Last check in from Big Wild C!
June 24, 2022
A final hello from Big Wild C! What an amazing trip with even more amazing people. As leaders, we were privileged to have such a group like this one.
Throughout this last section of our adventure Grace really stepped up as a photographer and videographer documenting every possible moment of the trip. She began videoing everyone as part of a Big Wild vlog that everyone is featured in. Meanwhile Ellie found a niche in DJ’ing for our van rides and singing louder than anyone along with her impeccable music choices
At our Gros Ventre campsite in Jackson, there was finally a good river for fly fishing and Thomas led and helped a whole crew to spend an evening playing and practicing their technique. The highlight of that day was a huge moose who grazed right past our campsite!
The next two days were our time to climb with the Exum mountain guides.
Laura and Brooks showed incredible courage during our climbing at Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. After being very nervous on one slab climb, Laura stepped up to try her hand at another top rope climb and she absolutely crushed it with a big ole smile on her face.
Even with being uncomfortable with heights, Brooks climbed every possible route and completed each one without ever giving up. His perseverance was incredible in how he kept on the wall even when he was exhausted.
In the evening of our first day of climbing we spent in the town of Jackson in and out of different stores. We decided to have our banquet here in Jackson and we ate Mexican food all together in the middle of the town square when an old West style duel was performed on the next street. After dinner we headed over to the Jackson Hole Rodeo which was definitely one of the highlights of the entire trip. The group was so comfortable with each other now and we had so much fun being loud fans. Cate and Elizabeth were exceptionally excited and their energy hyped up the rest of the group. They were definitely the true winners of the “fan of the night” honor from the rodeo clown.
The next day Wyatt took one for the team and ate the apples that we accidentally dumped cumin on instead of cinnamon (not actually that bad), but it must have been good fuel because he scurried up the rock walls in record time!
That evening we camped in a spot near Salt Lake City and Pickett and Reilly surprised us leaders with a water balloon ambush that quickly turned into an all out water war in which Pickett and Reilly got wetter than we did! It was all in good fun and it was so nice to be comfortable enough as a group to play like that.
For dinner, we had a little “Iron Chef” competition where two teams cooked part of a meal with what ingredients we had left and Addi stole the show with her charcuterie board appetizer and mini pizzas. By far the best prepared food of the trip!
At our final moonup the Eleanor, one of the leaders of the day, entertained us with the best campfire story yet and led us into an extended time of reminiscing, shout outs and affirmations. We also included small thank you from each student for their parents below. We took so long talking about how much we enjoyed our time that we went to bed late making our early morning wake up pretty hard, but everyone rose to the occasion and put their well-rested and excited face on for our farewell day.
Our final day together was filled with laughs tears and tons of hugs. It’s wonderful to have people who are so hard to say goodbye to, but we hope this is a “see you soon”.
We miss your laughs and smiles already! Peace out to Big Wild Cool!
THANK YOUS:
Wyatt
Thank you so much for allowing me to go on this Moondance trip!
Reilly
Thank you so much. I just want to thank for the opportunities and the time that Joseph and Lina put into this. I had a blast
Thomas
Thank you Joseph and Lina for an amazing trip!
Brooks
This was the trip of a lifetime thank you so much
Pickett
Thank you for sending me on this trip!!
Grace
Made so many amazing memories! Thank you so much for letting me go
Eleanor
So sad the trip is over I had a blast!!!
Cate
Thank you so much for letting me go on this amazing trip!
Elizabeth
Thank y’all so so much for giving me these awesome opportunities! I’ll remember them forever.
Addi
Thank you for sending me on Moondance!
Ellie
Thank you mom and dad for letting me go on such an amazing trip!
Laura
This trip was amazing thank you so much I had so many experiences I will cherish forever
Our Rafting Adventures!
