Big Wild

Big Wild log (2006-07-10 -> 2006-07-27)

Leaders: Molly Damm and Mike Foote

Students: Paul Barringer, Kelsey Bloomfield, Kelly Click, Chase Clymer, Ethan Grossman, Simmons Haigh, Robert Heald, Hollis Hitchens, Melissa Robinson, Tine Thiels, Cameron Thorby, Adele Walter and Henry Weatherly

All have arrived and will have an update soon. Stay in touch.

7/14/06

Our Big Wild trip has begun and is off to a great start! After a busy first day meeting our group at the airport, our trip truly kicked off with a rafting trip on the Snake River. We were psyched to land "the family station wagon," a HUGE raft that held all fifteen of us so we could stick together and continue getting to know each other. Everyone took turns paddling (and splashing!) each other as we floated through the beautiful Snake River Canyon. As we took in the sunshine and the scenery, our guide Al explained some of his river knowledge to our group, including pointing out a pair of bald eagles flying through the canyon to rest in a tree. Paul sat in the back with Al and picked his brain about some interesting stuff, such as where the Snake River travels on its way to the Pacific and what causes rapids and especially all of the bubbles during the "champagne" section of rapids. Paul’s curiosity is awesome and we all learned a ton listening to his river questions being answered! During mellow sections of the river, Simmons, Kelsey, Tina and Ethan impressed us all by braving the chilly water and taking multiple swims in the river. Brrrr! We were quickly warmed up by the sun though, and soon we got off the river and headed back to Jackson for lunch and some games in the park.

After our afternoon, we headed back to our camp at Slide Lake and began cooking dinner. This group is always shining, but at mealtimes Mike and I are blown away by how excited everyone is to cook and help make great meals. Chase, Kelsey and Simmons cooked up delicious penne pasta with veggie marinara, and with Simmons' expertise in the kitchen there was no way these guys could go wrong! After spending this first day and evening together, Mike and I couldn't believe the incredible group that this Moondance trip had brought together. We are having so much fun and feel so lucky to have such a charismatic and helpful group. The positive attitude, respect, and kindness that each member of our team brings to the trip is apparent all of the time and make us so excited about the rest of our trip!

Our next day began with Mike yelling from our tent "Hey! There’s a moose swimming across the lake!!" We are camped at a beautiful mountain lake and we all ran over to watch the brown head and antlers cruising peacefully from one side to the other. Everyone’s face was grinning ear to ear at the sight, and "I didn't know a moose could swim!" was the classic response. What a great way to begin the day. After our moose sighting, we headed up to Grand Teton National Park to learn the basics of rock climbing with Exum Mountain Guides. Everyone quickly picked up all of the classic knots and we headed up to practice on a climb and a small rappel. Many people were nervous at the prospect of lowering themselves down the rock, but everyone eventually got psyched up and stepped out of their comfort zone to try something new. I was able to watch Hollis and Tina lower down from the top and the smiles on their faces were priceless as they figured out how to trust themselves and their belayers and get comfortable with the idea of climbing and rappelling. Back at camp, our Moondance veterans Robert and Henry stepped up to the huge task of beginning to pack food for our backpacking. Always helping out, these guys seem to have already mastered the concept of "expedition behavior," and what it takes to be part of a successful team in the wilderness and we are very grateful.

Today we awoke to a beautiful and nearly full moon filling the sky. It was our second and final day of rock climbing, and we headed back to the Tetons for intermediate climbing school. After some knot and rope-handling review, we scrambled up the rocks to reach the bottom of our multi-pitch climb. Cameron showed himself to be a quick and steady climber, very strong and able to demonstrate how important foot work is to good climbing. Melissa also rapidly picked up great climbing techniques and I was very glad to have her as my trusty belayer as we moved up all five pitches of the climb. She did an excellent job at organizing the many ropes that hooked us together and was also great company as we waited for our turns to climb! We finished up the day with an exciting 150 foot rappel! The first one to try it was Kelly, who bravely went where none of our Big Wilders had gone before and cruised down the rope smoothly and with a smile. Kelly's quiet confidence is inspiring to us all!

