Final Update from Jackson Hole!

July 11, 2024

Just sent the kids off at the airport. We are so so sad to see them go and we will cherish the memories we made forever. But let me tell you how the last couple of days went!

After rafting it was time to get back to Jackson and close out the trip with a bang. After rafting we made our way through Oregon and into Idaho. We camped in Idaho to break the trip up. For dinner that night Mills, Alex and Hayden made us some spaghetti with meat sauce. It was a hit. We then took showers and made smore’s. Now, driving through temperatures reaching over one hundred degrees, things get toasty. So when we went to collect the ingredients for the smores, we found that the ingredients had melted through. Uh oh. But that didn/t stop Lucy from finding a technique to wrap the marshmallow goop around a stick and roast it over the fire. The pre melted chocolate wasn’t bad either. We closed the night with moonup and we recalled all of the great moments during the rafting trip.

It was our last real morning togehter so what else would we do besides make pancakes. The pancakes were a hit during backpacking, so we decided to cook them again. M&Ms pancakes with eggs. So tasty. We packed up the van and got on the road to get back to Jackson. Some treats from a country store and screaming 2010s hits kept us energized as we drove through the pines and over the clearwater streams. When we passed over the Tetons it felt like we were home. We pulled into the same campground we started at and everyone felt a full circle feeling come over them. We cleaned and packed and got ready for the airport the next day. We did it quick to avoid the feelings of leaving too soon. Now it’s time to hit the town. We meandered down broadway, popping in and out of shops and buying some merch to remember our epic adventures. And I am sure you will all see pictures, but we made a responsible decision to purchase bear themed shirts that Lila found and coon skin hats. Pearce looked like a proper frontiersman in that hat. We looked like a family of bears walking down the streets. Our matching attire only attracted a few interested glares. After seeing all we needed to see, we made our way to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Endless chips, queso and salsa were welcomed with enthusiasm. We ordered our burritos, enchiladas, tacos, and quesadillas and ate until our bellies were full. Carter even convinced the waiters that it was Evan’s birthday. This awarded us free churros and some gerat pictures of Evan wearing a sombrero. Thanks Carter! After leaving dinner we realized that the last night wouldn’t be celebrated properly without a stop for some ice cream! So the family of bears mozzied down to the ice cream parlor and ordered up all of our favorite treats. We pumped the music and Evie mixed up a great queue of songs for the drive home. All of our favorites from the trip. It was a sweet last night. We finished with a sentimental and meaningful moonup, recalling all of our great times. We were all so suprised and delighted to be leaving with such incredible friendships after just two weeks.

So now we find ourselves leaving the airport and saying goodbye to all of our new best friends. Bittersweet for sure. This crew needs to be remembered in the history books.

Signing off,

Jake and Lucy

From the Mountains to the River on BGW 4

July 10, 2024

After backpacking wrapped up, we enjoyed a splendid 4th of July celebration. Face paint, fireworks, and country music got the patriotic juices flowing. We enjoyed the fireworks show in Jackson. It was a fun, full day. We started with finishing our backpacking portion and ended with fireworks in Jackson.

The next day we road triped to Idaho! We enjoyed car naps, a Chick-fil-A stop for breakfast, and some great tunes. The weather was heating up, and getting us excited for rafting. When we arrived at the campsite, Alex and Evan helped prepare the tacos for Mexican night. We enjoyed dinner, and then had a raft guide give us an orientation for our trip the next day. Exciting stuff. We even got our dry bags to pack for the trip. The sun lingered just long enough to take a swim while it set over the lake at our campsite. It was a great way to finish a day of travel. We slept with great excitement for the rafting in our future.

We woke the next morning and packed the van after a quick breakfast so that we could get to rafting as soon as possible. We arrived at the boat ramp in the mid-morning, loaded the rafts, and hit the river. Two boats, a lot of oars, and good energy. We were ready. Right off the ramp, we found ourselves in swift white water. Carter was one of the first to ride the bull on his boat. This means sitting on the very front of the raft as they smashed through waves. Quite a thrill! After a fun day of rafting, our boats landed at our first campsite. A beautiful white sand beach. We set out sleeping pads and caught some rays while the sun was still up. We played endless amounts of spike ball and swam, as we waited for dinner. For dinner, we enjoyed grilled chicken, wild rice, and salad. Evie and Mills became a formidable duo on the spike ball net that night. And of course, the dinner was followed by dessert: a scrumptious carrot cake. We earned it after that exhilarating day of rafting. After dinner, the spike ball resumed until we did moonup by the half-light of the canyon.

