One Final Farewell!
July 29, 2026
We finally made it to our rock climbing section! We kicked off the morning with what Will deemed as the “perfect climbing breakfast” of yogurt parfaits to get us prepared for our big day. We fueled up, met our climbing guides, and made our way to Puppy Dome for some slab climbing. We were all eager and excited to get onto the wall. Our group crushed the demo where we tested out our new shoes by doing a traverse across the bottom of the slab. Special shout to Camden for having shoes dating back to the WW2 era- truly a timeless design. Once we learned how to tie our figure 8 knots and perfected belaying we got to climbing. Kenan was first to ascend in my group with a belay from Belle and she absolutely crushed her first climb. Carter got the beta for his group thanks to a belay from Parker and a backup belay from Duncan. Don’t sleep on the backup belay- Duncan’s dialed focus on the backup belay proved this to be an extremely rigorous and important job. Iris also had some major wins this morning pushing herself and finding success on the hardest route on the entire wall. As we climbed we enjoyed some chips and salsa over discussions of space x and non profit work. After a long morning of climbing we had to reward ourselves with the best ice cream Mammoth has to offer at the local scoop. When we arrived back at camp Mary Mo, Duncan, and Iris got to work on crafting the best burger cookout Central Eastern California has ever seen. Smash burgers, watermelon, and fries were scarfed down and reviewed with extremely high ratings. After dinner we found ourselves at Minerett Point with a gorgeous view of the Minaret Mountains and a beautiful orange and pink painted sky to accompany it. After running our memory cards dry of storage from our massive photoshoot we had a car party and made our way back to camp for the evening.
Day two of climbing sure was one for the books! We started off a delightful breakfast brought to us by none other than Taylor, Parker, Poppy, and Mary Mo executing a classic of eggs, bacon, and bagels. We hit the road and made it to Tuolumne Meadows with time to have one of our greatest hacky sack games yet. Iris and Kenan truly excelled in the sack scene and once we polished up our sack skills we headed over to the crag. A bluebird day as Camden would say as we kicked off our big day of crack climbing. Parker and Belle both had an amazing showing trying almost every route with great success. Notably, both Belle and Parker had their go at a very difficult crack climb involving some techy stemming and with some applaudable efforts they both stomped the route. Once we wrapped up our climbing we stopped by the Twin Lakes for some showers and freshened up for our evening challenge. We divided into our cook groups and each group was offered a food item that needed to be a necessary ingredient for their dish. Aidan, Belle, Camden, and Carter opted for red sauce and angel hair pasta to prepare the entree. Duncan, Iris and Kenan had a go with the soy sauce to be highlighted in their side dish salad. Mary Mo, Taylor, Parker, and Poppy incorporated salsa into their appetizer fiasco. The cook crews each took over a campsite and got to work. The appetizer team started off strong with a never seen before dip quad of salsa, guac, queso, and a fan favorite, river nachos- a splendid showing from this cook group. We then congregated to enjoy the carefully crafted salad with veggies marinated in soy sauce. And finally, the entree… an angel hair dish with a creamy vodka sauce glaze. The group was extremely satiated and happy after indulging in our iron chef creations. We closed the evening with an ice cream bar and a …perfectly cooked… cookie skillet.
Our final full day, a Sacramento city day to be remembered. The group woke up early in Mammoth and immediately got to writing some future letters to themselves and packing their belongings. Then, it was to the cars for a long drive to Folsom Lake where we were camping. Poppy, Mary Mo, Iris, Kenan, Belle, and Will all wore face masks to help energize for the car ride. The group stopped at Chipotle for a delicious lunch, Parker even opted to go shoeless! The next stop was for some thrifting- Camden got things going with a flashy Fortnite hat, and Poppy and Carter competed for who could have the baggier shorts. Then we finally arrived in Old Sacramento to explore. Aidan and Taylor opted for Mini Golf and ice cream, while the girls embodied the Wild West and bought some toy guns. We were then on the way to Pizza where the group FEASTED shoutout Carter for trying every pie. The group went back to Folsom to moon up under an actual… FULL MOON! It was amazing, a hectic day but a fun one.
Finally airport day and our trip has come to an end. We stopped for some donuts this morning on the way to the airport to fuel up. It was sad but nice to see people finally connect with friends and family again.
An incredible trip and awesome experience. THANK YOU YOS 3!!!!