Tomorrow brings a new element to the Big Wild as we pack our packs and head into the Wind River Range for our backpacking trip. We can't wait to get out there and spend some time in the mountains! With the amazing energy of this group, we know we will continue to laugh till our tummies hurt and also learn much from each other. We have an incredible group journal going, with Adele writing wonderful entries and Henry drawing and writing down all of the wildlife we see, and we hope as we head into the backcountry we will see more wildlife and continue to fill our journal with great artwork. Love from everyone to our friends and families, we miss you and can't wait to fill you in on our adventures-Check back in a few days for news from the Winds!

Best,
Molly and Mike

July 13 update
I just returned from visiting the BW4 group in the Tetons and they seem to be having a great time. We 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. It never ceases to amaze me how close these groups become.

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 Wind River Range. Check back in a few days for the latest update.

Hayes

Hello friends and family of the Big Wild 4 expedition! We are back from a challenging and successful 6 day backpacking trip in the Wind River Mountains of Central Wyoming.

We met our guide Eric in Pinedale, Wyoming, the gateway to the Winds and stocked up on final necessities, a.k.a. candy and fishing licenses before heading into the backcountry.

After a very bumpy van ride we arrived at the Green River Lakes Trailhead. Once there, Molly gave a great packing a backpack class (it’s harder than it looks!) and everyone was finally ready to carry everything they would need for the next week.

We left the trailhead around 5 pm and only hiked a short while before we reached our first campsite on a hill over looking the Green River Valley. That night we were graced with a beautiful sunset of deep pinks and reds and we slept well with bellies full of mac and cheese.

The next morning we leaders (Molly and Mike) woke up a little earlier than the rest of the clan in order to blow up some balloons and put up signs around Kelly for his 15th birthday. Right as we were finishing Kelly stuck his head out of his sleeping bag, looked around at all of the decorations, and promptly fell right back to sleep. Teenagers!

After breakfast, the crew set off for the Roaring Fork River Valley 4 miles away and 1200 feet higher in elevation. Molly and I (Mike) knew this would be a challenging day for a group of 13 fledgling backpackers and we were both surprised with how well they handled it. Throughout the day, everyone in the group took turns leading the way up the trail.

Our camp the second night was placed at the edge of a meadow surrounding the Roaring Fork River. As the sun was dropping Molly headed up a crew of boys to cook baked ziti and prepare a no bake cheesecake in celebration of Kelly’s birthday. Chase, Henry, and Robert all proved helpful in the kitchen while Paul entertained us with his witty banter and subtle comedic genius. After the laughter, celebration, and sugar wore off we all retired to out tents for a night of much deserved rest.

As the sun rose for yet another Brilliant (and hot) day, we had yet another birthday to celebrate. This time it was Adele’s. She too woke to balloons and decorations her oh-so-generous and festive leaders had laboriously carried into the mountains on their backs. After a breakfast of oatmeal we were ready to hit the trail for yet another demanding day higher and deeper into the Winds. As everyone was packing up we noticed the absence of two of our students, Melissa and Hollis. They had gone to the bathroom in the woods and mistaking walked in the wrong direction thinking they were heading back to camp. Let’s just say they were as glad to see us as we were to see them when they came walking back through the meadow in our direction. After that small crisis was averted we were off to Gunsight Pass and a sub-alpine lake 1 mile on the other side. As we topped out on the pass, our legs were tired, our throats were dry, and Cameron was, oddly enough, craving buffalo wings, but we had accomplished the biggest hill of our trip. Morale was high in camp that night and Adele’s birthday was celebrated with a delicious Oreo cake. On a side note, after the filling had just been mixed, Paul couldn’t wait to try it and spooned up a large dollop right onto his quesadilla he had for dinner. We quickly reminded him that sour cream isn’t usually brought into the backcountry.

