Last update from Colorado!
July 25, 2024
The last 4 days of our trip have been bittersweet, as the group has grown closer than ever!
The refreshing air blew through the van as we headed down a gravel road to nowhere, ready for a day of rock climbing. We drove for what seemed like eternity (20 minutes) until we reached the familiar site of the Irwin Guides gear van. After a safety briefing from our amazing guide Eli, we starting getting fitted in our harnesses and prepping for the ascent up to the climbing site! As soon as we arrived Teddy, Lee, Alden, and Reese were unstoppable, climbing all the routes with skill and confidence. Their teamwork and encouragement were inspiring, pushing each other to reach new heights, both literally and figuratively. Each climb was a new victory, celebrated with high-fives and cheers from the group. For Anna Webb, London, and Tate, the first day of climbing was about overcoming fears. The towering cliffs seemed daunting at first, but with each foothold and handhold, they grew more confident. Their bravery was palpable, and by the end of the day, they had all reached the top, beaming with pride and a sense of accomplishment. We ended our first day of climbing with a quick drive in to Crested Butte for pizza! The pizza was fantastic, making a perfect reward for a hard day of climbing. After lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon roaming through the shops of Crested Butte, ultimately ending our time in an ice cream shop. After ice cream, we headed to the Gunnison Rec center for much needed showers and time in the pool! Our second day of climbing was all about honing our skills. Charlotte made short work of the rock face, climbing all routes with ease. Jackson challenged himself by ascending one of the hardest routes on the rock. By the end of the day, Andrew and Bobby challenged each other to time trials, adding an exciting competitive edge to the day. Their determination and speed were impressive, each ascent faster than the last. Afterwards, Andrew took on the role of belaying the leaders, ensuring everyone’s safety with a steady hand and keen eye.
Our rafting day we were spoiled as we were able to float on the Royal Gorge, a section of the river that had been closed to our past two sessions. As soon as we put in, it felt as though we were in the scenery of an Indiana Jones movie! With stunning rock formations and roaring rapids, the scenery was breathtaking. We faced class 3 and 4 rapids, splitting into boys’ and girls’ boats for the adventure. The boys, led by Jon, named their boat the Black Pearl and tackled the rapids with ease. Henry and Jamie led the way with the help of Bobby and Lee behind them. The Black Pearl shows complete and utter dominance over class four rapids like Sledgehammer, Wall Slammer, and Raft Flipper. The girls’ raft had its own excitement-Alden and Elly nearly got yeeted out after hitting a rock at the end of a rapid, and Quinn threw up from the thrill. The girls boat was able to tackle their fears of the George and ended up absolutely killing the hardest sections of the river. The teamwork was fantastic, with everyone laughing, cheering, and supporting each other through the wild ride. This day in the Royal Gorge will be one we all remember forever. We are so blessed to share this experience with your kids, we thank you so much.
Our last day on the Colorado Trail began with a rare treat: a chance to sleep in. We took our time packing up camp, savoring the peaceful morning before hitting the road. The drive to Denver was filled with relative silence as many of us took turns napping throughout the drive to Denver. Upon reaching Denver, we set to work cleaning the van. The boys tackled the exterior, scrubbing and rinsing with enthusiasm, while the girls cleaned the inside, making it spotless. The task turned into an unexpected highlight when Jackson mischievously sprayed Henry with the pressure washer, sparking an impromptu water fight that left everyone laughing and soaked. Once the van was gleaming, we shifted our focus to cleaning the group gear, preparing everything for storage. The best surprise of the day was discovering showers at the campsite-a luxury after days on the trail. Everyone enjoyed a refreshing shower, emerging feeling like new. Unc, Twin, and King J had a brilliant idea for our banquet: attending a Colorado Rockies game! Excitement buzzed as we headed to the stadium. Reese made a new friend in the stands and even bought a jersey, proudly showing it off. Giant bags of cotton candy were a hit, with all the boys and girls indulging in the sweet treat. Jackson, Henry, and Jamie spent the game deep in conversation about baseball, discussing players and news from around the league. As the sun set over the stadium, we circled up for our final moon up under the lights of Coors Field, a perfect way to celebrate our adventures and a fitting end to our incredible journey on the Colorado Trail.
Thank you so much for sending you kids on this amazing trip with us! We had such an awesome time sharing these amazing experiences with them! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this amazing group!
Peace ‘N Love,
Jamie, Elly, and Henry (King J, Twin, and Unc)
Fun in the Backcountry!!