Checking in from Yos!
July 26, 2026
We made it off the American River and found ourselves in June Lake, just outside of Yosemite. We had ourselves a great nights sleep and started our day off with a Carter Ryan special of English muffin bacon, egg, chive, and cheese sandwiches to fuel us up for the day. Aidan, Belle, and Camden sous-cheffed the operation while Carter helped run the show. The crew got fueled up and made our way to Tuolumne for our swimming adventure for the day. We packed every type of chip you could think of along with salsa, French onion dip, and a whole watermelon to keep us satisfied for the afternoon. Belle, Iris, Carter, and Parker all had some epic rock jumps into the chilly and refreshing river. Will enlightened us with some boulder knowledge as we soaked in the sun. A time was in fact had and we made our way back to camp to initiate our backpacking packing! Will tore the house down with a seamless pack introduction and we got a taste of what was in store for our next few days. We fueled up with some stir fry with chic fil a sauce (thank you Taylor), had a gorgeous sunset photoshoot and made our way to bed.
The next morning we arose bright and early ready to take on the day. We started off with the Moondance Classic game of shake and pop to get us hyped for backpacking and got our travel day underway. We had a spectacular view of the park driving in where Poppy and Kenan made sure to capture the moment on their cameras whilst seeing the sights of the park. We finally made it to the trail head where we started our major upward trek- 4.5 miles and 2,300′ of elevation gain. The hike was challenging but extremely rewarding. Great conversations were had which helped the time fly by. We finally made it to THE Chilnualna Falls where we set up cowboy camping in rainbow order. Duncan was particularly impressed with the quality of the activities for the day and when asked “what’s to enjoy about today?” He simply responded “what’s there not to enjoy??”. Truly made my day. Taylor, Mary Mo, Parker, and Poppy cheffed up a delicious chicken pesto pasta for us to scarf down. Taylor notably got into a bit of a tussle with the jet boil pot resulting in half of it melting off but nonetheless the food was delicious! We gathered around the fire built by none other than Camden himself and had a delightful moonup under the stars. Day one of backpacking was a huge success!
We awoke the next morning to blue skies and granola. Though Carter and Parker were apprehensive of the granola and powdered milk situation, it ended up being a fan favorite breakfast! After many people utilized the poop bag for the first time (!) and others practiced their hacky sack skills- special shouts to Kenan for her epic fall- we finally made our way onto the trail! Day two was a killer day with our originally estimated 7 miles turning into almost 9 miles with 3,000′ elevation gain. Perseverance was the name of the game. Our crew originally had our eyes set on Johnson Lake but upon arrival we made the group decision that Johnson was way too buggy for our liking so we marched onward to Royal Arch Lake. Royal was truly an understatement for the outrageously gorgeous sights it provided. We all immediately had to take a dip into the lake and experience the views from the water. Once we dried off we were treated to a delish burrito/burrito bowl dinner sponsored by Belle, Carter, Aidan, and Cam. We enjoyed a deep moonup on our lakeside property and made our way to sleep.
Day Three of backpacking!! This one was a banger and very memorable. The group took a late wake up at Royal arch lake to make some pancakes. Iris, Kenan, and Duncan cheffed up every possible combo with M&Ms and Biscoff butter. After, some of the boys took on some scrambling around the lake and the boulders. Camden, Carter, Parker, Duncan and Will got some incredible scenic views of the lake and back at the group. Finally we were ready to start our hike to Buena Vista Lake. After a quick stop at Buena Vista pass to adore the views of Yosemite valley and half dome we finally arrived at 9,200 ft elevation! Dinner was Jambalaya and was solely manned by Taylor and was quite yummy. Moonup was incredible and led by Keenan and Camden with some pre rehearsed choreography. Most of the group cowboy camped under the stars.
If there was one way to describe day 4, it was adventure. A very early wake up got us to see the sun rise at Buena Vista lake on the mountains cliff faces. Given the elevation it was quite cold, so naturally some warm oatmeal was needed. The group got on trail and immediately took a stop a half mile in to get the possibly the best view of the trip, Half dome, Sentinel Dome, the Tuolumne peaks (Unicorn and Cathedral)- Poppy and Mary Mo took many great pics. We pushed on rapidly dropping in elevation to Chilnuana creek where the group took lunch. As the group polished off our remaining lunch food, the LOD’s, Parker and Iris were faced with a big decision. Back track our original route to Chilnuana falls for less mileage, or explore a new route. After some very hype words of encouragement the group forged a new path. Over a fallen trees and a small mountain, the group saw an amazing view before they descended into the campsite. Dinner was mashed potato bowls facilitated by Camden- very good. Theo group had a long final backcountry Moonup and went to bed.