Day 4! Day hike/ relax. That’s right, the group had the choice to decide whether to catch up on their sleep and reading after a challenging few days, or push on with light packs to an unnamed peak in the surrounding area. Those with common sense decided to lounge and “chillax” as Cameron would say while a few of us still had that itch for summit fever.

The “summit attack pack” which consisted of Henry, Ethan, Robert, Chase, Kelly, Foote, and our Guide Eric, headed up a rocky ridge to what was appropriately later called Mt. Foam Finger by Henry. It wasn’t long until we encountered a sloped snowfield and July style sledding and snowball fights quickly ensued. Not long after we were standing on the top of the mountain looking 100 miles in every direction. The wind on our faces felt great, and the fact that it kept the mosquitoes away made it feel even better.

We returned to camp to find everyone in high spirits from a good day of rest and we celebrated our fourth day with pizza from scratch for dinner.

Yesterday was our longest hike of the trip as we hiked somewhere around six miles back to our original campsite near the trailhead. As we headed back to Gunsight Pass we took a higher route with better views. We could see the Gros Ventre, Absaroka, and Teton Mountain Ranges and I think we were all reminded of how big this world really is. The morning and afternoon flew by as our group flew down the trail at a pace I would have never imagined the first day. These kids have become real backpackers! After dinner, Eric and I rallied Simmons, Tina, Kelsey, and Melissa to help pull up the bear bag for the night. We must have underestimated their strength because they snapped the rope right off. Nobody was harmed, but many laughs were had and the bear bag eventually went up. Just like our first night, our last in the Winds was graced with another breathtaking sunset.

This morning was a quick up and out and we were all in the van by 9 am.
Needless to say, the group moved a little quicker today with the thought of a shower and some food not cooked on a tiny lightweight stove. Both were well deserved by everyone in the group. Tomorrow we head off to Idaho and the Salmon River and the troop in buzzing with excitement, even for the long car ride. It’s smooth sailing, or shall I say floating, for the rest of this trip. See you all in a few days!

Foote, Molly, and the Big Wild 4 crew.


7/27/06

Hello friends and family! Our Big Wild crew has returned from the Salmon River and are in Jackson with news of our amazing rafting trip. The last leg of our adventure began a few miles north of the tiny town of Riggins, Idaho, where we put in on the lower Salmon. We met up with our guides, Matt and Elise and prepared to get on the water. The temperature was around 110 degrees as we jumped in our rafts for the first time and needless to say, we were very excited to finally be on the river! The lower Salmon is an incredibly beautiful section of river, marked by dry, desert-like vegetation and steep canyons. The area is also characterized by interesting rock faces called columnar basalt, where the lava that was initially in the area cooled very slowly and formed long, dark gray columns of basalt. It was really neat stuff, unlike anything we had ever seen before!

Our first day on the water taught us all the basics of rafting that would make our expedition successful. We learned different paddle strokes and how important it is to paddle as a team, especially through rapids. Everyone picked these skills up quickly and soon were paddling like pros. We also played a lot on our first day. Looking for any excuse to be in the water, we all spent much of the flat water sections of the river splashing and swimming and laying back in our life-jackets to let the river carry us. What a life! Henry and Chase took the first turn paddling in a "ducky," or a big inflatable kayak that requires lots of steering and paddling skills and is a really fun ride. Soon we landed at our camp, a long, pristine sandy beach on the rivers edge. Everyone helped out with getting our boats unloaded and setting up our kitchen and then more play/relax time. Mike, Robert, Cameron and I played an amazingly fun water version of monkey in the middle while everyone swam and played in the sand. Our fantastic dinner crew of Tina, Kelsey, Melissa and Simmons donned some red aprons (very professional!) and helped cook burgers with all the fixin's and s'mores for dessert. Mmmm. No one could believe how delicious food on the river is after backpacking! We played some games after dinner and eventually all went to sleep on the sand with the sounds of the river flowing peacefully below us.

