| Big Wild log (2006-07-10 -> 2006-07-27)
Leaders: Copey Copeland and Karen Cleveland
Students: Meredith Chedsey, Alexz Conner, Jeff Deacon, Mills Gorrie, Carolina Ivey, Peter Leopold, Rob McAlister, Erin Moore, John Oven, Steve Urban, Elizabeth Wilson
Big Wild 3 7/10 - 7/11
We had an exciting arrival day with amazing views of the Grand Tetons directly out the window of the plane! Despite some minor flight delays and misdirected baggage, which was of course recovered, the day was seamless. It was obvious right away that our group dynamic was awesome. Alexz was one of the first to arrive and quickly made everyone feel at home and excited for the rest of the trip. When everyone had arrived, except for Carolina, whose flight was delayed, we all hoped in our luxurious white van and headed to a one of Cope's spectacular secret places, "The Marriage Tree", a huge old tree with a breath taking view of The Grand. We took some time to get to know each other a little better and talk about some Moondance expectations. Everyone in the group participated in the conversation and was quite respectful of each other. Cope and I could tell immediately that this group was special and knew how to create a supportive and inclusive community.
Our predictions were correct as we set up camp for the evening. Everyone worked together to set up tents and get camp in shape. Cope left to get Carolina at the airport and retrieve other baggage that had arrived late. Jeff, Elizabeth, Steve and John quickly volunteered to cook up an awesome dinner of chicken teriyaki stir fry and brown rice and saved some for Cope and Carolina who returned a little later. We were threatened by a passing storm, but the cooks eagerly cooked right through the light shower. After stellar kitchen clean-up, we all talked for a while and Peter heated water for everyone to have hot chocolate and warm up from the rain. Thanks Peter! Cope and Carolina finally arrived and everyone rushed to the van to greet her.
We had our first Moon-up and went to bed. Mills bag arrived late that night and he as such a good sport about not having all his gear that night. Alexz, Erin, Carolina and Meredith all volunteered to get up extra early and cook a tasty and hearty breakfast of eggs, cheese and fried potatoes in the cool crisp mountain air. The group already demonstrated their strong teamwork as we had to move fast to relocate our tents to a different site and clean up the kitchen before meeting our rafting guides in Jackson.
We embarked on our first adventure and rafted the Snake River. The water was cold and the waves were huge as we screamed our way through some awesome rapids! The team really went out off their way to take care of each other and make sure everyone got a chance to paddle. Steve and Mills took on the raging water in the front of the boat. Even though they were shivering after each wave their uge smile never left their faces! Big Rob and Elizabeth "hung face" through a couple of the larger rapids, they moved into the front of the raft and resting their chins on the front for the ultimate ride through the "Big Kahuna".
After getting off the river we all went to a park to warm up, eat some lunch and throw the Frisbee.
Next we meet up with Exum Mountain Guides for climbing school and then get to head into the Grand Tetons for our climbing adventure!
Thanks and we’ll be in touch!
Karen and Cope
7/14/06
Cope and I agree that our group is extraordinary. I woke up yesterday morning to find the group in their sleeping bags in a circle outside with all of there heads pointing towards the center. Everyone was there, sleeping under the stars and waking up together in the chilly mountain air. Everyday we are amazed by their teamwork, support of each other and how much they truly enjoy themselves and one another. Wow.
So we spent the last couple of days climbing with Exum Mountain guides in the Grand Teton National Park. On Wednesday we had a quick breakfast of pop tarts, fruit and cereal, and then headed out to meet our guides at 7:45 at Rendezvous Mountain. We took the historic tram to Tower 3 and Toilet Bowl Basin, where we had basic climbing school. We learned how to boulder, belay, tie essential climbing knots, and how to work as a team and trust each other on multi pitch climbs. We were instructed by climbing legends Rod Newcom and Ben Gillmore. We also saw two moose and enjoyed amazing views from our perches high among the rocks. We returned to camp around 6:30 and the cook group, Carolina, Mills and John whipped up some scrumptious veggie pasta and sausage for dinner. Every last bite was consumed. We finished off the meal with Karen's special scrambled brownies.
