July 5, 2024
After tearful goodbyes filled with hugs and heartfelt words of encouragement, our kids are now on their way home. These past few days have been beyond words, a perfect culmination to our adventure-filled journey. Since our last update, we conquered the exhilarating rapids of the Pacuare River, even though we did not finish the whole activity due to excessive flooding. The kids handled it like champions, and we had an unexpected but beautiful hike instead. On our rafting adventure on the first day, we stopped at a rock/cliff where they could jump from. Ethan showed no fear by taking charge and leading the group into the rushing water. Shortly after, everyone followed, and we drifted along, taking in the beautiful scenery.
Patrick, Guy, and Dawson led the way on the raft, sitting right up front and indulging in the rapids, making splash wars with other groups, and keeping it lighthearted and fun!
We got the amazing opportunity to stop along the river and trek up to an oasis-like jungle waterfall, where we swam in what felt like a dream. Casey was quite the leader on this hike, bringing up spirits and keeping the conversations flowing!
When we made it to the overnight lodge, the group had a friendly but competitive round of Fishbowl. The teams were divided between youngest siblings and older siblings. Emily showed everyone up with her miming skills and ability to cleverly connect memories of the trip to specific words. We had a very competitive round that ended in a tie.
Our last day was quite the eventful Fourth of July! After a bit of a plan change due to the flooding and tired legs from our hike, we filled the bus with singing and dancing to classics. Mabel, Anabelle, and Liz sprang right up when they reminded everyone that Zach Bryan’s new album was released. They sat right at the front, listening with intent and excitement. Lee shocked all the girls with his angelic voice and knowledge of Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift, bringing up the energy of the bus with laughter and applause.
Later that day, we had some fun in the pool playing “silent swimmer” and chicken fights. We were then shocked and excited to learn that Kaitlin, Haley, and Kaylee could teach an entire complex Zumba dance! The girls indulged in water Zumba until we tired ourselves out and headed up to shower for dinner.
We had an amazing two weeks with these kids and cannot wait for their next adventure.
All our love,
BCR 2A
Marga, Meg, Michael