Day 5 and our final day backpacking. The group had another early wake up at chilnuana falls where we ate oatmeal and rallied behind Poppy who was slow to wake up but excited to hike. The sun was blazing but that did not stop our LOD’s Carter and Duncan from leading us off the mountain and back to the cars. The next stop was Yosemite valley where the squad enjoyed the world famous Tunnel View of the landscape and El Capitan meadow and all of its glory. Mo, Iris, Carter, and Duncan played some spike ball right under the beautiful peak. Tired but ready to move on, we drove to Mammoth to do some food shopping and eat some well deserved Mexican food. The group mooned up around the fire and took an early night in.
Check back in for our final trip update after rock climbing!
Duncan- what’s up fam. This is awesome, never seen something like this before- hiking, rafting, socializing.cant wait to see yall 🌖 🕺
Poppy-hey we’re currently on day 4 of backpacking! The first few days were a trek but it’s been amazing. I love and miss yall
Camden- hey fam. We’re almost done with backpacking. Ifs been awesome. I haven’t showered since day 1 and it’s day 9. Even tho im a germane I am loving this and I am going to miss everyone since were near the end sadly
Parker- Hey mom and dad, love yall. Just did two days of backpacking it was super sick. Made a lot of friends and I’m having an amazing time. See you in a few days
Belle- Hi Mom and Dad, backpacking was really cool. The views were really pretty and there are pictures of me don’t worry. I’ll see you soon.
Carter- Hey Mom and Dad, just finished a 5 day backpacking trip I had a blast! Can’t wait for Chicago but also want to stay longer. See you in Michigan, love you
Taylor- Hey mom, dad and Carter. Today is Sunday. We are climbing today. Also, I got the requirements for the cooking merit badge while backpacking. See you Wednesday. Love, Taylor
Mo- Hey mom and dad. Just finished our backpacking trip and it was awesome. Having such a fun time with this group and enjoying the last days. Love you and miss you. Love MM
Aidan- Having a lot of fun, about to start rock climbing. Miss you, I’ll see you in a few days.
Iris- Doing great and having fun tell my friends I miss them. Love y’all ✌️and happy birthday dad!!
Kenan- Yosemite is awesome! I’ve made a ton of friends, see you in a couple of days!
Rafting Down The Middle Fork!
July 20, 2026
The Sacramento airport was buzzing with energy on July 16th as our group safely made their arrivals to California. Once we collected the entirety of YOS3 we made our way to Camp Lotus for the evening. The cars were immediately bumping with a variety of music making the vibes immaculate. From Fetty Wap to Carter’s rendition of songs, the group stoke was already reaching record levels. Upon arriving at Lotus, Belle and Taylor brought us through a camp set up lesson and we made site W extremely homey for the night. We were treated to Marco’s pizza and boy does Marco know how to cook a pizza. Once we arrived back at Camp Lotus we spent some time dialing in our hacky sack skills, settled in for our first moonup, and made our way to sleep.
Rise and shine LETS GO RAFTING!!!!! Shout out to the ops team for throwing us straight into an epic rafting adventure off rip. The Middle Fork of the American River did not know what was coming. We started off with a bang and only 30 minutes into our time on the river we approached our first class four rapid of the day: Tunnel Chute. This rapid is an absolute beast of a rapid stretching under and through a man made tunnel created by gold miners who were hunting for gold. We scouted out the rapid and before we knew it we set off. Crazy white water filled each one of our boats and special shouts to Carter for some slight parkour maneuvers getting him successfully through the rapid. We continued on and eventually found home at a rock beach where we made lunch and set up our next activity… the duckies. Our family of four rafts grew even bigger and better adding three additional inflatable kayaks for us to take on the river. Aidan and Duncan, Belle and Iris, and Carter and Parker teamed up to conquer more rapids, ducky style. Each of the duckies made it through the rapids with extreme ease and precision. We finally found ourselves at camp for the evening, set up camp, and played some games as our guides prepped our dinner. We discovered that Duncan and Carter both have a special talent for watercoloring, after they collabed on creating a beautiful portrait of our camp. We ate the most delicious home cooked steak and chicken dinner and Parker and Mary Moulton, our LODs for the day finished out our meal with some berry compote pound cake. It doesn’t get much better than that. Our day winded down with a moonup with special appearances from our guides. We all cowboy camped and got the absolute pleasure of sleeping under the stars.