July 20, 2024
We made it out of the woods! The past few days have been a blast – full of hiking, wiffle ball, fly fishing, and some wildlife scares… The backcountry has proven to be the best part of our trip once again. The group got so much closer, stronger, and dirtier! Woohoo! We cant wait to tell y’all all about it!
We woke up on Tuesday morning at the beautiful Ridgeway State Park. We had an assortment of muffins, fruit, and yogurt with granola to fuel us for the day ahead. Boy is it a long one. We first began checking gear to ensure we had everything we needed for 4 days in the backcountry. Everyone must have the essentials: hiking shoes, rain gear, two water bottles, and a puffer coat. A puffer may seem extreme given the time of year but temperatures in the backcountry consistently approach freezing in Mid-July. After checking the essentials and enjoying some downtime at camp we hit the road in pursuit of the Kilpacker trail head. The backcountry portion of the trip is located in the heart of the San Juan mountains which offer stunning views. The kids were in awe of the beauty the mountains held. The San Juans are by far the prettiest part of the trip. After an hour and some change in the van, we finally arrived at the Kilpacker trailhead and started to pack. We ran the kids through a “duffle shuffle” which is when we go through the packing list for the backcountry and pack into our hiking backpacks. The name of the game is essentials only. No stuffed animals, no face wipes, and NO COTTON. Cotton kills. The kids were great about this and we were able to duffle shuffle in a somewhat timely manner. While the leaders were accumulating group gear to backpack in, Lee, Reese, Jackson, and Andrew played some wiffle ball to pass the time. We also had an easy lunch full of fruit, Uncrustables, and tortilla sandwiches. After a few hours packing and preparing at the trailhead, we were finally ready to hike in the backcountry. LETS GO! Alden took the lead like a natural and ran spot with Henry. Teddy and Jackson hung out in the back chatting with Elly and Jamie. We spent a long time arguing over whether or not fishing is a sport. Elly, Teddy, and Jackson say yes; Jamie says no. Debate of the century. Anyways, after four and a half grueling miles we finally made it to camp around dusk. The hike in with the sunset was beautiful. We were prepared to indulge in some trail pizza and pulled out our stove only to realize no one carried in the lighter! Forgetting the lighter…. what a rookie move. To address the issue, Henry and Jamie left to hike to a nearby group to ask if they had an extra. They came back empty-handed and much quicker than expected. The only words we could hear were “big cat big cat big cat”. YUP! They ran into a hugeeeeee mountain lion. We think it was stalking the group ever since we passed by a dead fawn on the hike in, which we believe the mountain lion was stashing. After running back to camp, we sent all of the kids to bed and kept an eye out for the mountain lion, but nothing showed. Bobby saw a pair of eyes off in the distance causing a slight panic amongst us all, but it ended up being a deer. Crazy stuff. The LOD’s for this day were Jackson and Anna Webb & they killed it.
We slept in the next morning to celebrate our first full day in the backcountry.
We had a chill day at camp and let the kids explore the nearby area – this place is beautiful. We were able to get a lighter from the nearby camp so we could finally use the stove. We cheffed up some bagels with butter and sprinkled on cinnamon sugar. It was so good. After breakfast the kids RELAXED after a couple challenging days. We lounged in the sun & then hit the field for an intense game of wiffle ball. Quinn hit absolute dingers and helped bring her team to victory… she is a natural! Jackson struck out against Bobby (and never heard the end of it). After the game, we needed to cool off so we took a swim under the waterfall right next to our campsite. It was so much fun. Tate, London, and Charlotte all went under the waterfall and embraced the frigid water. It was so beautiful and so cool we were camping right next to it! To warm back up post-waterfall, we cooked up some trail pizza’s (intended to be last nights dinner) and hot chocolate. This meal was a huge hit for the late lunch. The girls started working on friendship bracelets & Tate tied a hair wrap into Ellys hair, she looks like one of the campers now! Hahaaaa. The afternoon was filled with group games like mafia, poison dart frog, and more wiffle ball. For dinner we had chicken stir fry which was amazing. Anna Webb and Quinn helped sump the chicken juice like champs, LNT lets goooooo. The meal hit and everyone went into Moonup with full stomachs. We put the kids to bed early because we would be waking up early to do a challenging hike up to Navajo lake which lies just below 12,000 feet above sea level. The LOD’s for the day were Reese and Charlotte – champs!
