 💗
Claire- hey mom and dad! I miss you so much and I’m so excited to come and tell you all about it! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip it has been so amazing!! I love my group so much and I’m so grateful I got to meet them so thanks for letting me go! I love you so much and I can’t wait to see you 💕
Grace- Hey mom and dad!! I miss you both so much and can’t wait to see yall when I get home! This trip has been such an amazing experience and I can’t wait to share everything with you! I love and miss you both so much!! 🩷🩷
Defne- hey mom and dad!! This trip has been one of the best 2 weeks of my life! I’ve made sooo many friends and I’m so excited to share my memories with you guys! Thank you so so so so so much for sending me! I miss you guys so much! Love you guys!!
Margot- Hey mom, dad and Ellen!!!!! I miss you guys soooo much but I have had such an amazing time these past two weeks I am so excited to share all the incredible things that I have done and all the amazing people that I have been with and my amazing leaders love yall and see you guys soon!!!!!💗💗💗
Whit- Hey mom and dad. Miss yall a lot and can’t wait to see you soon. I have had a great time so far and I have made great memories. I can’t thank you enough for sending me on this trip. I’ll tell you more about it when I get home. Miss you.
James- Hey Mom and Dad I hope y’all are having a blast at home. Thank you so much for the opportunity you gave me on this trip. This has been so awesome and I have learned I love so many things. See you in the Bahamas.
Alden- Hey Mom and Dad I hope you are having a fun time at home and are missing me. Thanks for sending me on this trip. I’ve been having a blast and can’t wait to be back. See you at the airport love you bye!
Magical Monkey's Face!
July 16, 2026
HI MOONDANCE FAMILIES!!!!!!!!!
We’ve had so much happening out in the Pacific Northwest the past few days!! After all the kids got to the airport, we hit the ground running to get the incredible two weeks started!! We had a little bit of a drive to our first campsite, but we stopped for pizza mid-way through, a classic Moondance first dinner. We eventually made it to our campsite for the night and had our first-ever Moonup as a group before heading to bed, as everyone was really exhausted after a long travel day.
We woke up early the next morning to prepare for a full day of rafting. We had yogurt, fruit, and granola bowls for breakfast to fuel all the paddling ahead. We then headed to meet our guides. There were a lot of trips going out during the day, too, so the river felt very full and fun! We went through a safety briefing and learned about how to paddle before we split into two boats and got on the river. James and Dephne quickly mastered paddling and kept the energy up in their boat, while Grace strongly led the other boat with good paddling. We made it through so many rapids, which everyone loved. Around halfway through the day, we pulled off the river to stop for lunch. We all devoured burritos and sat in the sun to warm up before heading back to the river. The second half of the day was filled with amazing views as we passed through the section called The Narrows. Layla led a lot of people to jump in the water at the end to cool off before climbing back into the bus. We drove back to the rafting center, returned all of our gear, and said bye to our guides. We then took a detour over to the other side of the Columbia River for ice cream! The ice cream was delicious, and we all talked about all the cool rafting we had just done. After everyone finished their ice cream, we headed down to the shore to watch the kite surfing festival happening on the river. James and Palmer both fell in love with kite surfing; they were cheering on their favorite boats for over an hour. We then headed back to camp to cook up dinner. Our LODs, Margot and Layla, cooked up Mac and cheese with sausage, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. We all helped clean up dinner, and then the LODs led a fun game before we dove into a great moonup to cap off the day. We all then tucked into prep for an early morning!
