Reaching New Heights in Morocco!
July 3, 2026
Day 9 → Hi guys! We are back and reporting from Imlil, Morocco! Today we woke up in everyone’s favorite place we stayed! Our riad was covered head to toe with colors and patterns that made it feel like we were at home in Morocco. We enjoyed breakfast with yogurt, boiled eggs, and Moroccan pancakes! We fueled up, filled our waters, and headed on our way to Mt. Toubkal basecamp. Dillon led the pack for our 7 mile day, and kept the energy up! We kept pushing on throughout the hike and were able to stop at little markets on the way to get water, snacks, and even some souvenirs. We continuously admired the views around us as we climbed in elevation. We celebrated once we got to basecamp and Eleanor made sure to make friends with everyone we passed on our way. We settled into our room (all 14 in one room) and headed outside to hang out. We eventually ate dinner and had Moonup in our tiny room before having a big slumber party. We have a BIG day tomorrow so we made sure to go to bed early!
Day 10 → YAYYYYY TOUBKAL SUMMIT DAY!!! We woke up before the sun and had smiles on our face for our big day. We got ready super quick and ate a quick breakfast before lacing up our hiking boots and getting ready for the summit! Blythe and Anna had the great idea of playing the game “Calabria” to hype up the group before the summit attempt. Our vibes were up and we started our trek. We climbed 4,167 meters and Kemp led us the whole way! He was definitely the group leader! We made sure to take breaks when needed, but this group is strong and wanted to keep pushing to the top! As soon as we got to the top, we admired the views as we were the tallest people in North Africa at the time! Lydia made sure to get the group together to take millions of photos to remember these moments. We celebrated and ate candy at the top. Baker even mentioned how it was “the coolest place he has ever been”! We soaked up the last moments and headed down the mountain. James led the pack and was super speedy down the mountain. Due to the steepness of the mountain, everyone kept slipping and falling on their butts. It eventually became funny, and a memory that we will remember forever. Thomas and I cannot even put into words how proud we are of this group. Their support within each other and amazing attitudes are what allowed them to get up Mt. Toubkal, and we are forever grateful we got to do it with them! As soon as we got to basecamp, we dropped our things, ate lunch, and relaxed. We took the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted, and made sure to end the night with the sunset. Again, it was magnificent and something we will remember forever. We ended our day with Moonup in our tiny room and soaked up our accomplishments before going to bed!
Day 11 → Trek down from basecamp / Transfer to Imlil
Today, we woke up and quickly packed up our bags and ate breakfast in order to get back down to Imlil quickly! We started our trek down early so the group wouldn’t get too hot in the sun in the afternoon! We did the same hike that we did on day 9, but backwards this time! Mary Wells made sure to lift the group up with her encouraging words, and we could not have done it without her. It was a beautiful day, and we made sure to put sun hoodies and sunscreen on before conquering the hike! We stopped in the shade when needed, but tried to make it down as fast as we could! Towns and I had the best conversations, and they are something I will remember forever. As soon as we got down, we ate lunch in a shady spot, and the whole group tried new Moroccan dishes! After lunch we hopped in the van and headed to our lodging for the night. We stayed at Mohammed’s house where it felt like paradise. There was a pool and peacocks! And Mohammed even gave us nutella crepes. It was much needed after a few long days of hiking. George had the bright idea to play games and the pool and the whole group joined in! We enjoyed our afternoon in the sun and got some relaxation. We played calabria one more time before having Moonup and going to bed!