Our next two days on the river were packed with whitewater! We laughed a ton as the huge waves crashed over our boats and Matt and Elise shouted at us to PADDLE PADDLE PADDLE!! Robert and Kelly tackled many of these rapids in the ducky and impressed us with their bravery and paddling skills. Paul’s questions to the guides and jokes kept us laughing and entertained throughout the day, and he was definitely our fish, jumping in the water at any opportunity. The mellow sections of the river gave us quiet time to reflect on our trip and appreciate all of the beauty around us, as well as to play some "trust games" that the guides introduced to us. These days passed way too quickly in a flurry of roaring waves, amazing food, hilarious antics and refreshing swims in the beautiful Salmon. At night, we were all relieved when the sun finally set over the canyon walls and there was a few hours break from the intense sun! We used this opportunity to impress the guides with some costumes picked up from the Jackson thrift store-Robert, Henry, Chase, Kelly and Ethan found some pretty unique blazers/hats/pants/vests/dresses and kept us cracking up as they strolled across the beach to dinner in their outfits!

The fourth day was our last and we were all very sad to leave the river. After packing up our boats for the last time we floated to the confluence of the Snake and the Salmon River and picked up on the Snake for the last few miles of our trip. We passed through Oregon briefly and ate lunch on an Oregon beach before heading to our take out in Washington. Everyone was pretty psyched to be in three states in one day. Eventually we made it back to our van at the take out and loaded everyone up for a drive back to our camp in Mccall, Idaho.

None of us could believe we had to leave the river, but what a great time we had! It is very difficult to put into words the experience of a river trip, but despite all of the work we put into it, most of the time it was just pure fun. Gorgeous scenery, wonderful people, lots of smiling and laughter-we all felt so blessed to be there together. It was awesome to end our trip with such a relatively relaxing section, but it was also great to see how far everyone has come since we started 17 days ago. The whole group really stepped up and helped out on the river. There was a lot of work to be done everyday with loading and unloading boats/ cooking/cleaning up after meals and it was amazing to see how smoothly everything ran when we had so many volunteers! Hollis, Adele, and Ethan were especially awesome, always getting people motivated and doing a ton of the kitchen work! Mike and I are so proud of how everyone has grown and bonded over the past two and a half weeks, and our time on the river really solidified that. We know also that everyone is really proud of themselves for all of their hard work and positive attitudes, and that is very important as well.

Today is our last day, and it has been a very busy but fun one. Back in Jackson, we spent the morning cleaning, organizing and writing some evaluations and letters to ourselves to be sent months down the line to remember our trip. There was lots to be done, and everyone jumped on their tasks and did a bang up job; the teamwork was incredible! Also, most importantly…it is Cameron's 15th birthday-HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMERON!!!! Soon we will head out to our banquet to celebrate our trip, our new friendships, and Cameron’s birthday! Soon we will be saying our sad goodbyes and heading home. No one can believe our trip is over so quickly! Thanks for reading, we miss and love you and we'll see y'all soon.


Molly, Foote, and the whole BW4 family


7/29/06
Greetings one last time from Jackson, WY. Molly and I have seen the kids off at the airport and already have begun to ask ourselves the big question: What do we do with ourselves now? Last night’s banquet was a big hit at Dornan’s Pizza and Pasta Co. in Grand Teton National Park. We dined on pizza and played games in a huge teepee and probably had one too many caffeinated drinks, but who’s counting, it was a celebration. We laughed, took pictures, and reminisced as the sun set over the magnificent Teton Mountain Range.

After dinner, we all piled into the van to head back for our last night at the Slide Lake campground, but not before we swung through town to pick up an ice cream cake for Cameron’s 15th. After the cake was eaten and a fire was built back in camp, we had a great last moon-up, and as we fell asleep, the stars were brilliant.

Now that everyone is gone I’m already looking back over the two and a half weeks we had together. It was a wild ride and I am so glad and lucky to have been a part of it.

Here’s to Big Wild 4!!!

Good luck in all of your journeys everyone, and thank you for everything.

Molly and Foote