Yesterday was another early morning and we met Exum in Grand Teton Nat'l Park at Jenny Lake. We broke up into three small groups and tool the boat into Hidden Falls and Cascade Canyon. We climbed multi-pitch routes like Open Book, Bath Tub and Bat Slab. We also did a staggering 120 ft repel with an 8o ft overhang! Everyone challenged themselves, stretching outside their comfort zones and strength grew from our amazing experience together. As Jeff said, we really learned to trust each other and ourselves. We concluded our time in the Canyon soaking our feet and Rob and Karen even went for a swim in Jenny Lake (burr!). We returned to camp and started dinner. Cope and I hung back a little as the cook group, Jeff, Alexz, Steve and Elizabeth cooked almost the entire dinner of quesadillas by themselves and it's only day 4! Awesome. And it was one of the best I have ever had. Jeff took personal orders from everyone to make sure that everyone got exactly what they wanted in there quesadillas. We finished off the evening with hot chocolate and a visit from Hayes, who talked with the group for a while. He was quite impressed and could tell that this group was quite strong; strong individuals but an amazingly strong community who really cared for each other.
We wanted to complete this update with "shout outs" or messages from the group.
Meredith: "Mom, Dad. Dylan and Kenzie: Having a better time than you are. Love you.
Alexz: "Mom and Dad: Monndance is GREAT! Hope those cd's are jammin' in the house. Please feed Randal.
Carolina: Mom and Dad: Having a good time. Mom, don’t get too tan. Love ya’ll.
Rob: To Whom It May Concern: I had five bites of Quesadilla and kept it down! Much love, PEACE OUT 143
Mills: Dear Parental Unit: Thanks for sending me here...Merry Christmas.
Steve: Too the family: Having a great time and I love you guys.
Jeff: Dear Fam: Having fun. Group is awesome. See you later. Say hey to Molly for me.
Erin: Hey familia. Moondance is wonderful. Hope your having as much fun as me.
Peter: Dear Mom: There are a lot of hippies here. Bye.
Elizabeth: Mom, Dad, and Tom: It's really beautiful out here and I am having a ton of fun. Hope Sammy and Stormy are Okay.
John: Dear Parents: It's nice out here. I have a lot of good pictures. There is actually someone as picky as me here.
Aaron (Cope): Big hug to my family. And I saw Sammy.
Karen: To all members of the Cleveland/ Jones clan: Love you guys and you are in my thoughts.
We'll all be in touch after we spend 5 glorious days rafting the Salmon River!
Karen, Cope and the Crew.
July 14 update
I just returned from visiting the BW3 group in the Tetons and I must say, they are already incredibly tight. Having seen nearly 20 different groups this summer, I would be hard pressed to say there is a more cohesive unit. They all just really click. I spent the day climbing and photographing both Big Wild groups with Exum Mountain Guides. Everyone seemed to be having the best time and didn't want it to end.
I left Jackson Friday morning to a cool, 45 degrees. Heading to the airport I hit a road block during a buffalo crossing only to hit the gridlock of Atlanta traffic and a very humid southern afternoon. Needless to say, I'd rather be in Wyoming.
They are off to run the Salmon River. Check back in a few days for the latest update.
Hayes
Hello to all!
We just got off the beautiful Salmon River where we spent the last four days! What an amazing trip! We met our guides from Exodus, Matt, Matt and Ryan at Hammer Creek on the 15th and packed all of our belongings into wet bags for our trip. We piled into two 14 foot rafts, one one-person duckie (an inflatable kayak) and one two person duckie, and stacked our gear onto the very large gear boat and we were off to spend four glorious days on the river. Mills wasted no time in jumping in the one man kayak and Steve and Rob took on the tough challenge of navigating the two-man through our first fifteen miles of rapids and flat water. On our way to our first campsite we stopped to look at Nez Perce petra glyphs to learn a little more about the history of the Salmon River. We piled back into boats and Carolina and Alex decided to try the two-man duckie and Jeff took on the single. When we arrived at our first campsite all were excited about laying out on the beach and another great meal. That night we had cracker and cheese appetizers and Hamburgers and veggie burgers for dinner. Everyone loved it! For dessert our awesome raft guides surprised us with S'mores and our group even hand made S’mores for me and Cope!