June 21, 2022
Hi again Big Wild C families! It’s Lina and Joseph again with our post-rafting trip update! We drove all the way from Pinedale WY to McCall ID and the whole group was so excited to finally get there and be in some warmer temperatures! We even had a little dance party to celebrate. The next morning was our first day of rafting and we did 50 miles! The water of the Salmon River was exceptionally high, so we couldn’t follow the original route but the guides from Wild River Adventures found some absolutely beautiful routes that were safe enough to run. Ellie was one of the first to “ride the bull” on the front of the raft and almost immediately got blasted by a huge wave, but she got right back up even more stoked to face the next one! Wyatt never left the front of the raft if he could help it, he was always either on the bull or leading the paddle crew up front having the time of his life. We also played lots of riddles on this raft and Cate displayed staggering deductive intellect with these riddles as well as valuable social energy by keeping smiles on our faces. On the other raft, they played lots of water games. Eleanor and Elizabeth did trust falls and play wrestling and each time whenever someone got pushed into the water, the other pulled them right back in. Thomas was the champion of another game where you stand on the bow of the raft as long as you can while the paddlers spin the boat. That night the guides blew us away with their fancy camp kitchen setup and cooked hamburgers for our hungry paddlers.
The next day was a shorter rafting day, only 21 miles, but we saw some incredible geologic features in exposed basalt outcrops of the grass and ponderosa pine covered slopes that towered above us. The weather was still a bit cloudy, but the rain held off for our time on the water. The guides had fitted us up with wetsuits and splash jackets to keep us warm and dryish, and we were incredibly grateful! We sang lots of songs and we even found a spot to play spikeball on a beach during lunchtime. Addi showed a lot of courage near the end of the section by riding the bull through some big rapids! We are so proud of her. We had lots of free time at camp as well, and the group spent this relaxing time playing round after round of psychiatrist and spikeball! Pickett rallied the group to throw around a football and helped show some of his new friends how to throw it with a new technique. He also very kindly helped us organize our group gear! Laura was the MVP today because she cleaned out the van without anyone asking or knowing which was a huge and very welcome gift to us leaders! Dinner was gourmet pork loin and Dutch oven potatoes and carrots prepared by our wonderful guides.
Our last day on the water was a 20-mile section again and we ran the biggest rapids we’d seen yet, there were class 4 rapids. Everyone was a little nervous but really excited from seeing how big the waves were and everyone stepped up and paddled their part so well that not even one person fell out! Everyone looked out for each other on this day and we loved seeing the group rely on each other! Brooks was the star of the Big Wild Rapids Rap that we came up with in between rapids. Grace impressed everyone by successfully riding the bull with no hands through one of the biggest rapids at the end of the day called Time Zone. It was a much sunnier day during rafting, but when we arrived back at camp it began to rain. Reilly came to the rescue by helping set up a tarp for us to take cover under. He also has made our jobs as leaders so easy by always helping us with ideas to be more efficient with our systems or making sure we don’t forget anything. On the last night we spent lots of time talking and bonding as we ate lasagna prepared immaculately by our guides.
The next morning, we thanked our guides and set off from camp, but before we left Riggins, Idaho we stopped for ice cream at Canyon Creamery. Now we have started on our way back to Wyoming to go climbing in Jackson Hole and we are camping in Idaho for the evening. Everyone is really excited for climbing but they also want to send some love to everyone back home:
Love,
Lina and Joseph
Shout outs :
Wyatt
Hey mom, dad, I don’t really miss you, but I miss y’all (if you know what I mean). But somehow, I really miss Owen. I miss him just being there with his brooding presence. I’m having an amazing time out here and I shouldn’t have doubted y’all at all because y’all know what’s best for me and y’all were right. I have found a new passion in life. I want to be a blueberry farmer. I don’t know why, I just do. I can’t wait to get back and tell y’all all about my trip. I love you all.
Reilly
Hi mom and dad, I miss you but not at the same time. But I really have had a good time out here. I can’t wait to tell you all the things that we did.
Thomas
Hi mom and dad, I don’t miss you, but I am excited to see you and tell you about some of the things that happened, see you soon!