The sun came early, and we woke to the smell of breakfast burritos being made. The sound of bubbling rapids is a great sound to wake up to. So we packed up camp, enjoyed breakfast, and loaded the boats. It was a big rapid day. Time to party. The rapids were fun and wild. We even had the chance to run two class four rapids. Some of the biggest on the river. Each boat made it through the rapids unscathed, encouraging hoots and hollers of victory on the other side. Though the day was full of crazy white water, we found time for some boat wars in between the rapids. We were like modern-day pirates, jumping from boat to boat, pulling each other into the water. Lucy and Pearce might have stayed dry the longest, but even they were in the water by lunchtime. Another full day of rafting brought us to another beach campsite. It was a longer beach with even more space for fun and games. After arriving the guides began to clear all of the gear out of one of the paddle boats. What could they be doing? They took the boat to the shore and flipped it over. Slip and slide time! With two people throwing water on the bottom of the raft and the rest of the crew standing around the raft, everyone took turns sliding on the bottom of the slide and launching into the water. Hayden got the most air. A highlight for sure. This afternoon looked similar to the last: swimming, napping, spike ball. Lila even taught the fellas how to do cartwheels. We slept under the stars and the Milky Way that night with the river’s sounds lulling us to sleep. What a day!

Our last full day of rafting started with French toast for breakfast. We rafted the Blue Canyon, a beautiful stretch of the Salmon River. Tall cliffs were towering on either side. We also got a chance to see some big horn sheep on the banks of the river. The morning was full of beautiful, fun rafting. We stopped for lunch at the end of the canyon. We even found some wild blackberries on the river’s edge to complement our lunch. Delicious. After lunch, we rafted the last little bit of the Salmon River until it dumped into the Snake River. After floating a bit of the Snake River, we stopped at a tributary stream named Cherry Creek. It was a great spot to take a swim and cool off. We made our way further down the Snake and found a campsite that afternoon. The site did not disappoint. It was even better than the last two campsites. A long white sand beach with shallow water for playing around. There were trees for shade. There was even a fruit tree orchard less than ten minutes away. Apples, peaches, apricots, and more blackberries. We picked and picked and brought the fruit back to the camp. It was heavenly. To make it even better, it was taco night. We stuffed ourselves with Mexican food and then finished it off with a peach cobbler. We finished the night by playing tug of war and the Pterodactyl game. Ask the kids to explain that game! The last sleep on the beach was a sweet one. Sun kissed and spent, everyone had a great night’s sleep.

A party barge is created by tying together a bunch of rafts and motoring down the river. We did this on the last day. To cover the water faster and get to the boat ramp earlier, we motored down the Snake. It was a great time. No paddling, all we had to do was sit back and relax. We finished up our raft trip before lunchtime and loaded up the van. We said our goodbyes to the raft guides and hit the road. Overall, the trip was a great success. We all caught some sun rays and a good time. The Salmon River was good to us!

The Adventure Begins!

July 5, 2024

Wheels screeched upon contact as the plane touched down. It was rolling hills on the left and the towering Tetons on the right. Welcome to Jackson Hole! As the kids made their way off the plane they found their fellow students, leaders, and lunch waiting for them. Deli sandwiches and ice breaker questions characterized the wait at the airport as the students arrived in waves. With adventure on the horizon the kids were eager to get going. After what felt like an eternity outside baggage claim, we loaded up the van and hit the road. A quick drive brought us to our temporary home (aka, our first campsite). Before we could take a deep breath, the spikeball net was up. A dirt patch was quickly transformed into an arena, where friendships and friendly rivalries were formed. On the side, others played cards and broke the ice. Before long, piping hot pizzas had arrived. Dinner time! Already demonstrating her culinary creativity, Evie had the idea to roast some pineapple over the fire to garnish her pizza with. It was delicious. After dinner, we finished setting up tents and sleeping mats and bags. As the sun began to set (which happens quite late here), the s’mores ingredients came out. Inevitably, there were leftover marshmallows. Naturally, we decided to have competitions to see who could fit the most marshmallows in their mouth. This competition, if you are unfamiliar, is called chubby bunny. Jake and Evan tied, both being able to say ‘chubby bunny’ with eight whole marshmallows stuffed in their mouths. Our first Moonup followed. We sat around the fire and talked about the goals and expectations we have for the trip. What a great way to start what will be an incredible couple of weeks.

