Happy Holidays!

I am assuming most of you are finished with school for the year of 2010 and are looking forward to all of the festivities the holidays have to offer! Congratulations to a semester completed – what a great feeling! Now it’s time to think about relaxing, sleeping in, eating generous amounts of food, drinking lots of eggnog and warm apple cider, spending time with family and friends, singing Christmas songs (which I am sure you all have been singing since Thanksgiving!), playing in the snow and of course Moondance! This is a great time to ask your parents (or Santa Claus) for the perfect Christmas present – a Moondance Adventures trip.

One trip to keep in mind is our Ecuador/ Galapagos trip which is packed with outdoor adventure, community service and cultural immersion. The beauty and the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands alone is sure to blow you away! You can get a sneak peak at this particular adventure with this YouTube video Theo Moore, our Moondance media genius, put together.

As the Community Service Director of Moondance Adventures, I also would like to share some interesting facts about a service project we do in the small town of Morochos. This particular ecological project also goes hand-in-hand with the blog Genna shared with us about the movie 180 Degrees South (great movie, go see it!) and our efforts to give back to the land.

Morochos is a Kichwa-speaking Indigenous community of about 800 people located at 9,240 feet on the southern face of the Cotacachi Volcano in Imbabura Province.

Since the land reforms of the 1960s (which transferred hacienda lands to communal holdings) Morochos has seen increased strain on its natural environment with a rapid increase in population and the adoption of chemical-based agriculture. The two most pressing sustainability issues for the community are diminishing water resources and soil erosion and fertility degradation: both the results of rampant deforestation in order to open more agricultural land.

Current community projects in Morochos include a reforestation plan designed to conserve and increase water resources, as well as workshops and initiatives promoting sustainable agriculture techniques and food security. The long term goal is to create a sustainable agriculture model for surrounding communities that functions as a "living school."

In addition, the residents of Morochos are independently working on several interesting community development projects including beekeeping and honey production, community organic gardens that provide lunches for the elementary school, and an alpaca project where the animals are raised and sheered and the wool is transformed into value-added products like sweaters.

Moondancers will have an opportunity to participate in an effort that the people of Morochos hold so dearly to their hearts. Learn the true meaning of community when you see the hard work put into the restoration of their land – their history and their future.

Also, during the holiday season, think of a few ways to help out your own community and your own land. This is a perfect time – since you will have so much of it the next two weeks – to volunteer at local food banks and shelters, buy a small gift for a young child or put together a package for the troops. You can check out www.dosomething.org for great volunteer ideas.

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and their upcoming holidays!

Movie Review: 180 Degrees South

Recently, our president and founder Hayes Hitchens shared a powerful documentary with us called 180 Degrees South. The film reflects on the epic 5,000 mile journey down to the South American region of Patagonia by Patagonia Inc. founder Yvon Chouinard and North Face founder Doug Tompkins back in 1968. This journey would forever change their lives and their view of the world.

A promotional photo courtesy of 180 Degrees South
The two "accidental businessmen" loaded up an old secondhand van in Ventura, CA bringing nothing but some surfboards, a bit of clothing and self-made climbing gear and set off to discover what this rugged land of jagged snow-capped mountains and winding blue rivers had to offer such thirsty adventurers. As the 180 Degrees South trailer states, Chouinard and Tompkins' "hope of finding the last wild place on earth became their dream of saving it forever." Today, more than 2 million acres have been preserved in the region of Patagonia thanks to Tompkins and Chouinard's efforts.

This river in Chile faces the implementation of a hydro-electric dam, sure to damage the wildlife and ecosystem in the area.
The movie also shares the story of Jeff Johnson, a young filmmaker from California so inspired by Chouinard and Tompkins' journey that he sets out to recreate the trip himself. Instead of an old van, Johnson finds himself aboard the "Sea Bear", a small sailing vessel that will ultimately (after more than a month at sea!) bring him to Patagonian Chile and face to face with the challenge of climbing the pristine peak of Corcovado. In addition, Johnson ends up confronting a different challenge, one of pollution and environmental destruction thanks to international energy companies who have implemented dams and cellulose mills on the once-pure banks of Chile. Johnson, along with Chouinard and Tompkins and millions of others, have made it their mission to protect the land that has given them so much adventure, peace and self-discovery.

Costa Rica Venture 2010 students help prepare the land in San Ramon for a sustainable garden.
Every Moondance Adventure, be it a multi-sport, leadership or community service trip, seeks to give back to the land that serves as our summer playground, our teacher, our diary and our home. Whether it's on the trail in Wyoming practicing Leave No Trace ethics or on the island of Kauai, HI removing invasive species of plants with our friends at the Koke'e Museum, we make it our goal to protect the living things that were there first. We are inspired by the likes of Chouinard, Tompkins and Johnson, and while we haven't saved 2 million acres of wild land (yet!), we hope our 2 to 4 week adventures of "living simply" will resonate with our students and staff long after the airport goodbyes have been shared, after the student evaluations have been filled out and after the photo CDs have been sent. On Moondance, students learn that hot water and long showers are luxury items...the sun and a headlamp are the only sources of light you need...a pack on your back and a smile on your face are the only possessions required.

If we can pass along the message that every ounce of effort counts in order to make this world a better, greener place, then we have succeeded. When it comes to protecting this Earth, no voice is unheard and no good deed goes unnoticed.

To learn more about The Tompkins and The Chouinard families' quest to conserve the wild lands in Patagonia, please visit the Conservacion Patagonia and the The Conservation Land Trust websites.

Our Very First Post

As the world of social media grows, so does the internet presence of Moondance Adventures! We hope you'll continue to check back to our blog for updates about happenings in the office, notes from the field, profiles of leaders and students and other cool Moondance or industry-related news we feel like sharing!

First up, to greet this Friday morning, a quotation from our friends at NOLS from their Wilderness Wisdom book.

"If you sleep 'til noon, you have no right to complain that the day is short." - Thomas Fuller

As you can see from the photo above, the climb to Mount Rainier on our Moondance Leadership trip starts bright and early! So, how will you make the most of your day?