Stacks of Pancakes and Sleeping Under The Stars
June 21, 2025
Hello one final time from Wyoming! We have had such an amazing time over the last two weeks and are so grateful to have shared this wonderful experience with all of your children. Everyone has grown so much and stepped out of their comfort zones, learned how to persevere, learned what it means to live in the moment, and most importantly have had tons of fun. We are so proud of every single person in this group.
Since our last update, we have spent lots of hours in the car on our road trip back to Jackson Hole. We drove through Boise, Idaho-home of the blue turf field of the Boise State Broncos. We could only see it from afar, but Mason, Nick, and Wright were so stoked to see it and wished we had time to visit. Unfortunately it was closed when we drove through town 🙁 We pit-stopped at Swig after Taylor and Amiya had been eager to try it for the last 5 days. Everyone got a soda and tried out fun flavors. Afterward, we got dinner in town and kept driving toward our campsite in Glenn’s Ferry. We cowboy camped for the fifth night in a row and shared some laughs as we stargazed and dozed off to sleep.
Our final day began with an early morning and round two of Master Chef! This time, the theme was breakfast and everyone was required to make an egg dish and a pancake dish. Marion, Mason, Elle, Charlie, and SJ took the crown with cinnamon pancakes and scrambled eggs with bacon. Elle and Marion’s cinnamon concoction was so yummy! In the other group, Taylor, Maggie, Wright, Nick, and Amiya made a delicious meal of avocado toast with a fried egg, a side of bacon, and pancakes garnished with strawberries. It was delicious! We had a hard time deciding the winner.
After breakfast, we hit the road to continue through the rest of Idaho. Maggie was cueing lot of country songs from the back-The Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue has been a group favorite over the last couple weeks. We stopped in Pocatello and hit the thrift store for fun outfits for our banquet night. Charlie got a pair of big red sunglasses, a pink scarf, and a fluffy sweater that he rocked! SJ found a long red skirt and some lopsided glasses. We all found wacky outfits and put them on for the rest of the day. We got lots of looks and compliments!
After arriving back in Jackson Hole, we set up camp, had our final banquet night-burgers, salad, and pizza at a local grill in town, got one last ice cream treat (thank you to our amazing founder Hayes and new president Chris who are in town visiting for the weekend), and had our final Moonup in front of the sunset and the Tetons. The clouds and sun on the mountain range was so beautiful, and a great way to finish a great session.
This has certainly been an unforgettable experience and we are so blessed to have shared it with this group of amazing individuals. Yeehaw one final time! 🤠 🌄
With love,
Evie & Sam
Dinner Crafting and River Rafting
June 19, 2025
Hello Big Wild friends and families, this time from IDAHO!! We have had quite the adventure with some action-packed days since our last trip update that we are so excited to share about. Climbing, rafting, and a master chef cooking challenge have been our main highlights since y’all last heard from us.
The evening that we returned back to Jackson Hole, we headed to set up camp and then cooked a yummy meal of ramen with chicken and veggies. The group set up a spikeball game after dinner and everyone was so stoked to finally have an opportunity to play (we couldn’t take it backpacking since we did not have space in our packs). Wright led the pack with the spikeball enthusiasm which has continued throughout the last few days (keep reading to see what we mean!). As we were playing and hanging out camp, a big wind and rain storm came through, so we huddled in the van to do Moonup as we waited out the storm. Everyone was tired from backpacking earlier that morning and fell right asleep that night to the gentle sound of rain.
The next morning, we woke bright and early to prepare for our first day of climbing with Exum Mountain Guides! Everyone snacked on blueberry muffins, fruit, and breakfast bars as we headed toward the Tetons to prep for climbing. We met our guides, Thomas and Jess, and they showed us how to use all of the gear and then took us on a short walk to Jenny Lake, where we then boated across the lake to our climbing spot. We first warmed up on some smaller rocks and Marion billy-goated (almost ran!) up one of the pitches. We walked up to Hidden Falls and had a quick snack before splitting into groups and beginning our harder climbing. A lot of the group was nervous for the climbing days but everyone tried it out and did great! We ate lunch on the top of a rock with beautiful views of Jenny Lake and Jackson Hole. After lunch, we learned how to rappel down a rock face. Again, everyone was nervous at first but did great!
