Stars, Stories, and Sunsets: Wrapping Up Our Two Weeks of Adventure

June 25, 2024

Hello from the airport!

We want to start off this final update by saying thank you. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to spend two weeks with your incredible children. They made every day joyful, and they taught us so much along the way.

After our long afternoon drive halfway back to Jackson, we decided to switch up our dinner plans a bit. We held a little competition called Iron Chef. Twelve students, one stove, and all the food in the U-Haul. One team finished quickly with a very simple dinner of toasted hot dog buns covered in peanut butter and jelly. The other group took a slightly more creative route, crafting pasta with chicken, tomato sauce, and sun-dried tomatoes with a side of mashed potatoes. While the pasta team was hard at work in the kitchen, George, Quinn, and Charlie found some colored hair spray. Before we knew it, everyone had blue, green, purple, or all of the above colored hair. Yikes. Post-dinner, showers, and van dance parties, we slept under the stars, resting up for our last day of the trip!

Early the next morning, we packed up camp in record time and hit the road back to Jackson. The last long car ride was filled with much of the same as car rides in the past, including 2010’s hits in the background while card games, Wavelength, and other road games were played. Blythe’s request for Lana Del Rey and Britton’s request for Adele were honored. And of course, Zach Bryan nap time. Once we arrived back at our home campsite in the shadow of the Tetons, we quickly cleaned the dishes, the van, and the tents, with Tatom and Heath leading the charge. With the grunt work finished, it was time to play. We loaded into the van and scooted once more into the town of Jackson. Besides our stop at Moo’s Ice Cream, our previous stops in town were utilitarian—grocery shopping, gas stops, gear, etc. But this time we had nothing on the to-do list. We parked the van and shopped around at the many different t-shirt shops and outfitters that line the main street. We each picked out a piece of merch or a souvenir to remember our time (or to have a clean shirt to wear to the airport). Holt and Quinn found some sick hats, Helen and Mary Blake found matching sweatshirts, and Meri, Blythe, Ellie, and Lucy found some light-up cowgirl hats. After meandering through town, we made our way to a Mexican food establishment down the road. Ravenous after 2 weeks of mostly trail food, the crew quickly found the end of the endless chips. Either the waitress couldn’t make it from the kitchen to our table fast enough, or we forced the restaurant into a tortilla shortage. Who knows? Anyway, we enjoyed some great food and, with full bellies, loaded back into the van. Back home to the campsite. Upon arrival, the sun was setting over the Tetons, and it reminded us all of the first night we spent together at the same campground. This encouraged us into endless reminiscent storytelling that carried late into the night. The sweet laughter and conversation around the campfire was complemented by some more s’mores. The moon came up, bright as a spotlight, and the stars tried their best to impress. Colorful memories of our adventures put us to sleep with wide grins.

The goodbyes were sad, but special as we sent the kids on their way this morning.

What a fantastic two weeks. Full of challenge and growth. Smiles and laughter. I think we were all surprised at how close we had grown to each other over the past two weeks.

Again, we are so thankful for the time we got to spend with your kids. To the kids—we are so thankful for you guys and proud of who you are.

Rock on,

Jake and Lucy

Having a BLAST in the Idaho Waters!

June 23, 2024

Last you heard we were gearing up to conquer some whitewater, and we did just this! Another early morning kicked off a long day of travel on Tuesday brought us from Jackson Hole, Wyoming to McCall, Idaho. We rolled over in our sleeping bags and unzipped our tents only to find a snow-dusted landscape and a moose peacefully grazing in the distance. Half asleep, we packed our bags, mats, and tents and loaded into the van. During the trip, we listened to a lot of music: 2000s pop, cowboy country, and folk. We also played games, napped, and enjoyed some Chick-fil-a. Eventually, we reached McCall. McCall is the home of Salmon Rafts, our highly esteemed guide service for rafting. Upon arrival at the campsite, we met with one of the owners of the company, who gave us a brief orientation. Then, we caught the sun setting over the lake with our chicken pesto pasta cooked by Blythe, Helen, and Britton. Mm Mm tasty! A headlamp light accompanied the afterglow from the sun as we stuffed our waterproof bags for rafting. Bedtime!