The beach provided us with another opportunity to spend the night under the stars. We all slept outside and witnessed shooting star after shooting star and even a couple of satellites whizzed by.
Day two was a long paddle for us (especially for our guides!) We traveled 25 miles to Billy Creek. We spent the time wisely; swimming, having water fights and hit some major whitewater. Erin powered up the one-man kayak and Meredith and Elizabeth cruised swiftly for the first part of the day. After an incredible lunch of curry chicken salad and pb+j, Cope tried out the single and Rob and Steve jumped back into the two man. We hit some pretty big waves that day and Steve and Rob took a swim (fell out of the kayak) on China Rapids. We also got to swim through a couple of rapids and everyone made the decision to take a plunge. We made camp that night and John, Carolina and Mills made appetizers of fresh vegetables and even built a celery house! We had lasagna for dinner and peanut butter bars for dessert. As you can see, they are fattening us all up on the river! Later that night, we had an amazing moon-up where we discussed what we expected to get from Moondance and how our experiences had exceeded far beyond what we ever thought we would get. We also talked about how important it was to be open to those different than ourselves and how this trip really made us see beyond stereotypes that we put on ourselves and on each other.
Day three was a shorter day for us and we took an easy 15 miles. Peter took the one-man for a spin, and Alex and Karen hopped into the two-man. We got to camp early and made lunch. We had taco salad and spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun, swimming in the water and playing some group games. We took some group pictures and started on fully loaded appetizers. Then for dinner we had chicken fajitas and our guides surprised us with a party for Meredith's birthday. We all gave her gifts and had a piñata to celebrate! The final blow was landed by John and we all rushed to grab glow sticks, candy and small flashlights. Alex even did a dance with glow sticks as we all sung and took night pictures. What an amazing trip!
Day four was a sad day as we deflated the duckies and got back into the rafts. We didn't want it to end! We saw three different states that day and actually ate lunch in Washington State. After cruising through Eye-of-the-needle Rapid, we tied all three boats together and motored out on the Snake River. We pulled out of the river two hours down stream where we had to say a regretful good bye to three amazing river guides and pile back into our van. We are choosing to celebrate Meredith's birthday over three days, rather than one. Just to extend the excitement a little longer.
We had a great time on the Salmon River and now we are headed to the Winds for 6 days for our final leg of the trip. We are so excited and fell up to this final challenge! We all send love to our families! Talk to you soon!
Karen and Cope
Hello All!
We had an amazing time in the Wind River Range and just got out of the back country yesterday afternoon. It ended too soon! What an amazing trip and we all agreed that we wished it could have been longer. We arrived in Pinedale and met our guide, Eric, at the famous Faler's General Store. Mills then discover an amazing donation store where we all found great leisure outfits for our day in the car, our third celebration of Meredith's birthday and our final banquet. I hardly recognized Alexz in her high heels and 1950's diner dress. We then all piled in the car and headed for the Big Sandy Trail Head. We camped there that night and had Mexican quasadillas and a huge cheese cake for Meredith's birthday. Peter, John, Carolina and Mills all took turns playing Cope's guitar which made the evening. The following morning rose early to pack our packs, organize food and hit the trail. We hiked about 8 miles (with a small break for a tasty hummus lunch prepared by chef Carolina!). Cope and I were impressed with the physical strength and speed of our group. We arrived in the evening at Donald Lake where we all took a plunge and swam across to a small island in the middle of the lake. Wow, it was chilly but quite refreshing after our long day of hiking. We then set up our tents, designated a cooking area and found a great tree for our bear hang. The cook group got started on Jambalaya and Sausage while a water crew went out to pump water from the stream. We got to bed fairly early as the next day was our big summit attempt.