Day 12 → A much deserved well night sleep for 2A. As we woke up and stretched our arms we immediately were blessed with the smell of fresh orange juice, pancakes, and nutella. The group jumped out of bed and headed outside for a great breakfast as we sat around and discussed what we were looking forward to in the markets. After some breakfast the crew threw on some clothes and headed out into town in the beaming hot Moroccan sun. Thanks to our LODs for the day Quinn and Blythe, we hopped out of the van and met up with our guide Ab who immediately started walking us through the different types of market corners such as the leather market, brass market, shoewear market, along with everything you could think of. Our first stop was made at a pharmacy where we sat down and had a great lesson on the different Moroccan delicacies and herbal supplements. Townes and Baker definitely went home with the most as they balled out in the shop to bring home for their friends and family. While they were in awe with that Dillon, Mary Wells, Anna, Lydia and James got massages which definitely released some stress from carrying their heavy packs over the past three days. After the pharmacy we headed into another market that had about all you could think. Where Quinn, Baker and the rest of the boys bought matching linen shirts and all the girls got matching gold bracelets with their initials engraved in the Arabic alphabet. Post shopping the crew was due for some chill time as we stopped into the most famous carpet merchant in all of Morocco where famous celebrities such as Bill and Hiliary Clinton, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson and many others have come to shop as well. We quickly headed up to the roof for some cold refreshments. After this we hit one last stand where James got to get his flag of Morocco along with a matching Hakimi soccer jersey with Thomas. We loaded back up into the van and headed back to Mohammed’s house where we were blessed with a delicious lunch along with a high UV and some pool chairs to lay out in. After some sun and games we all showered up and headed back outside for our cooking class!!!!!! Where we learned how to make Moroccan pancakes, kefta and a traditional Mediterranean salad we sat down and had a beautiful spread of a meal. Followed by a couple games of empire and then a beautiful Moonup from our LODs.
Day 13 → And yet another travel day but filled with high spirits. The group was again straight out of bed where George and Kemp were the first up and ready to go and attack the day at full speed. We ate breakfast and loaded up in the van. We have made so many memories in Morocco, and we’re sad to be leaving, but excited to see what the city of Madrid has to offer. We got to the airport and headed through security, customs, and eventually got a million different snacks to share for our flight. Once we touched down in Madrid we went through one last customs checkpoint, grabbed our bags and headed into town where we freshened up at the hostel and headed straight to dinner. We had some great Mexican food such as tacos, quesadillas and many other fun dishes. After some filling stomachs the girls and guys split up as they girls hit Brandy Melville and some other clothing stores along with jewelry stores and the boys went to Mango, a card shop for Quinn and Kemp and just walked around to see what Madrid had to offer us. After some shopping the group met back up for some much needed gelato and walked back towards the hostel as we soaked in our last moments together. Thanks to our LODs, Baker and Lydia we had a powerful last moonup and shut our eyes thinking of the past twelve days we had together in such a special group.
Day 14 → After a great last night together, we woke up early and got our things together before hopping on the metro to transfer to the airport. We got to the airport and began to say our goodbyes. Thomas and I couldn’t have imagined a better group to experience this trip with, we wish that we could keep them for the rest of the summer! These kids are so full of life, inspiring, and kind-hearted. Watching this group grow together and create memories has been one of the best experiences ever. Thank you for sharing your wonderful kids with us on such a special trip!
Toubkal Here We Come!
June 27, 2026
Day 6
Good morning and we are back with another trip update for SPM 2A!! Today we took a new turn with our activities in the Picos as we woke up and headed towards the river for Canyoneering!! Thanks to our LODs Kemp and Lydia the group got their wet suits on and jumped into the brisk water. Thanks to a safety briefing from Carlos the group was ready to roll into the various treats the river had for us. It didn’t take long for George and Quinn to spring into action as they were the first to go down the sliding rock. As we progressed down the river we saw everyone getting more and more involved as Eleanor and Mary Wells stepped up the plate and went down the next slide in superman position setting the tone for the rest of the group. Shortly after this is where we saw James and Baker also do the same. After we wrapped up Canyoneering we headed into Cangas do Oris for some well deserved lunch. Talk about a feast as we had Octopus, Potatoes, Salad, Chicken, Steak and many more well made dishes. Post lunch we grabbed some things from the gas station and headed towards our surf spot of the day. A thunderstorm rolled in, but thanks to Dillon’s words of encouragement and easy going personality the group shook it off and found a solution quickly. We headed to the new hostel early as we did our laundry and showered up and headed into Llanes early. After a long day we felt it was time for some well deserved ice cream as we stopped right as we got to town, where Anna, Blythe and Towns were first at bat and went with Stratichella. After the ice cream we walked around for a bit before heading to dinner which was some much needed pasta. After we cleaned our plates we headed back to camp and had moon-up and then called it a night!
