Canyoneering + Fun Times in Canyonlands
July 26, 2024
Greetings one last time from Utah! It’s hard to believe how quickly our time our here has flown by, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re having fun. The last few days have been a blast as we’ve soaked in every minute canyoneering, fishing at different camp sites, and having our banquet dinner. The kids were clearly taking advantage of the time together in the last few days, after the bonding experience that our rafting trip was, which made the end the most fun!
For our last official activity, we went canyoneering which is a multi-faceted adventure that combines rappelling, hiking, and climbing. We explored more of the beautiful red canyons that make you feel like you are walking on Mars, before descending down the intricate caverns. Emmy, Lawson, Audrey and Robin tried hard not to get wet in the knee deep puddles that awaited us at the lowest part of the canyons, but were unsuccessful. We ended the hiking part of the canyoneering with a full body swim through a big cold puddle of water. With sopping wet hiking boots and dripping pony tails, we walked to the most anticipated portion of the canyoneering, a 90 ft rappel. With no hesitation, Philip and Heidi were the first to descend off the edge. After our fun morning, we made our last souvenir stop in Moab before making the drive back north. We had quesadillas and s’mores at our mountainous campground, where Lillian and Jackson led Moonup around the fire.
Early the next morning, Emmy and Charlie got up first to go fishing in their pajamas along the river beside our campsite. The cows were mooing in the hills across the river while the orange sun rose during the peaceful morning. With not many bites from the fish, Charlie decided to collect fire wood to make a fire for the rest of the campers who were slowly awaking. To top off this perfect summer morning, we cooked pancakes in all shapes and sizes to start off our final day together. We got to cleaning the van and Uhaul, which was surprisingly a highlight of the trip for some. Next, we grabbed Chick-Fil-A for lunch, a special treat for our tireless cleaning, and one that AK especially enjoyed being that she doesn’t have a Chick-Fil-A in her home town. After some more packing errands, we raided the Goodwill for the most ridiculous outfits we could find, so we could look collectively absurd at our banquet dinner. Charlie was decked out in the most hideous clothing, Tyler found some priceless egg shorts, and Cameron found a neon bathing suit that was too insane not to notice. We gobbled up our delicious Mexican food, and drove up the mountain with full bellies and smiles on our faces.
This group has been unmatched. Your kids are respectful, caring, funny, and adventurous. They have been an absolute joy to lead and have each made an impact on us that we will cherish forever. We are lucky to call them our friends! We are so thankful for this opportunity to get to know and love them, so thank you!!
Sincerely,
Winborne Broughton and Woods McCormick
Hello from Canyonlands!!
July 23, 2024
We’ve been staying busy here out west! The highly anticipated rafting trip was a hit. With water levels lowering from the dwindling snowmelt, the water was at a perfect flow to take out the smaller rafts and get to paddling! The boys and girls split into boats for a very intense paddling competition. In the boys boat, Lawson and Philip took to the front of the boat for most of the rapids, setting the pace and timing for the rest of the oarsmen seated behind them. When rafting, it is incredibly important to paddle in sync as to control the raft through the rapids. Robin was our motivator for the trip making sure everyone was ready to take on the challenge ahead. His sense of humor also left the raft laughing the whole way down the Colorado River. Cameron showed us his whitewater experience from kayaking and was unphased by the class 4 rapids. The girls’ started and finished the day with tons of energy, proving to the boys they were out to play. Audrey and Charlie led chants all morning, that were screamed so loud the girls’ voices were scratchy when we pulled into camp. Each girl roll-called a very carefully chosen call name, and paddled as the most solid group of rowers you ever did see. Emmy, AK, and Lillian had white knuckles and sore toes from successfully staying in the raft over the 10ft waves, while Heidi, Charlie and Audrey took a little dip into the flowing Colorado. Overall, this day was one of the most fun we’ve had all session, and will for sure be a favorite of the summer for us leaders.
During the evenings of the rafting trip we set up camp on the river bank and hung out before dinners. One dinner, Philip and Lawson provided the rest of the camp with some entertainment in the form of a hotdog eating competition. Lawson came out victorious, although it was a valiant effort by both competitors. Another night we made a campfire and ate s’mores surrounded the massive canyon walls. The Colorado River truly is a special place.
After the rafting trip we took to a climbing spot known to the locals as “Ice Cream Parlor” for some slab and crack climbing, two popular forms of climbing out here in Utah. Jackson and Tyler showed us their impressive climbing skills as they scrambled up each route with ease. After this, they began racing up various walls. Tyler secured the victory with a 34 second climb up the chosen rout. Heidi also showed us incredible climbing skills, completing every route the guides set up for us.
Post-climbing we went to a local Moab lake for the rest of the afternoon. While some used this as a time to relax, Philip, Charlie, and Emmy set up rods and headed to the bank to catch some fish. The final tally for the evening was 84 bream! It’s safe to say these kids have the fishing bug.
We finished off the night with a sunset at Dead Horse Point. The legend of Dead Horse Point states that around the turn of the century the point was used as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa top. Cowboys herded them across the narrow neck of land and onto the point. Horses were left corralled on the waterless point where they died of thirst within view of the Colorado River 2,000 feet below. This is the same stretch of river that we conquered by raft just a couple days prior. It was awesome getting such a different perspective of the canyons below. This was, unsurprisingly, a popular place for a photoshoot. Lillian, Audrey and AK all took fridge-worthy photos sporting the most magnificent sunset you will ever witness.
As you can see, we’ve had another eventful few days with your kids! With the rafting trip now behind us, things feel like they are slowly coming to a close. Even so, we hope we’ve saved the best days for last, so we can finish this session with a bang!