The wake-up call came early yet once again, but this morning felt like Christmas Eve. It was a chilly morning. We packed up tents and ate a quick breakfast. Back in the van and off to the put in. Some sleep was recovered on the way to the river, but it wasn’t long before the kids were shaken awake as the van turned onto a gravel road that followed the river bank of the Salmon. Game on! At the boat ramp we met the river guides, finished our packing, and got a safety briefing. Helmet on and t-grips in hand we loaded the rafts. Like pilgrims on a voyage we set sail down the river into unknown territory (to us at least). Each raft was equipped with 7 seats. There were 6 kids, a leader, and a guide on each boat. Which means someone didn’t have a seat. You may be wondering how this is possible. Well, let me introduce you to a little concept called riding the bull. This is when someone sits on the bow of the boat and lets their feet hang off the front. As the boat rocks and crashes over and into waves, the bull rider gets the feeling that they are doing just that. When the guide explained this, a decision had to be made: who would be first to ride the bull. Introducing your first bull riding contestants of the 2024 Moondance Salmon River Rodeo: Quinn Wooster and Charlie Arts! Hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen because this one is going to get rowdy. Though he far surpasses the 8 seconds, Quinn was the first to plunge into the bitter cold water of the river. This seemed to break the seal. Although slightly too cold for comfort, everyone went swimming before we beached the boats that evening. Shivering, due to both cold water and adrenaline, the pirates stepped foot onto a sand. We warmed up very quickly when we laid out on the sun baked beach. With much time left in the day, we found ways to stay busy on the beach as our wonderful guides prepared dinner. Sun tanning, soccer, frisbee, swimming, bocce ball, spike ball, and napping. After climbing and hiking our tails off, this vacation felt well deserved. Grilled chicken, veggies, and wild rice, man we were eating well. The meal wouldn’t have happened without the chopping and sautéing done by Helen and Holt. This theme held true throughout the trip as the guides proved themselves to be riverside culinary experts. Holt and Helen led Moonup tonight while we discussed our biggest takeaways from the trip. We all agreed that some of the most valuable lessons we have learned are how to quickly make friends, how to live very comfortably and enjoy ourselves without our phones, and the value of trying new things! We all slept on the beach under the starts and looked forward to the next day.

Day 2! We slept in until either the sun or the smell of breakfast burritos woke us up. After filling up on sausage and eggs in burritos, the sun rose up over the canyon walls. Naturally, we all fell asleep on the beach. Post nap, we headed towards more big rapids on our rafts once again. After the rapids, we hit some flat water which means we can rest without fear of getting tossed out of the raft. Unless you’re Meri. The first of our many raft wars commenced when Jake snuck into the water and launched a sneak attack on Meri, pulling her off the back of the raft. Soon after, George pushed off his own raft and took out Mary Blake on his way into the water. There was no turning back. That night we camped on our own little island in the middle of the river. Our first afternoon activity was yet another nap, fueled by some Zach Bryan tunes. Before we knew it, Mary Blake and George had helped our guides whip up some pork chops, mashed potatoes, and brownies for dessert! After cleaning up, a game of capture the flag commenced. By the end of the game, Holt was the only one left standing on Jake’s team. He was finally overtaken, as Britton from Lucy’s team stole the flag and made it across the halfway line. With energy spent, we settled in for the night. After a sweet moonup, we waited on the sun to set to fall asleep.

The day 2 raft wars were intense. Little did we know that they were a mere warm up for day three. A hot sun and flat water created a perfect raft war environment. And it all started with some friendly fire. Britton was brave enough to start the day on the bull. But Blythe and Ellie had other plans. Not minutes into the float the two ladies sent Britton on Davey Jones’ locker. Oh no. This lit a fire in Britton. Thankfully he channeled his energy towards the other raft. It was game on yet again! Lower the cannons. After a morning full of tossing and wrestling each other in the water we stopped for some lunch. Chicken Salad wraps and choke cherries. You may be wondering what choke cherries are. It is a berry slightly smaller than a blueberry and slightly larger than a pea. The pit inside is about the size of a pea. And bitter as could be. We picked the choke cherries off of a tree in the middle of a picturesque field next to the river. The girls used the juice from the cherries as lipstick and Jake spent a while picking some to make choke cherry compote. More on this later. After a hearty lunch we loaded back into the boats with much relief, as the sun was beating with great intensity. You know what this means. More raft wars. George was quick to attack the other boat. Jake accompanied him and drew some attention. Freed up, George thought it would be a good idea to go for Davis the guide and captain of the boat. Now, none of you have met Davis, but even if you caught a glimpse of him you’d be wondering what in the world George was doing. Davis is jacked. So George, big in heart, but small in size (compared to Davis), sent himself hurtling at Davis. Davis wasted no time in picking up George, above his head, and hurling him into the water. Game over. The wars even featured Tatom and Heath going head to head on the front of each raft. They were friends back home, but temporary nemesis during raft wars. After a ever short ceasefire, each group slipped into afternoon naps under the hot Idaho sun. Every now and then a splash of cold water would startle the rafters awake. Eventually, both boats reached camp. This camp was a beach nestled in a beautiful river canyon. The afternoon looked much like the last: games, stories, and naps, while the guides cooked dinner. Let’s circle back to the chokecherries. Jake decided to attempt the compote this evening to have it to put on breakfast in the morning. So he borrowed a stove top and mixed the cherries with a lot of sugar in some water. Then he left the kitchen. He started talking and competing in hand stand competitions. All the while, the chokecherries were on the burner getting cooked to a crisp. When one of the guides remembered they were on there, we went to look. Caramelized- a nice way of saying burnt to a crisp. Thankfully the guides presented us with a wonderful taco dinner and a breakfast that needed no chokecherry. The food throughout the rafting trip was phenomenal. The scenery was spectacular. And the vibes were impeccable.