The next day started bright and early at 5 am, where we woke up, had a quick breakfast, and packed up camp. We had a special stop to make before making it to Smith Rock State Park to start climbing. Everyone slept in the car before we made it to the trailhead for Tamanawas Falls! We hiked a mile and a half before the 100ft waterfall came into view. Whit led the group to all go and explore all of the cool areas around the falls. We all got soaked from the spray of the waterfall; the water was so cold! After we dried off, we hiked back to the car with high spirits from an amazing adventure. We made it back to the car in record time and climbed into the van. Everyone ate many snacks to fuel the drive to Smith Rock. Once we arrived at the state park, we met our guides and got quickly set up with all the gear we needed to climb. We packed our bags and headed down to our climbing area for the first day. Once we got down, we got a safety briefing and learned how to belay so everyone could belay each other. Alden quickly volunteered to go first and made it up the wall super fast! Everyone got to climb and belay throughout the afternoon, and everyone made it to the top of at least one climb! After a full afternoon of climbing, we hiked back up to camp to get ready for the evening. We set up tents, and everyone got to take well-deserved showers after a hot day in the sun. The LODs, Megan, and Whit started cooking fajitas for dinner as everyone else snacked on chips and salsa. Megan quickly picked up all the techniques on how to use a Coleman stove, and she grilled the veggies perfectly! Once all the food was ready, we dove in, and everyone had many compliments for the chefs. It was a truly delicious dinner after a long day. We then cleaned up the dishes and had Moonup back at the tents. After Moonup, we looked at the stars for a while before climbing into our tents for the night.
The next morning began very early again because we wanted to get a lot of climbing in before it got too hot, the tax of being in the desert! We did another quick breakfast so that we were able to meet our guides on time. We met our guides at the trailhead and headed down to where we would be climbing for the day. Once we got down to the new spot, everyone got set up. It was much cooler than the previous day due to the cloud cover, which everyone appreciated. Layla and Whit happily offered to go first for the day, and Layla made it up the wall super fast! Grace proved to be both a master belayer and a great climber as she made it to the top of all 3 routes and belayed many times. Grace was everyone’s favorite climber to watch because she narrated all the moves she was making! Everyone loved all of the routes set up, and Alden and James even did them multiple times. Palmer made up his own name for belaying and called it belaymigon. After everyone finished climbing, we took a very cool route through an area called “the tunnel” up to where we would practice rappelling and more rope skills. The kids were all nervous about trying the new rappelling activity, but all went into it with an open growth mindset. Everybody made it down the first rappel successfully and crushed some fears and misconceptions they had about the activity. Leyla and Defne were nervous at first together, but ended up laughing the whole way down as they rappelled side by side on separate ropes. It was safe to say that our full day out in Smith Rock did not disappoint!
We returned to camp during the early afternoon, since we had tried to escape the intense heat that day. After changing out of our climbing attire, we loaded back into the van and excitedly headed for our town day in Bend, Oregon. Bend sits about an hour away from where we go climbing, but it is well worth the journey. It’s a beautiful small city built around the Deschutes River, and it is home to tons of great stores and amazing food. James and Palmer, especially, were ecstatic about the idea of going out for burgers, along with the rest of the group, so we made a plan for the afternoon. The first stop was crucial to the success of the town day: ice cream. So with much haste, we found a delicious ice cream parlor and walked through downtown, finally cooling off after a long day in the sun. We first set off to REI so some of the kids could find supplies for our upcoming backpacking trip, such as hammocks and headlamps. After Whit and some of the guys acquired their much-desired hammocks and other gear, we knew it was time for some real food! After some deliberation between the group, we decided the best option would be to take all our burgers to go and sit in the park down by the river. It was truly a lovely evening sitting in the park chatting and chowing down. It was the exact break we all needed after some hard work, and the perfect fuel to lead us into a huge challenge the next day. Before we headed back to camp, though, the girls found themselves in an interesting side quest… they had managed to get their names on a list for open mic karaoke in the park. Now having a Moondance concert, we sat and listened to the girls singing Taylor Swift songs to a crowd of over 50 people. It was truly a special and hilarious experience, I’m sure they will all remember. We returned to camp in the evening after a very rewarding day filled with new memories, but with our sights centered on our new goal, conquering the Monkey’s Face in the morning.