Dew lined the outside of our sleeping bags the morning of day 2. Breakfast crew led the charge by scrambling some eggs and frying Jimmy Dean’s. Before too long, we wrapped up breakfast and packed for the day. Water, food, layers, sunscreen. Check, check. Time to go climbing. We drove through the town of Jackson on our way to Teton village, where we would be climbing. Driving over the Snake River, we blasted some good tunes to get amped for the day. When we arrived, we were greeted by three of our climbing guides, the very best in the business! After getting fitted for harnesses and shoes we were ready to go. We got to ride the gondola up to the top of the mountain, where the big rocks were situated. As the gondola crept further and further up, the panoramic view of Jackson Hole broadened and increased in grandeur. Snow capped mountains took our breaths away. We unloaded at the top and hiked down a bit to the bottom of our first multi pitch climb. Game on. We received a crash course on gear management, belay knots, and climbing commands and we were ready to go. Mills was the first to climb. She set the bar high as she fearlessly scurried up the rock slab as if she had done it many times before. One by one, pitch by pitch, we made our way to the top. Hayden, being an experienced climber, showed us how it was done, as he gracefully scaled each wall. Once at the top, we took a lunch break with a view. Lounging out on the rock, we took our time and soaked up some rays from the sun. After our lunchtime siesta it was time to get back down. It was time to repel. Another quick crash course on the matter and we were ready to go. Repelling back to where we got started. By the time we finished up, we were beat. But we still had a whole evening ahead of us. We made our way back into Jackson after our day of climbing. A walk around town prefaced dinner. Alex spearheaded the cooking with the help of Mel and Mills. They prepared a delicious sausage pesto pasta. Good news to hungry bellies. We didn’t waste much time after dinner because we had a rodeo to get to. Everyone found some sweet treats and some even found poppy pink cowboy hats. So cool. We watched bull riding, barrel racing and lassoing. Adrenaline and patriotism. A night we won’t forget any time soon. We closed the night with a thoughtful Moonup. Carter and Evie asked us a great question about life goals which really got us thinking. Such a great first day with the crew and we are excited for those to come.

Before the roosters were crowing this morning the crew was munching on yogurt and granola, ready to attack another day of climbing. Before we knew it we were at the climbing headquarters, gazing awestruck at the Tetons. A quick walk to us to the edge of the lake where we boarded a ferry to get across. The brisk breeze coming off the glacial lake did well to get the blood flowing. On the other side of the lake, at the base of the Tetons, we practiced slab climbing, climbing down, and some bouldering moves. After this warm up, we were ready to tackle the real challenge of the day. Our first multi pitch climb in the national park. We roped in to each other and kicked the dust off of our shoes. Like the day before we followed each other up the mountain. The progress that this group has made in just a couple days is unfathomable. Conquerors. After the first climb we breaked for a quick lunch. Lunch was followed by top rope climbing and repelling. Evan and Evie were the first to repel straight down the cliff. They made it look easy. Lucy was a top rope champ, showing us all what it really looks like to climb rocks. And Hayden had a chance to show his competency, as he belayed us as we climbed. A long day of climbing was followed by a cruise back on the ferry and a quick dip in the lake. It’s a glacial lake. It’s very cold. But that didn’t stop us. The cool, clear water was refreshing after a long day of climbing. After our swim, we cruised back to the campsite and started to prepare a mexican food feast. Evan, Hayden and Lucy improvised a fresh pico de gallo to top our beef burritos. Post-dinner shenanigans included the oreo challenge. This game is played by placing an oreo on your forehead and sliding it down your face into your mouth. Alex and Carter even played with oreos covered in jelly. But Pearce was the first to complete the challenge. Well done Pearce. All in all, it was a great day full of challenge and laughter. We are proud of the kids for pushing themselves and reaching new heights (haha). We are all looking forward to fly fishing tomorrow.