Day 7
And just like that we are back at it for another amazing adventure with the 2A crew. Our LODs of the day, Blythe and Quinn, greeted us this morning by cooking us breakfast and making coffee for the group. As we all sat around outside the apartments and broke some bread together we started talking about what was to come in the day. Catherine and Thomas had one last surprise for the 2A crew which was….. Via Ferrata!!!!! The emotions and spirits were high as we once again piled in the van and headed off to our next activity. After another safety briefing we jumped in our harnesses, strapped into our helmets and clicked into our carabiniers for the climb up the mountain. Although it was intimidating and steep the group came together and hyped each other up and we conquered the rock. After the climbing, James ran down to the bottom to take pictures of the rest of the crew as they ziplined over our heads. After Via Ferrata, we headed off to lunch for a much needed pizza party! After some post lunch naps in the van we hopped back out and went back to the beach to where today the sun was out and the skies were blue. When I say everyone – I mean it – and everyone got up on a wave today. It was such a good last activity for the group and there was no better way to end our Spain portion of the trip. As we packed up our boards and headed back to the vans we got back to camp and started packing for our big travel day tomorrow. While the group was packing Alberto, Thomas and Kemp were on grill duty as they cheffed up some burgers, sausages and many other things for a big family style cook out. As we all sat around the park benches outside we reminisced on our past week in Spain and memories we will cherish forever. After dinner we had a beautiful Moonup thanks to our LODs and got in bed for our early wakeup to start our new journey to a new continent!
Day 8
Talk about an early morning! Although it was still dark out when we woke up for our travel day the smiles were still there. As we hopped in the van and shut our eyes, we opened them back up to board our first plane of the day heading towards Madrid. Right as we got off the plane, the boys jumped straight into a hacky sack circle constantly practicing their new talents and skills, especially Thomas, who landed his first around the world stall! The group quickly settled down at the gate with some time to spare and broke off to explore what the Madrid airport had to share. While the girls came back to Starbucks, the boys tried out a full variety. Whether it was Burger King for Baker and Kemp, or some new cologne samples for James, the group had way too many things for their packs to hold. As we started making our way onto our last plane of the day, the smiles were still there, even though we were a sleep deprived crew. With the blink of an eye, we were coming over the Moroccan coast line and touching down in Marrakech. After some new stamps in the passports and currency changes, we hopped on our last mode of transportation of the day thanks to a warm greeting from Hamou and Mohammed. Looking from side to side out the window, Anna and Dillon were quick to point out the palm trees while Blythe and Mary Wells were looking down the road observing the many vespas in the bike lane. As we worked our way up the mountain, we stopped by a creek for a quick sandwich and some fruit, as well as a surprise bunch of Oreos that Eleanor and Lydia found peace with. The travel day finally came to an end as we checked into our beautiful hostel overlooking Tubokal. We ended the day watching the sun drop behind the mountain and getting in the headset of 2A coming together and crushing the mountain one step at a time. Time for SPM 2A to “Roll Out” and conquer what Toubkal has in store for us.
NOW TIME FOR SOME MORE SHOUTOUTS!!!!!!!!
Lydia: Hey mom and dad I am having so much fun! This is so cool. Thank you SO much for this opportunity. I’m so excited to tell yall all about it and I’m very lucky to have yall! Much love
Blythe: Hiiii!!! I am having such a great time! I wanted to thank you again for this amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to tell you all about it once I’m back! I am so excited to bargain in the markets and summit Toubkal! I love you guys and thank you again!!!!
Eleanor: Hi guys!! We just finished Spain and are flying to Morocco. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything cooler!!! I miss y’all so much but I’m super excited for the markets and summiting Toubkal. Apparently there are going to be snake charmers and monkeys doing backflips. Love yall!!!
Anna: Hi mom and dad! Thank you so much. I’m having so much fun. We’re in the airport to go to Marrakech and I’m so excited it will be so much fun! I can’t wait to tell you all about it I love you and miss you ❤️❤️❤️
Dillon: Hey mom and dad! This trip is amazing and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to go! Thank you so much for sending me on the trip!I am having the best time! Miss and love you guys! Say hi to everyone in PLP.
Mary Wells: Hi again! Miss y’all, this trip has been amazing. I feel so blessed to be able to do such a cool thing, and all thanks to y’all. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip. I couldn’t be more happy and grateful. Love y’all both and see you soon!!!