We finished up climbing in the late afternoon and headed into town, where we surprised the group with an ice cream stop! We hung out in the park and ate our ice cream and then had a few minutes to get souvenirs in town. Nick, Wright, Mason, and Charlie found matching fluffy raccoon hats with a tail which made us all chuckle, and they soon became such a hit that we all went back and got some more the next day! We finished up in the park playing more hacky sack and then headed back to our campsite where we had a master chef competition. We split the group into two and each team made a dish. Amiya, Wright, Nick, Taylor, and Maggie made steak and pasta with sautéed veggies and garlic bread which was delicious. Charlie, Mason, Elle, Marion, and SJ made fajitas with Elle’s signature guacamole that everyone was stuffing themselves with. Both dishes were so yummy that Sam and I could not decide on a winner and it was such a hit that everyone has been asking for a second tiebreaker round. We finished that night with a beautiful Moonup in front of the Tetons as the sun was setting. Many of our students mentioned that this had been their favorite day of the trip so far.
The next day, we returned to climbing school for day 2. This time, we had 4 guides so our groups were smaller and everyone was as able to climb more which was great! Each group did about five pitches and climbed much higher than the day before. We could hear groups cheering each other on across the rock faces and hyping each other up on the difficult parts, which was awesome to hear! The vibes that day were so supportive and everyone was really getting out of their comfort zone. Maggie, Elle, and SJ’s group was crushing it and were encouraging each other so much. Amiya cruised right up each pitch and was so impressed by the views. We finished the climbing day with more rappelling and then headed back to camp. We all cooked burgers, hotdogs, Mac and cheese, and salad and then left for the Jackson Hole Rodeo! We got lots of looks as we pulled up in our van and climbed out with 12 people in matching raccoon hats! Mason had the idea for all of us to match, and like we said before, they really have been such a hit! The boys did not take them off for two whole days.
The next morning, we woke up early and hit the road for a looonnggg day of travel to Idaho. The sun was coming up as we drove over Teton Pass which was beautiful. The drive ended up being about 10 hours but the group was creating games and riddles in the back, giggling a lot, and commenting about the amount of farms and dirt in Idaho. We stopped in Twin Falls at Shoshone Falls (a giant waterfall) to stretch our legs and played some more hacky sack in the park before hitting the road again. We arrived that evening in McCall, Idaho, where we made tortellini and veggies for dinner. Everyone decided to cowboy camp (sleep on the ground with no tent) that night! We stargazed in the campground and everyone was laughing and joking a lot before we dozed off to sleep.
We woke bright and early yet again for our first day of rafting! The group rallied and we hopped in the van to head to Riggins, Idaho where we met our river guides for the start of our four day rafting trip. We were met by Kamree, Kellen, and Howard and then drove up a long dirt road along the side of the Salmon River. Our guides made us a salad for lunch and then we started off down the river in our rafts. The first day, the water was at 20,000 cfs (cubic feet per second), which is still pretty high since it is early in the season. That afternoon, we rafted for about 8 miles and parked on a large white sand beach (yes, white sand beaches in Idaho!!) Everyone was so surprised. We arrived to camp pretty early, so the students had some free time-which resulted in a six hour spikeball tournament. Everyone was so locked in that they only stopped to eat and clean up dinner. Wright finally took the crown as the spikeball champion, and by that point everyone was so exhausted that we did Moonup on the beach and headed to bed.