We woke up bright and early to boil some water for oatmeal and coffee in preparation for our big hike up to Navajo lake. Teddy woke up ready to go as LOD and helped everyone pack for our hike. The hike is three and a half miles straighttt up. This forces the kids to build some character (we’re talking blood sweat and tears). Although it might not have been pretty, the kids made it up to Navajo lake and we could not be more proud of them. Lee and Alden led the way with Henry in the front setting a strong pace for the rest of the group. London, Tate, and Quinn killed the hike from the caboose with Elly. Charlotte was an amazing leader, offering to carry the girls’ pack whenever it seemed like someone was struggling – champ! Once we made it to the top of the mountain, we set up at Navajo Lake for the day. We made lunch with summer sausage, cheese, PB&J, Nutella, and tortillas. You cant get better than that. After lunch, all the boys took their chances at fly fishing while the girls played rock baseball. Andrew, Jackson, Jamie, and Lee all had luck while some of the other boys did not (cough cough Henry). Just after the girls finished polar plunging into the ice cold water, some ice cold rain came over the ridge right on top of us. Literally. Hail the size of marbles started pouring down, cutting our time at the lake slightly short. We decided to seek refuge under the nearby pine trees and wait out the storm. After thirty mins we were able to collect ourselves and hike back down to base camp. We flew down the mountain; it was all down hill. Nice and easy. We were able to evade the rain and arrived at camp the second it started to rain again. With the rain came a lot of electricity in the air and our hair started to stand up. We put the kids in tents and waited to go into lighting protocol but we never had to! Phew. This down time was much needed after a long day hiking. Teddy and Jackson played wiffle ball in the rain while everyone else took tent refuge. After about an hour of downtime, we were starting to cook dinner when we spotted COT B hiking in. After saying hi, we continued cooking up our burrito bowls which ended up being toooo good. We then Mooned Up & discussed what we would do with our last day on Earth – some good food for thought! We hit the hay to hike out early tomorrow. LOD’s were Teddy and Quinn & they were amazing!!
Waking up with the sun, we prepared to hike out of the backcountry early in the morning to ensure we could spend some time exploring and eating in Telluride. Andrew and Alden helped lead the group through packing up tents, sleeping bag/pad, and backpacks. We were able to pack up quickly and get out of the backcountry mid morning. We chose to take a new route which was more challenging but put us at the van about forty five minutes faster than the other route we had previously done. Anna Webb killed this challenging hike and made sure to motivate her peers while backpacking. Charlotte, Reese, Andrew, and Alden were in the front leading by example and absolutely killing the hike. We are all so proud of the group for how well they backpacked and maintained a positive mindset. The vibes were quite high when we arrived at the trailhead. Teddy helped us pack up the U-Haul with backpacks and then we rode for Telluride, jamming to Fast Car on the way down the mountain. There we walked around for a bit and got some very much needed burgers and fries. We now ride for Elk Creek campground ready to take on rock climbing head on. This is where we leave you, once again on the edge of your seats. Until next time folks.
Peace ‘N Love,
Jamie, Elly, and Henry (King J, Twin, and Unc)
SHOUTOUTS!!!
Lee: Thank you mom and dad for sending me on Moondance!! Love, Lee
London: Hi Mama, Tommy, Daddy, and Boo. Love y’all so much and thank you so much for sending me on this trip!
Reese: Thank you Mom and Dad for sending me! Im having so much fun! Give Rex my love for me! Love, Reese
Bobby: Love you Mom and Dad, I am having so much fun! Thank you for sending me on this trip.
Jackson: Thank you Mom and Dad for sending me on this trip! I can’t wait to see you soon. I am having so much fun. Love, Jackson
Teddy: Dear Mom and Dad, than you so much for sending me. I miss y’all so much. I am having so much fun! Love, Teddy
Alden: Dear Mom and Dad, I love you so much and I am having so much fun hiking and backpacking. Thank you so much for sending me here. Love You!! – Alden
Tate: Hey Mom and Dad! I am having so much fun on my trip! I made so many new friends. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip <3! Can’t wait to see you soon! Love, Tate
Quinn: Dear Mom and Dad, I am having so much fun at Moondance. I have made so many friends! I love you so much, can’t wait to see you soon! <3 Quinn
Anna Webb: Dear Mom and Dad, thank you so much for sending me on this trip. I am having so much fun and I have made so many new friends. Colorado is so pretty! I love and miss you som much! Love, Anna Webb
Charlotte: Dear Mom and Dad, thank you for this experience! It is so pretty here and Ive made so many friends. I miss you and love you so much! Love, Cha
Andrew: Thank you Mom and Dad for sending me on this trip! I am having so much fun and making new friends.
Off and Running the River in Colorado!