Kemp: Hey mom and dad! This trip has been absolutely amazing. Thank you both for allowing me to go! It’s been the absolute best. Can’t wait to see y’all both!
Quinn: Hey guys! This trip is awesome and I’m so grateful you sent me on it. We are having the best time. Miss you guys and see you soon when I’m home, say hi to charlie
Towns: Hey! Spain has been so much fun and we are about to start Morocco! Thank you for letting me go on Moondance this year! Can’t wait to summit Mt. Toubkal! Also, I’m excited for the markets in Marrakech!
James: Hey mom and dad, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip Spain is so beautiful and I’m about to go to Morocco to summit Mt Toubkal I’m so excited to show you all of the photos I miss y’all!-
Baker: Hey Mom and Dad, thank you for sending me to moondance! I am having so much fun. Spain was so awesome!
George: Hey mom and dad, this trip has been awesome, thank you so much for sending me. Happy late birthday dad. See y’all soon.
Enjoying the Sunshine in Spain!
June 24, 2026
Day 1: Travel Day!!!!
Day 2 + 3:
Hola from Spain! We have had some of the most insane adventures since picking up the kids in the airport After their unfortunate flight delay, we met the group in the airport with boxes of pizza! After filling up, we drove to our first lodging of the night and quickly ate dinner before our first Moonup! The group was especially tired after their big travel day, so we headed right to bed. The next day, we woke up for our first day of trekking! Our LODs (Leaders of the Day), Mary Wells and James explained our hike for the day and hyped up the group! We hiked around the national park of the Picos de Europa! It was some of the most insane views we had ever seen, and our guides (Alberto and Irene) taught us some fun facts about the park as we walked. We learned that the water in the river is renewable energy and how the large rock walls are made of limestone that smells like sulfur sometimes! Once we got to a stopping point, the group was excited to try the exotic fruit that Irene showed us! It was some sort of plum that was super small and extremely sour! We headed back to our hostel before it started to get hot outside. Once we got back, we grabbed our lunch and went to this beautiful lookout point to enjoy. We scarfed down our sandwiches and Quinn brought out the hacky sack. He showed off his impressive skills, and was teaching the group how to do tricks. After hanging out for a little bit, we packed up our backpacks for a night at a secluded hostel! We drove through the mountains and listened to music to get hyped up for the rest of our day. Once we got to the parking lot, we hopped out, put our bags in a taxi, and walked right up the mountain! It was definitely challenging, but this group has grit! Eleanor was leading the group and hyping the group up for the difficult hike, which was so needed! Once we got there, we settled in, took showers, and hung out in the big grassy area! We were playing music and games, and at the same time, a donkey would not leave us alone! Everyone made sure to give the sweet donkey some love and then he legit would not leave us alone. After hanging out with the donkey (named Chris), we washed our hands and ate dinner with our new friends! They were a running group who Dillon quickly became friends with! She spoke with them in Spanish and everyone was impressed with her knowledge! Post dinner, we played a game called capture the mascot! Everyone eventually got tired and we headed to bed before another day of hiking!
Day 4:
Woooohooo! Another day of trekking! Today was one of our favorite days so far! We started our day with breakfast and packing. Quickly we filled up our water bottles and headed on our merry way. We started our hike in the trees and eventually made it out with the elevation gain! We made sure to stop when needed before reaching the top! Once we got to the top we made sure to get some snacks and Lydia rounded everyone up for photos! We enjoyed our time at the top and eventually decided to head down before it got too hot outside! Once we got down, we enjoyed lunch in the shade and finished packing our bags before saying goodbye to all of our friends at the hostel. We hiked back down and hopped in the van before heading to our next destination! We drove up and around the mountains and got the most beautiful views. George was making sure to request the best songs to curate the vibes. Once we got to our hostel, we settled in and headed to dinner. Dinner was full of new food, and the group made sure to try all the new food before leaving! We then walked straight to this look-out point which had 360 views of the Picos de Europa! We enjoyed our time at the top and listened to music before Moonup! During Moonup, Kemp was cracking jokes and had the whole group laughing. Afterwards we headed right to bed before another big day of hiking.