On day 2 of rafting, we had some fun rapids! At lunch, we stopped on a big sandy beach and our guides flipped the raft and set up a slip n slide for us. Charlie was loving it and did it over and over again into the chilly water. We went about ten miles down the river that day and then stopped on another sandy beach in Riggins for the night. As we were setting up camp and hanging out, we heard some noise coming from the shore and looked over and all four boys had started a band with the oars and side of the boat. They were singing to Don’t Stop Believing and Sweet Caroline. That evening, our guide Howard was fishing and finally caught one! Nick caught our group’s first fish of the trip which resulted in a lot of cheering from the shore. Marion and Sam found a rock to jump off and spent a few minutes swimming before we went to bed. We played more spikeball and did Moonup before another night of cowboy camping.
Day 3 of rafting came with the most rapids! We started the day with Taylor remarking about her love for Idaho and and bouncing around on the beach in her sleeping bag, which made everyone giggle. After breakfast, we got on the river and hit 8 big rapids before lunch which everyone was so excited about. We had lots of opportunities to swim off the side of the raft, and SJ and Maggie led the pack giggling and jumping off the raft. We arrived to camp that afternoon and happened to be on a beach right next to a store with ice cream which was reviving from a long hot day in the sun! Our guides cooked us a delicious meal of fajitas for dinner, and then we played a round of survivor-credit to Charlie for the idea! We had a relay race, Moondance trivia, and camp games. Mason emerged as the winner after a final round of hacky sack. We were all so tired and after Moonup, dozed off immediately.
This morning, we woke up and rafted another 10 miles and then hopped on the road back toward Wyoming. We were so lucky to have four beautiful sunny days with no rain for our raft trip and for everyone’s positive attitude and enthusiasm.
This really has been such an amazing group of individuals and we are so lucky to be able to have spent the last couple weeks with them. We still have a couple days left and are cherishing our last time together. Stay tuned for our next update! Yeehaw! 🤠🌄
❤️ Evie & Sam
Thank You’s:
Amiya: I am so grateful for this trip. I learned so much and met so many new people. Thank you for sending me to Moondance.
Taylor: hey mom and dad! I’ve had such a great time on this trip! Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity! I love and miss you guys! ❤️ Tay
Maggie: hey mom and dad! Thanks for this opportunity to have an amazing trip with my new friends! ❤️
SJ: Hi mom and dad! I am so grateful that I was able to go on this trip! I have truly learned so much and I am so close with my group! Love you see you soon! ❤️
Elle: Hey Mom and Dad! Thank for giving me this opportunity again. I’ve had such a fun time. Miss you both. ❤️
Marion: Hey Mom and Dad! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip. I am incredibly grateful. I have been able to meet amazing people and do really cool things. Love you.
Mason: Thanks Mom and Dad for sending me on Moondance. I’ve had a great time and met a lot of cool people. Love you.
Wright: thank you for sending me on this joyous experience Mom and Dad.
Charlie: Thanks Mom and Dad for letting me get to go on Moondance. It’s incredible and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
Nick: Thank you Mom and Dad for sending me on this trip. I had a great time!
Good Times and Throwing Flies
June 13, 2025
Hello from Wyoming! We are having such a great time so far and have already accomplished so much! After the students arrived on the first night, we headed to our campsite and played a few group games before heading to a famous barn to watch the sunset. Everyone was giddy to be here and in awe of the Tetons. We ate pizza for dinner and played lots and lots and LOTS of hacky sack (a new group favorite activity!) before heading to sleep.
We started the first full day with an early wake up and set out to meet fly fishing guides for a casting clinic. We used paper clips to practice casting before tying on hooks. Everyone got a hang of casting really quickly and our guides were so impressed! To finish the clinic, the guides set up a bucket on a table and challenged everyone to cast their paper clip into the bucket. Nick and Marion both landed it in under five casts and earned hats from the guides! After that, we headed to a fly rod shop to get more equipment since everyone was so eager to fish more.