We woke up early, had a quick breakfast, and headed up the basin of Donald Lake. Steve and Mills motivated us all to the top and helped our guide select the best route as we veered off trail. We decided to climb Warrior II, which has a summit standing at 12,402 feet, 2200 feet above Donald lake. Warrior II is in the "Cirque of the Towers" in the Big Sandy vicinity of the southern Wind River Range. We had many opportunities to scramble of rocks and practice our bouldering skills which we had learned from Exum and our experience in the Tetons. We witnessed beautiful glacial mountains lakes of deep blues and emerald greens and as we advanced high above the tree line. Everyone made it to the top, and we were highly impressed with Erins's ability to face and overcome her fear of heights as she stepped out on the summit rock. We came back to camp tired and hungry and soon filled our bellies with Penne peasta with sun dried tomato sauce and a batch of Karen's scrambled brownies.
We decided to move camp the next morning and had a filling breakfast of bagels and cream cheese. We broke down our camp and packed out 3 miles north on the Freemont trail to Marms lake. We set up camp, organized a water crew and a cook crew and Mills fished. Alexz, Elizabeth, Steve and Jeff prepared an awesome back country breakfast for lunch batch of pancakes and Steve and Jeff were instant pros at the flap jack flipping! After lunch, the sky let loose and we all enjoyed amazing afternoon naps in our tents as we were lulled by thunderstorms and melodious mountain rain. Dinner crew started shortly after nap time and began amazing work on some back country pizzas with peppers, onions and sausage. This was by far the best meal in the Winds made by John, Carolina and Mills (who fished).
For the next day, Cope and I had a short and sweet route picked out, but were pleased to learn that our group preferred the long 9 mile loop route to our campsite. Rob was a big proponent of the longer more challenging route and motivated others to choose the long way. We backpacked all day long and spent 3 of our miles bushwaking which provided great opportunities to increase our skills at map reading and compass work. We stopped for a short lunch of tuna salad and to get more water. We spent the entire day in breath-taking valleys and followed meandering streams through the lush meadows. Towards the end of the day we even came upon a herd of a few hundred sheep and five white large sheep dogs roaming the landscape. One of the more bizarre experiences of our trip. In the end, this day was a favorite; it was physically challenging and incredibly beautiful. We also had a great campsite and watched the alpine glow slip down the sides of the rugged Winds.
We got up early the next morning so that we could get out and back to the van. We were all sad to leave the Winds behind and even sadder to know that this marked the end of the last leg of our trip. We had a nice morning hike and drive, but all had heavy hearts. We are back in Jackson for our final banquet dinner which should be both bitter and sweet as we prepare to leave each other and our amazing experience together behind.
We will have one more update and we will talk to you all soon!
Karen and Cope
7/29/06
Hello All!
Our trip has come to a bittersweet end. What an amazing trip and an amazing group of individuals! We came full circle and spent our last night under the marriage tree, the very same tree under which we all first sat down together. The next morning we got up early to break camp and to drive to the Jackson airport. Cope and I were quite sad as we watched everyone board their planes and leave, homeward bound. I do not think that there was a dry eye among the group! It finally hit us when Cope and I got back into into the van and looked at each other and said "Wow, that's strange and kinda haunting. It's so quiet! There's no voices back there! What are we going to do with ourselves now?" we drove in silence back into Jackson, thinking about all we had learned and the time we had spent together. In Lakota (Sioux), the most important gift you can give is not money or anything material, it is time, your time. This belief came up quite a bit for me on our trip and Cope and I want to thank everyone involved for giving us the opportunity to spend time with each other. Cope and I both feel that we learned so much from each group member and we enjoyed the diverse personalities that enriched our small community. Thanks to everyone for showing up for who you are, for taking risks for being open to each other, to us and to life, thank you for sharing who you are, for pushing yourself, for your patience and maybe most of all, for your laughter and willingness to be present with us and with each other. We had an amazing time and we already miss you all very much! Thanks again and stay in touch!
Karen and Cope
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