Day 5:
Yay! Trekking! Today we had another summit! Today we hiked up the mountains in order to get a good view of the Central Mastiff. Today Towns came prepared with some good questions in order to get the conversations flowing throughout the hike. We made our way to the top and Blythe was leading the pack and encouraging everyone up the mountain during the hike. Once we got up to the top, we admired the insane view and headed back down. On our way down the group had the bright idea to jump in a body of water! Our guides, Irene and Alberto, loved the idea and took us to a hidden location. We headed down to the river, which was super clear due to the limestone. As we got close to the water, we could feel how cold it was. Baker and Anna were quick to jump in anyway!! We ate our lunch and hung out by the water while we got surrounded by lady bugs! The group splashed around in the cold water and couldn’t rip the smiles off of their faces before we headed back to the cars. The girls were feeling extra silly and making different versions of shirts out of their towels which had us cracking up. We hopped in the vans and jammed out to music before grabbing snacks at the small store. After, we headed to the hostel and showers/played games/ relaxed before heading back to the restaurant for dinner! We ate up our meal and enjoyed each other’s company. Next we decided to go back to the 360 viewpoint before Moonup! Anyway, we have already had the best time with this group and it feels like the days are flying by. See yall later! Adios!
Shoutouts!
Lydia: hiiii!!! I miss y’all. But I am having so much fun. We just finished the hiking portion in northern Spain then we are surfing the next two days then going to Morocco. My group is fye. I’m excited to come home tho. Yall would really love it here the views are awesome and we’ve done some EXTREMELY hard hikes. Dad would be thriving. Okay bye love yall.
Blythe: Hiii everyone!! I miss yall sooo much! I am having such an amazing time, and have meet such great people. We have done insane hiking which is definitely out of my comfort zone and still lots of fun. We still have sooo many more exciting things to do. I LOVEEE my group and I can’t wait to tell yall all about once I’m back! Try not to miss me too much! Tell Samuel, Mc, and gma I say hi! Bye I love and miss yall lots!!!
Eleanor: Hi mom and dad! The hikes in Picos de Europa have had some of the craziest views ever and the only thing I’ve lost so far are my goodrs! Pet Max and Scout for me! Love you guys!
Anna: Hi mom and dad! I’m having so much fun at moondance we’re in Spain now and it’s actually incredible so much prettier than I thought. The hikes are hard because there’s a heat wave but I’m chilling. My group is so much fun and so funny it makes the trip so much fun. We’re about to leave to go surfing and I’m very excited. I love you guys so much and miss you!!
Dillon: HI MOM AND DAD!! Hope you guys had or are having the most amazing time in nyc! I am having such an incredible time here every view is unreal! We are currently hiking in the Picos de Europa, and my favorite parts of the trip so far are definitely talking to people in Spanish, staying in fun Refugio’s and obviously the views and hiking. Miss you guys so much say hi to everyone for me! Love you!
George: hey mom and dad Spain is way prettier than I thought. The mountains look like Switzerland but cooler and less snow. We’ve hiked a lot and we are going to Morocco soon I’m excited to summit Toubkal and we’ve already summited two mountains in Spain. See y’all soon.
Quinn: hey mom dad and charlie, having a great time in Spain and the views are crazy, excited for Morocco. See you guys next week miss you guys
James: Hey mom and dad, I’m having a great time here in Picos de Europa the view is so pretty and I’m really excited for Morocco I will make sure to get y’all some good stuff I miss yall!
Townes: Hey Mom and Dad, the views in northern Spain are the best I’ve seen. We’ve sumitted two peaks in the Picos de Europa so far. See y’all I guess in a little over week
Baker: Hey Mom and Dad, Spain is so cool. The places we have been are remote there are no other tourists and the views are the best I have ever seen. Can’t wait to tell you all about it
Mary Wells: HI MOM AND DAD!! Miss y’all so much but I’m having the best time ever. I’m taking so many photos so I can show yall everything. Tell Charlie I said Happy Birthday and 13 will be the best year ever!! I’ll take him for a treat to Andy’s ice cream when I get back. The views are insane and the food is sooo good. Tell Barron I said hi also and can’t wait to see him when I get back and tell him everything. Love all 4 of yall!
Kemp: Hey mom and dad miss y’all so much. Having so much fun on the trip and it’s been awesome. See y’all soon!
Safe Arrival!
June 21, 2026
Hello Spain + Morocco Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely! 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