Brooks
Hey y’all! How are y’all? I am doing good. I have so many stories that y’all will love. I am very sad we lost to the aggies see y’all Friday. Love y’all miss y’all
Pickett
Hey guys I love and miss you guys so much! I can’t wait to tell you guys all the stories I have! I love you!
Eleanor
Hi mom, dad, Bizzy and Will, I miss you all so, so much. I’m having such a great time my leaders and group are the best. I can’t wait to share all the insane things we did and see you all!! Love you tonssss and see you soon!!
Grace
Hey mom, dad, Bea, Law, and August. I’m having so much fun and I’m so sad I only have a few more days. I love my group and have made some amazing new friends also my leaders are the best! I can’t wait to get back and tell you all about it. Also, Law good luck at camp you’re going to have a blast love you guys so much!
Ellie
Hey mom, dad and AJ! I miss you so so much and can’t wait to see you so soon. I have met so many new friends and have learned so many new valuable things! I’m so excited to tell y’all all about all the stories! I’m on my way in car to Jackson Hole while writing this, Love you !
Cate
Hey squad! I miss and love y’all so much! As you can probably assume I’m having an absolute blast! I can’t wait to see y’all and tell you about all the fun that is being had in the big Wyoming! Woot woot!
Elizabeth
Hey guys! I’m having a blast out here! I’ve created so many memories that I already know will stick with me for a long, long time. I have so many stories I can’t wait to tell y’all. Love and miss you!
Laura
Hey! this experience has been so much fun I can’t wait to tell y’all
all about it when I get home. I love y’all and miss y’all so much <3
Addi
Hey guys! I miss y’all very much and I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get home. I’m currently in the car travel to Jackson Hole to go rock climbing. But anyways I love y’all!!
Joseph
Hi mom and dad, I’m having a big wild time out west with the best kiddos in the world. Couldn’t ask for a better group to play adventure with. Miss you all.
Lina
Hi Mom and Dad! I miss you guys so much. I can’t wait to tell you each adventure that I embark on this summer! Loving every moment with this group and Joseph!
Fun Fly Fishing!
June 16, 2022
Greetings Big Wild C families!
This is Lina and Joseph coming at you with some updates! Our fantastic trip started with our fly fishing lessons with Rendezvous Anglers. Thomas was eager to pull out his rod and helped teach people how to cast and set up their rods. Right when we were leaving we saw a gigantic moose cross the River right where we were standing, it was a site to behold and we of course got some pictures in front of it. We prepared for backpacking and headed to Wind River Range. Our hike started right away with a chilly river crossing and a hike up in snow! We unfortunately had to hike back down the next day due to these conditions, but it didn’t stop Cate and Elizabeth leading the group down the mountain with killer trail tunes like Party in the USA and The Star Spangled Banner. After hiking down, group morale was boosted into the stars with a quick local stop to the Burger Bar where we ate amazing burgers and fries with milkshakes of all kinds. We got back to our campsite at GROW Ranch where some of our main chefs, Laura and Grace, made a big pot of pasta with veggies of all kinds.
We slept in today and Reilly made chocolate chip pancakes for the group. We definitely all ate way too many. After breakfast, Addi bravely led the effort to wash dishes in the frigid creek water and Wyatt found a crazy cool cattle skull by our campsite. Right now we are currently having a spike ball tournament at Lake Fremont sandy beach while Ellie paves her way to the championship with our day 5 LOD Brooks. Pickett has been working super hard to help out any way he can and is now helping us set up our beach dinner where we are preparing delicious burrito bowls. Our beach afternoon was filled with laughter, music, and some journaling to remember our favorite memories of the trip so far. We are preparing for our long drive to Idaho tomorrow to start our white water rafting section. Eleanor is super excited for white water rafting since she went last year with her family and has been telling us all about what to expect!
Talk soon!
Lina and Joseph
Safe and Sound in Salt Lake City!
June 11, 2022
Hello Big Wild Families!
We just heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Salt Lake City. 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 up to three trip updates throughout the next couple of weeks! This will allow you to follow along with the trip and the students will also give a special shout out mid-way through! You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to this summer!
-Moondance HQ