July 16, 2024
Friends and Family,
Greetings from the great state of Colorado! Ya! Yeet! Ya! We’re having such a fantastic time out here & can’t thank yall enough for sharing your amazing kids with us! We have enjoyed every second so far!
Airport day was a blast & all the kiddos made it seamlessly – a miracle! We had a nice & long airport hangout while waiting for our new fearless leader Henry, fresh outta Jackson Hole. The boys got creative and played baseball with bottle caps while munching on Chick-fil-A nuggets like there was no tomorrow. Once Henry FINALY made his flight, we hit the scenic drive to our first campsite, vibing to the kids endless song requests (lots of Zach Bryan & Tik Tok songs). We kicked off night one with a pizza feast and polished off the leftover CFA nuggets for good measure. After that, Alden & Tate led the group in a tent setup tutorial thanks to their awesome wilderness experiences. Everyone else quickly followed suit & seemed like naturals in the outdoors already. We started packing our gear for our overnight rafting trip tomorrow – woohoo! to pack Before calling it a night, we had our first Moonup!! Bobby, our Moondance alum, explained what Moonup is all about- a special time we get to gather together at the end of the day to debrief, reflect, & get to know each other better! Most definitely our favorite part of Moondance!
We woke up the next morning to the screams of lil Teddy who walked outside to find a 6 foot moose standing outside our tents. Jackson saw it next and hit a quick 100 yard dash in the opposite direction – he claims this was the fastest time he’s ever run. Post moose chaos, the boys started packing for the overnight rafting trip (the girls were smart and did it the night before) while we had a bagel bar to fuel up for the day ahead. We split into two boats and hit the Arkansas River on the world famous Browns Canyon section. Alden and Jamie took charge on our guide Kushi’s boat, while Lee and Bobby led on Hilel’s boat, which they nicknamed “the Mamacita”. Rafting through the canyon was breathtaking – partially because of the views & partially because of the freezing cold water. We stopped for a nice & tasty beachside lunch and then continued on our way down the rapids. We made a few cliff jumping stops along the way which was most definitely a highlight. Andrew started us off strong (nailing it) & then the rest of the group quickly joined in on be fun. We floated a little ways further before settling at our stunning campsite & then spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, skipping rocks, and fly fishing (Bobby and Jackson were extremely unsuccessful). A hike up the rocks gave us gorgeous views of the canyon and the wild rapids we’d be tackling first thing in the morning. Reese took charge of collecting firewood while the group played Mafia & enjoyed dinner, s’mores, and a Dutch oven cake to top it all off. Our very first LODs (Leaders of the Day), Alden & Lee, led us in another great Moonup to end the night. A perfect day on the Arkansas River, and how lucky are we to get to do it again tomorrow!
We kicked off the next morning with a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, and watermelon, washed down by some OJ – just what we needed. Charlotte, Alden, Jackson, Reese, and Teddy handled dish duty before we hit the river. Lee and Andrew led “the Mamacita” while Jamie and Alden powered through the other. Today’s rafting was packed with class 3 rapids, making it even more wild than day one. Rapids like Widow Maker, Graveyard,Pinball, Zoom Flume, & Pinball had us laughing and screaming the whole way down. We stopped for lunch at Hecla Junction, quickly devoured some chicken caesar wraps, and then tackled the infamous class 4 rapid, Sidell’s Hole. This one is NOTORIOUS for flipping rafts, but thanks to some strong paddling from Quinn and Bobby, we made it through flip-free. Lee and London lead the boat “Mamacita” flip free as well and claim to have won the race. After a splash battle & a neck and neck race to end the rafting trip (the Mamacita boat wants us to tell yall they won), we packed up and headed to the town of Leadville which sits at an altitude over 10,000 feet. We visited the famous Melanzana store, enjoyed some local ice cream, tried (and failed) to hit the post office, and stocked up on dinner supplies at our all-time favorite grocery store, City Market! Dinner was a hit with pasta, chicken, caprese salad, and Texas toast. We took advantage of this meal to introduce one of our favorite Moondance traditions – sumping the chicken (drinking the chicken juice from the cans to Leave No Trace)! The kids think it’s gross, so naturally, we turned it into a boys vs. girls competition. Quinn led the girls to victory, while the boys chickened out-pun intended. While Andrew & Charlotte cooked the chicken & pasta like pros, the rest of the group played games of football & spikeball. Post-pasta feast, Teddy and the dish crew rocked clean-up once again! LODs Andrew & Tate wrapped up the night with Moonup, discussing the very important question of: if you could be any fictional character who would you be?