Gooooood morning let’s go RAFTING. Day two on the river was an all time banger. We fueled up with another delightful All Outdoors meal and hit the water running. Our first class four Kanaka was an absolute animal. Despite Iris, Aidan, and Kenan’s boat getting stuck for a brief moment, we all made it through with ease. We pit stopped for a brief hike and belly flop competition. Parker and Carter were close contenders but Camden and Iris truly excelled with their form and style. We continued paddling down the river and eventually found ourselves at a slot canyon with access to a waterfall. We all got soaked as we traversed through the narrow stream and made our way for lunch. After scarfing down our meal we decided it was time to beat the All Outdoors record for most people being thrown into the river in one day. The battle started off strong with Iris successfully and sneakily getting Taylor in the water. Poppy thought she could get away with staying dry but even she got attacked by Declan our raft guide. As the day went on we decided our record breaking afternoon was far from over. Our group managed to get Mary Moulton, Aidan, Carter, Iris, Duncan, Parker, Poppy, and Sofie onto a singular ducky. That’s EIGHT count em on one ducky. We’ll spare the details about the ducky flipping over in a rapid and allow the participants of the achievement to share their stories on their own time. We arrived at camp and quickly made ourselves at home. Kenan set up a watercolor tattoo parlor where Carter, Iris, and Sofie got tatted up for the evening. We licked our plates clean of our pork, chicken, potato, and Caesar salad dinner and played a few rounds of celebrity where Poppy and Will dominated. Our raft guides floated us out onto the river where we gathered for moonup under the stars.
Day 4! The last day of rafting and a very full day. The group woke up at upper camp 6 on the back half of the middle fork river. After an amazing breakfast and hype speech from Duncan and Belle, the group was ready to depart. The kayak combos were very fun Will and Sofie led it off followed by Parker, Carter, and Duncan. The latter however was quite dangerous and made it mission to get as many group members in the water as possible. After multiple water attacks, the group landed upon the next hike and lunch location. A beautiful secluded creek was roaring from off the river, so naturally the group began to scramble and hike up. Everyone made it to a beautiful waterfall where we swam and explored. After a delicious lunch of Greek wraps….the class fours waited ahead. Chunder, Parallel Parking, and Tequila Popper were wild and a real challenge. Also after a small hiccup with the boat arrangements, we excitedly had to pack into two rafts (with Poppy tucked away in the middle of raft 1). Finally, the rafting was done and the group was headed back to our cars. Next stop was In N Out where the group got hats and enough carbs to take a well deserved nap as we headed to our campsite near June Lake. It was a tiring day, but a fun one!
We will check back in after we prep and backpack at Chilnualna falls. Finally we get to use our legs! So excited
Poppy – heeey. I’m bouta go shower in the river. I love and miss yall
Iris – I’m having tons of fun. Don’t miss me too hard. Love, Iris 👍👍👍not coming home
Carter – I’m having a great time. It’s only been two days but it feels like a year. Miss you millions🗻🛥️😉
Kenan – hey guys, it’s going good. Don’t burn anything down without me.☀️
Duncan – so far so good. Got a great group. I’m having fun. From, Duncan 🌖💃
Parker – hey mom and dad, love you so much. 2nd day of white water rafting has been so sick. I have a great group. See yall soon🤙
Taylor – hey guys. I’m really enjoying the trip. See you in two weeks. Love, Taylor 🐻 🚜 🏖️
Camden – hey mom hey dad. I’m having a great time. It’s a great group of people. don’t worry mom I’m wearing plenty of sunscreen🏕️🌲🎄for no reason they’re calling me Kansas
Mary Mo – hey fam, having a great time. I have a great group. Miss yall 💕☀️
Belle – I’m having lots of fun. Rafting’s been good. See you soon☀️🌲
Aidan – thanks for getting rid of me for two weeks. I hope youre having as much fun as I am 🌊 🪨
Safe Arrival!
July 16, 2026
Hello Yosemite Families!
We heard from our leaders today that the group has landed safely in Sacramento! 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