Starting shortly after sunrise, though, we persevered. Claire and Meghan both fought with tenacity on the steep uphills of the hike, even when they were at their limits. Once we arrived at the base of the Monkey’s Face, our guides walked everyone through exactly what the morning would look like. We all took a deep breath, geared up, and watched as the first climbers made their way across the famous traverse. Suspended roughly 150 feet above the ground, everyone carefully crossed into a small cave inside the Monkey’s Face known as the Monkey’s Mouth. It was such a surreal experience standing inside the cave, looking out across Smith Rock, and taking in the incredible views. From the Monkey’s Mouth, everyone continued climbing up to the next anchor point, where the real challenge awaited, a nearly 200-foot rappel back down to the ground. It was incredible watching each camper step outside of their comfort zone and commit to the experience. There were definitely some nervous faces at the top, but every single person trusted the process, listened to their guides, and absolutely crushed it. Palmer showed incredible confidence throughout the entire sequence and made both the climbing and rappelling look smooth. Margot tackled every section with determination and never let the height shake her focus. Meghan continued to impress us with her resilience, pushing through the physical challenge of the morning before confidently completing the rappel. Alden once again jumped into the challenge with excitement and handled every obstacle like a natural. By the time everyone reached the ground, the smiles on their faces said it all. It was one of those experiences that will stay with this group for a very long time. After celebrating everyone’s accomplishment with plenty of high fives and photos, we hiked back across Smith Rock feeling incredibly proud of everything the group had achieved over the past three days. Once we returned to camp, everyone worked together to break down tents, pack the vans, and get organized for the next leg of our adventure. We made a quick lunch before hitting the road and saying goodbye to the beautiful high desert of Central Oregon. The afternoon was spent making our way north toward Washington as the landscape slowly transformed from rocky desert cliffs into lush evergreen forests. The vans were filled with stories from the morning, music, card games, and plenty of well-deserved naps after several early mornings and long days outside. It gave everyone a chance to recover while also getting excited for what comes next. By the evening, we arrived at Millersylvania State Park just outside Olympia, where we will spend the night before heading into our backpacking section of the trip. After getting camp set up, everyone enjoyed a relaxing evening together and settled into bed with backpacking on all of our minds. The excitement throughout the group is contagious as we prepare to trade our tents at camp for everything we can carry on our backs.\
We cannot wait to spend the next few days exploring even more incredible places together and continuing to make unforgettable memories out here in the Pacific Northwest!
Shoutouts
Claire- Hi mom and dad! I’m having a lot of fun and I have a great group. We rock climbed today and it was so fun. I miss you! Bye! Love Claire
Grace – Hey mom and dad!! I miss yall both so much and I am so thankful that you let me go on this trip. It has been so fun and I got to rappel 200 feet down a mountain that looked like a monkey. I love you and miss you both so much!!
Margot- Hey mom and dad and Ellen!!!! I miss you guys but my group and leaders are awesome. We went rafting the first day and then we have been rock climbing and I rappelled 200 feet down monkeys face even though it was so scary!!!!!!!
Defne – Hey mom and dad and maybe Arya! I’m having so much fun with this group and I’m so excited for the upcoming activities! We went rafting and rappelled 200ft down monkeys face! Love you guys and miss you!
Leyla: Hey mom, dad, and dilara! I am having so much fun, and I am so grateful that you sent me to camp. I rappelled down the 200 ft monkeys face! I love you guys soooooo much and miss you! 💕
Meghan- hey mom and dad!! I’m having a blast and love it here. We have went white water rafting and got soaked, and just finished 3 days of climbing, coolest thing ever! I’ve made so many new friends and this group of people is so special. We are about to go backpacking for 4 days and then sea kayaking. I love you guys so much and miss you too!! 🩷
Whit: What’s poppin fam. I miss you guys a lot and can’t wait to see yall again. I’ve had so much fun so far climbing and hiking. The white water rafting was super rad. Don’t have to much fun without me.
Palmer- Hi mom and dad, I miss you so much. So far we have gone white water rafting and rock climbing on monkeys face. I have met so many cool people. Say hi to Libbie, Birdie, and Baker for me.
James- Hey Mom I am doing great I hope you are too. Right now we are in the car after rock climbing. I really like it and would like to do it again. Miss you so much tell Kat and Will I miss them and if you run into any of my friends tell them too. Love you.
Alden- Hey mom and dad, I miss you guys a lot and hope you’re doing well. We have done white water rafting and climbing and so far my favorite thing was the white water rafting but rappelling down monkeys face was really cool too. I love you guys can’t wait to see you guys. Say hi to Luke for me.
Safe Arrival in Seattle!
July 11, 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