We kicked off day 4 with a cereal bar breakfast before heading to Captain Zipline for a day of ropes courses and ziplines. Bobby and Charlotte went X-games mode & successfully completed the toughest high ropes course, a double black diamond. Anna Webb and London opted for the more relaxed experience, taking it slow & soaking in the views. After two grueling hours on the ropes course, we refueled with lunch and held a quick mock trial before tackling the zipline course. The six ziplines offered great hikes in between, and Lee and Jackson found a new fascination with spear grass – nature is cool. London had an epic self-rescue after she found herself stuck in the middle of the zipline, dangling over a 200 foot canyon. She pulled herself to safety with ease (we were all so impressed). After a hot but successful day, we hopped on the road again headed for the Great Sand Dunes, everyone pumped for the adventure ahead. We hit the grocery store with LODs Bobby and Quinn and decided on a feast of burgers, dogs, black bean burgers, and brats. After dinner, we had a meaningful Moonup and then called it a night, ready for a surprise 3:00 AM wake-up for a sunrise sand dunes hike. Teddy was a huge help at camp once again, doing dishes and picking up-he’s an absolute stud, and we don’t know what we’d do without him. His fantastic expedition behavior earned him an LOD nomination for the sand dunes day! Such a beast!
We woke the kids up at 3AM because obviously the early bird gets the worm… They were all thrilled (kind of)! Our breakfast of champions included mini bites, Z bars, Rice Krispies treats, applesauce,and Good Made granola bars – just what the doctor ordered. We started our hike around 4AM & Lee led the charge up the massive 500+ foot dunes, a true bucket list experience. Tate crushed the hike despite her minor ankle setback, a true stud. We all summited Star Dune, the tallest sand dune in North America, and took some time to sled, surf, & just soak it all in. Andrew and Teddy decided to absolutely send it down the backside of Star Dune, a memory the group most definitely wont forget. We hiked back to the van & then surprised the group with their favorite activity so far – SHOWERS! We cooked a sweet brunch of pancakes, sausage, & scrambled eggs & then headed off for a long road trip to Ridgway State Park where we will prepare to enter the infamous backcountry – we can’t wait.
As we wrap up our update, we’re gearing up for a 5 mile hike to basecamp just over 10,000 feet above sea level – so basically Everest Basecamp. The night before entering the backcountry feels like Christmas Eve for an eight-year-old awaiting a Death Star Lego set. The backcountry holds the same excitement as a dog getting a new rawhide bone. Picking out GORP supplies is like a fifth grader choosing their back-to-school sneakers and brand new Crayola pencils. Duck-taping our ditty bags requires the same focus as meticulously assembling a model airplane from your grandpa. In case you couldn’t tell, we’re so amped. Get ready to rock out. It. Is. Game. Time.
That’s all for now folks – we’ll leave you on the edge of your seats. Until next time.
Peace n love,
Jamie, Henry, and Elly (King J, Unc, and Twin)
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Student Shout Outs!!!
Alden: Hi Mom and Dad, I love You! I am having a really fun time
Andrew: Hi Mom and Dad! I am having so much fun! Love you!
Charlotte: Hey Mom and Dad! Happy birthday Dorthy! Love y’all!
Anna Webb: I am having so much fun! How was the beach? Love you guys!
Jackson: Hey Mom, I am having a great time! Miss and love y’all tons!
Bobby: Love you Mom and Dad, I miss y’all. Can’t wait to see y’all again.
Quinn: Hi Mom and Dad! I am having so much fun at Moondance. I love you so much <3.
Tate: Hey! I fell off my raft but I am fine, just a little banged up. I love you guys so much!
Reese: Dear Mom and Dad, sand surfing was awesome and we woke up at midnight! So excited to see you guys, I love you all!
London: Hi Mama, Tommy, Daddy, and Boo! I am having fun here and making friends, done some cool stuff; my favorite has been watching the sunrise on the sand dune! Miss & love y’all sooooooooo much <3.
Lee: Dear Mom and Dad, thank you so much for sending on Moondance! I am having so much fun. I love you!
Teddy: Dear Mom and Paps, I am doing great. Having fun. Love y’all!
Safe Arrival in Colorado!
July 11, 2024
Hello Colorado Trail Families!
We heard from our leaders this afternoon that the group has landed safely in Denver 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
Safe Arrival in Colorado!
July 11, 2024
Hey Colorado Trail Families!
The group has safely landed and the trip is off to a great start! We can’t wait to share more updates 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