We woke up early on day 4 to get back to the van quickly to get on our way back to Jackson. More raft battles and some rowdy wave trains were crammed into the last 5 miles before our take out. After cleaning out the boats and loading up the van, we thanked the guides and got on our ways. Tomorrow we head back to Jackson Hole to prepare for departure day! We have absolutely loved spending the past two weeks with this group of students, they are incredible. They have learned so many new skills, and we have learned so much from them. We sure will miss them!

Until next time!!

Lucy and Jake

Runnin' Wild in Wyoming!

June 18, 2024

Hello from Wyoming!!! The sun was high in the sky as we headed to the airport to pick up all the students. Once we had all twelve students, we hopped in the van and drove to our first campsite. Upon arrival, our veteran Moondancer, Quinn, showed us all with expertise how to set up a tent, and then everyone had the chance to hone their own tent setting up skills. With camp all set up and ready to go, we spent the afternoon playing games and enjoying the beautiful view on the Tetons. Before long, Jake had returned with dinner, a moondance classic of local pizza for our first real meal together! Over hot pizza and a sun setting over the mountains we took a little time to break the ice and set expectations for the trip. Safety is always top priority, but fun comes in at a very close second. We agreed to push ourselves, laugh a lot, and be there for each other. Then we all headed to bed, under the stars, to rest up for our day of climbing!

We all awoke early Wednesday morning with the sun and relaxed around camp for a while. Helen, Blythe, and Britton whipped up some “egg in a holes” for breakfast while everyone else packed up for a big day of climbing. The morning consisted of lessons and practicing different climbing techniques. After lunch by a waterfall, we put our skills to the test on a big rock wall! One hold at a time, we were becoming climbers. The long day of climbing was immediately followed by a dip in the cold, cold lake we had been admiring all day long. Here’s where we let you in on a unique characteristic of our moondance team: Our team mascot is a Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy) stuffed animal. Jake and Lucy (leaders) acquired him before the trip and he has been with us ever since. On this very special day, Groot took his first swim ever in Jenny Lake. Hooray! Enough about him though… After the swim we drove into the town of Jackson as the sun began to set. It was all hands on deck cooking up some quesadillas in the park before the Rodeo. That’s right- the famous Jackson Rodeo. Sweet treats, bull riding, barrel racing and patriotism. Even one of a kind Jackson Rodeo shirt was caught by Quinn. A night to remember indeed. We got back to the campsite late and did Moonup to close the day. Eyes were heavy from a long day, but the shooting stars kept us up until we were ready for bed. Time to rest up for another day of climbing.

Up before the sun, we prepared a quick breakfast and made our way back towards the mountain and Jenny lake to take on day two of climbing.  The previous night, Quinn and Mary Blake chose Britton and Ellie to be Leaders of the Day, and they were prompt in briefing the team on the plan for the day: climb a lot of rocks. And that we did. Upon arrival, the guides led us up to the highest point we reached the day before. George and Meri showcased their quickly adopted rock climbing skills. After lunch we had to figure out how to get back down the mountain. How about rappelling? One after another we backed down the mountain like characters out of Mission Impossible. We all agreed that it was epic. As is tradition, we finished a day of climbing with a swim in the lake. Quinn and Holt could have been mistaken for otters as they spent much time bobbing in and out of the water. After the lake we made our way back to camp for a big pasta dinner. Macaroni and spaghetti, but that’s not all! SMORES! After enjoying the well earned treat we had some marshmallows left over. Inevitably, these were used for chubby bunny where Quinn impressed all by setting the bar at eight mallows, but Britton didn’t let that last too long as he somehow fit ten whole marshmallows in his mouth and say chubby bunny. Quite the feat! Everyone slept hard with bellies full and energy spent.