Day 3! Otherwise known as Lila’s birthday! Time to go fly fishing. A light drizzle encouraged us to pack up camp faster than ever before. Upon arriving at the boat ramp, we wasted no time loading up, either two or three to a boat. The rods were rigged and the anchors were raised. A slight cloud cover kept it cool and the fish seemed to like that. Only moments into the trip rods were bending under the weight of brown and rainbow trout. For mostly having never gone fly fishing before, this crew was impressive. Alex started off strong, with a studly rainbow trout. We didn’t know it at the time, but that fish ended up being the biggest of the day. He also caught nice brown trout and a whitefish. These are all the species that are able to be caught on the Green River. Evan, who had never fished before, caught the most fish of the day. Five of em’! We reached the take out point at lunchtime and boy had we worked up an appetite. We scooted to town and found a burger shack. No better way to cap a morning of fishing. And of course, after lunch, a birthday cake made its way out. After our long, lazy lunch we packed up the van and went back into the woods. We found a campsite and spent the evening playing games, swimming in the river, cooking dinner, and swimming in the river. We also prepared for backpacking. The evening ended with music and Moonup around the fire. Mel encouraged us all with a quote from the furry, four-legged philosopher, Winnie the Pooh- “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present’.’. This goes along perfectly with our live in the moment philosophy. Time to get some sleep for an early morning and a big day of backpacking tomorrow.

The next morning we bounced along a rocky road and soon arrived at the trail. We unloaded the van, then the u-haul. Time for breakfast. And what better meal before a backpacking expedition than bacon egg and cheese bagels. After breakfast, we met our guides and took our first steps. The first steps of a great adventure. And perhaps steps that took us farther than we had yet been from home. But our company was merry, and our preparation was thorough. Off we go. Pearce and Lila were our leaders of the day and our trail guides. They instructed and guided the crew with confidence. One step after another, we winded our way up into the mountains. We hiked through meadows cut by clearwater creeks, ancient pine forests, and red rock cliffs. After a little while, it was lunch time. We rested our legs next to a gushing waterfall. The mist from the breaking water did well to cool us off. The mist, the full bellies, and the sun lulled us into a sweet nap. Eventually, we woke and had to get back on the trail. Up the hill and through the meadow. We reached camp in the afternoon with plenty of time to nap, fish, and explore. We had a beautiful evening, watching the sun set on snowy peaks. The snow that was on the peaks was slowly melting, powering the waterfall we admired across the meadow. Evan and Lucy masterfully cooked up some jambalaya, while Hayden stirred up some sauteed peppers. Sausage was grilled over the fire and the pieces came together to create a colorful cajun medley. We laughed and told stories around the fire with hot chocolate in hand. The exhaustion from the hike allowed us to fall asleep immediately.

Early mornings characterized the beginning of the trip, but now we had time to sleep. Only when the sun burned off the morning cool did the kids start rising from their slumber. And this only happened because the sleeping bags got too warm. It was a well earned slow morning. And slow mornings call for pancakes. Evan, honing in his camp chef skills, was busy flipping pancakes filled with m&m’s before everyone was awake. We all had our fill and then suited up for a short day hike. The hike took us above the waterfall, through a meadow, across a river, and to a beautiful alpine lake. A beautiful, cold, alpine lake. As you are most likely expecting, we swam in the lake. A detail that must not be left out is that the girls were able to swim across the whole lake and back. We had a swell afternoon, swimming, sunbathing, and exploring the lake. On our hike back, the sun and the rain clouds battled for the spotlight. The sun prevailed. The rain backed off, that is, until we got to camp. Just in time for an afternoon siesta. We awoke from our naps just in time for some pan pizzas and peach cobbler. We sat around the fire playing trivia, telling stories, and whittling spears. Pearce, with his seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of geography and nature, was the trivia champion. And Carter showed off his fighting combos, showing us how safe we’d be if a bear came. The fire stayed stoked late into the night thanks to Evie and Mills.

Layers of frost covered our tents the morning of our departure, making it quite difficult to get out of our warm sleeping bags. The fire was still hot from the night before, so we boiled some water for oatmeal and packed up camp. The hike down, being mostly downhill, took a fraction of the time as the hike in (though a challenging hill at the end of the hike pushed everyone). We made it back to the trailhead in record time. We were happy to get back into some clean clothes and the air conditioning of the van. During our time in the woods, we learned to appreciate such simple things. We ate some lunch and then found some ice cream to reward ourselves. Milkshakes and root beer floats have never tasted so good. What a great adventure.

Safe Arrival in Jackson Hole!

June 29, 2024

Hello Big Wild Families!

We heard from our leaders last night that the group has landed safely in Jackson Hole and made it 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