Until next time,
Woods and Winborne
Checking in from Utah!
July 18, 2024
Hi from the Canyonlands! After a quick first week, we have been blown away by this fantastic group of kids. Your kids are respectful and responsible, and they sure do know how to have a good time. From a fun evening spent at the rodeo to a full day trekking the 10-mile Narrows hike to playing cards at rocky red campsites, we have been constantly entertained.
Day one presented us with a good chunk of driving to get to our first campsite, which the kids took like champs, especially with the high energy brought by Emmy and Audrey. These two have kept the group on their toes with their welcoming outgoingness and ability to create conversation with everyone in our group. On day two, we went fly fishing in the morning and headed to the rodeo for a classic western show. Half of the group fished along a river in Antimony, where their casting skills were put to the test, while the other half of the group took turns paddling out on a john boat on Pine Lake, where we had tons of fish bite! Charlie was the first to reel in a beautiful rainbow trout after patiently waiting on the serene waterfront. To pass the time before the rodeo, we played a game of football, with Audrey and Charlie as our fearless leaders and quarterbacks. The boys pulled their weight, coming up with intricate plays and going long for lobs sent by the girl QBs. Philip caught every ball he was thrown, Lawson doubled as a skilled offender and defender, and Cameron played a strict lockdown defense. After a quick rain shower, we headed to the rodeo where the entire group was entertained by the brave cowboys being tossed around by angry bulls.
The next day, the hiking portion of our trip began at Bryce Canyon, followed by a scenic drive to Zion National Park. Hiking the Narrows is the main event of Zion and often the highlight of the trip for some. Robin was our main hype man on the Narrows hike, which consisted of stepping from rock to rock through a stream of water, where we hoped to reach a waterfall at the end. Tyler and Jackson led the whole way, quickly gliding through the hike like pros. I think the 10-mile Narrows hike felt like a breeze compared to their 20-mile Yosemite hike they recently completed. While we didn’t reach the waterfall we were looking for, we jumped in swimming holes and walked through water up to our necks, which made the hike a 10 out of 10 adventure. That afternoon, the kids learned how to play Presidents, a card game that has proven to be a camp favorite. Since learning Presidents, Philip has become a master shuffler with his newly learned bridge skills. Some of the girls also brought out the classic camp friendship string to make bracelets while we hung out around camp. Lillian, Heidi, and AK were clearly veteran bracelet makers, as it took them no time to complete their first bracelets.
While it was hard to leave Zion, we couldn’t wait to get to Arches National Park and Canyonlands to see what the namesake of this trip is all about. We visited the famous Delicate Arch and stayed at a Mars-looking campsite where we, of course, played more Presidents. We are approaching our much-anticipated rafting trip and are beyond excited to spend this time with your kids. They are enthusiastic campers who have so many different personalities to get to know. The first week has been amazing, and we know it can only get better from here. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to spend these precious two weeks with your people!
Sincerely,
Winborne and Woods
Cameron – I’m having so much fun! The kids and counselors are super cool and I can’t wait to show you pictures! I love you and miss you.
Philip – Hey mom and dad, I’m having a great time. The parks have been really awesome. Can’t wait to tell you about it. Love Philip.
Audrey – Hey madre and padre! I’m having fun. Miss Boston and Iris! Made lots of friends and have been hiking a lot. Love y’all! From Audrey.
Emmy – Hi mom and dad!! I miss y’all so much. I have been having a lot of fun. We’ve been on hikes and I’ve met so many people. Love y’all! See you soon. Miss Coco, Snoop, and Dylan too.
Charlie – Hey mom hey dad. Surprisingly I’ve been eating every meal. We’ve been on a lot hikes and we’re having a lot of fun. Can’t wait to see you guys, miss you! Love, Charlie. (Tell Ellie + Mike and Joe I say hi + Nana + Biggie)
Lillian – Hey mom and dad, I miss y’all so much! I can’t wait to see y’all!! We are gone on lots of hikes which have been fun! Love yall lots! <3 Lillian (tell Jimmy I miss him and I hope he hasn’t just been on his iPad this whole time and that I love him.
Anne Kingsley – Hi Mom and Dad! I’ve been having so much fun! I know both of you would love it here. We’ve been hiking and swimming and we’re about to raft! Missing y’all so much, and tell T I miss her too! <3 AK
Heidi – Dear Mom and Dad and Hans and the dogs! I miss you guys more than anything! I can’t wait to come and see you guys! And hang with you again! It is so pretty here! I know that you guys have been with me and praying over me and so have I and will continue to. I know God has a plan for us. I miss you guys so much and am counting down the days! Please be safe! I love you! 4:13 Phil. (Also remember the bracelet) – Heidi
Jackson – Dear Mom and Dad, the camp is great, we hiked the narrows in Zion and did some cliff jumping in the water. I made some friends and went on cool hikes. Love you. Jackson
Robin – Dear Mom and Dad, it’s actually way more fun than I thought. I made some friends, there isn’t crazy heat, and the hikes are cool. Love you, Robin.
Tyler – Desr Mom and Dad, the camp is fun and we did this cool hike in Zion. We also did cliff jumping there. This is one of the coolest camps I have done. Love you.
Lawson – Dear Mom and Dad, I’m having a great time so far. All the hikes have been really cool and I am really excited to talk about it in Alaska.
Safe Arrival in Salt Lake City!
July 12, 2024
Hello Canyolands Families!
We heard from our leaders this afternoon that the group has landed safely in Salt Lake City and is headed to their first campsite! We are so excited to hear more about their adventures over the next couple of weeks!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next two weeks! 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