Fly fishing is a challenging endeavor. Patience and precision are the name of the game. The sun came up early again and encouraged us out of bed. We hopped in the van and headed south of town to fish Flat Creek. Although the rivers were high we were going to give it our best shot. We screened the river (collected bugs from the banks), and studied our findings. Stoneflies, yellow sallies, and all sorts of nymphs were found. Britton showcased his expansive knowledge of aquatic life. Next we practiced casting at targets. Mary Blake hit the target first on won a Rendezvous Anglers hat! After honing in our skills we headed towards the banks of the Flat to find some fish. Challenging snowmelt conditions pushed our patience, but by the end of the morning we had our chances and Ellie bagged a trademark Wyoming cutthroat trout. And his name was pickles. After breaking down the fly rods we refilled our bellies and headed into town. And what better way to follow a hot morning of fly fishing than world famous Moo’s ice cream. Double scoops in waffle cones just because! Huckleberry, cookies and cream, Mocha, man we tried it all. After a blissful afternoon in town we loaded up in the van to head towards the Wind River Range. We arrived at the campground in the late afternoon, in a bend of the Green River. We set up camp quickly and began to prep for our expedition into the rugged backcountry of the National Forest. Whisper lite stoves: check. Tents: check (mostly). Bear spray: Check. Fly rods: check. Ready to go. Our backpacking eve meal menu included burgers and fries, watermelon and salad (because we eat healthy). Holt was the grill master and boy did he impress.

Up and at it early the morning of backpacking. With Charlie and Blythe as our Leaders for the day we had no fear. We loaded up the van and got on the way. We turned on to a dirt road and winded our way back into the national forest towards the wind river range. Snow peaked mountains appeared and prong horns galloped as we bounced along. Packs on! Good energy surged through the group as we began our trek. Not a half hour in and we came across the most beautiful view of the valley we would hike up. A gushing waterfall at the focal point of it all. We kept on. One foot after another we climbed up into the valley. A different kind of breathtaking. Hands on knees and lengthy lunch break at a waterfall kept us going. To say we’re proud of this crew is an understatement. They crushed it. Charlie set the pace. Blythe carried Groot and led sing-alongs from the back of the pack. We arrived at our gorgeous campsite in the afternoon and had plenty of time to hang out at camp, start a fire, and try to catch some fish. We sat around the campfire and made some fajitas that night and enjoyed good company. We went to bed right after the sun set, all wiped from a long day of hiking.

Only when the sun made it too hot to stay in sleeping did we get out of the bed the next morning. We slept in guiltlessly due to the repeated early mornings so far. As the crew rolled out of bed, pancakes were flipped and served by Tatom. She crushed it. It was nearly noon as we finished off the last of our pancakes. With full bellies we packed up some supplies and walked up above the waterfall across the meadow from our campsite. After a quick walk up the hill we decided to settle a meadow atop the falls and play cards, read, nap, and fish. After a little while we fired up the stoves for some pan pita pizzas. Leader Jake’s personal favorite backcountry meal. Ironic considering that he burned Charlie’s first pizza. Sorry Charlie. After that Heath and crew took over and cheffed up some of the tastiest pizzas ever. At the end of the night Helen encouraged us with some wisdom she gained from her volleyball team. She said, “limitations are illusions”. What a truth that encapsulates this group. Between climbing, fishing, and rugged backpacking, everyone has proved this to themselves at one point. Perseverance is what this group demonstrates and it is the necessary ingredient that makes limitations illusions.

After a good night’s rest we woke up early to get back to civilization. Beaten and battered by the backcountry we stepped into our boots ready press on. The team cleaned up camp in record time and we were on our way. The hike seemed just as beautiful walking back the other way. With minimal breaks, we trekked on and got back to the van before lunchtime. Dirty and smelly we loaded up in the van and thanked our guides. Wheels were rolling back down the same chunky dirt road that carried us into the wilderness. We greeted the bumps with gratitude, knowing the road was leading us to warm food and showers. Pinedale, Wyoming did not disappoint. Tomorrow we will pack up and head to Idaho to begin our rafting adventure!

Until next time,

Lucy and Jake

Safely in Jackson!

June 11, 2024

Hello Big Wild Families!

We heard from our leaders this afternoon that the group has landed safely in Jackson Hole and is headed to their first campsite! 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 trip updates throughout the next two week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!

-Moondance HQ