Later that day, we began the drive up to a trailhead where we started backpacking the following day. The drive winded up a long canyon on a bumpy dirt road along a river where we saw multiple antelope and grouse along the way. Mason was searching left and right for any animals. After an hour, he yelled from the left front row of the van “look, an elk!”. We all looked and a second later, a rabbit dashed in front of the van followed by a coyote that snatched it in its mouth in the middle of the road. Everyone was shocked and screamed! The coyote then dropped the rabbit and dashed off. We all were so surprised to see three animals in such close proximity and none of us had seen something like that before. As we continued up the road, Elle led the group in card games and riddles from the back of the van. The girls were braiding each other’s hair and requesting Mamma Mia songs on aux. After two hours on the road, we arrived at camp and taught the group about backcountry safety. Everyone was tired but helped out with dinner, setting up tents, and dishes. We were so appreciative of everyone stepping up and helping out!
The next morning, we woke up early to pack our bags and start our six mile backpacking trip. We met our guides, Darby and Morgan, (and their dog Red!) at the trailhead and then headed out. We taught everyone how to use maps to navigate and since Wright and Amiya were our leaders of the day, they helped navigate us to our campsite. They both did a great job motivating the group and keeping positive energy throughout the day. Red led the pack and was bounding through the bushes. On our hike, we saw two moose off in the distance and Red barked them off. We made lunch wraps at a beautiful waterfall and continued up to our campsite that had an incredible view of a meadow and another waterfall. At night, we made yummy pesto and chicken pasta and hung out around a campfire.
On day two of backpacking, we caught up on sleep! In the morning, we made banana pancakes for breakfast which were so yummy. We then went on a short hike to a meadow with a meandering river where Charlie practiced his casting and patiently waited to catch a fish. We found a watering hole where a lot of the group jumped in the freezing river. Taylor and Maggie had been wanting to swim for the past few days so they were the first to jump in and motivated everyone else to jump. After the afternoon was spent fishing and swimming, we headed back to camp and played group games before dinner. The games were interrupted with a lighting and hail storm but everyone did a great job following lightning protocol. After the storm, we continued with a dance party which SJ crushed, and we were impressed with her dance moves and enthusiasm! For dinner, our leaders of the day helped us with backcountry pizzas. We spent another night huddled around a campfire.
We are now out of the backcountry and headed back toward Jackson Hole for the next few days. Everyone did such a great job in the backcountry and we are proud of them for all their hard work and eagerness. We can’t wait to share the rest of our adventures in our next trip update! Yeehaw from the Wild West!
– Evie & Sam
Shoutouts:
Maggie: hey mom and dad! We have been backpacking and just got back. Miss y’all so much, but have made lots of friends. Have fun at the beach. ❤️Maggie
Marion: hey mom and dad! Been having a lot of fun. Just finished backpacking – the views were incredible. Miss you guys.
Charlie: what’s up mom & dad. I’m having a great time and hope you guys get some quiet time without all of us at the house. We are all going on amazing adventures and I’m so grateful you signed me up for Moondance. Miss y’all.
Mason: Hey mom and dad I hope y’all are enjoying the house to yourself. I am having a lot of fun. We just got back from backpacking for 2 days. Miss you.
Nick: Hey Mom and Dad, we have been backpacking for the past few days and it has been great!
Wright: What’s up Mother and Father we have been backpacking for 2 days it’s been chill. See y’all soon. – Ya boi Wright
Taylor: Hey mom and dad! I’ve been backpacking for 2 days and now we’re headed to a new campsite. I love and miss you! ❤️ Tay
SJ: Hey mom and dad! I have been fly fishing and backpacking the last couple of days and I am having so much fun making friends! I love you so so much! See you soon! – Eddie
Amiya: Hi Mom and Dad! I have been having so much fun. I went hiking, backpacking, and I learned how to fly fish. Tell Ella and Lily I miss them. We camped with a dog named Red and it reminded me of Scout. I miss y’all. Love Amiya
Elle: Hey mom and dad! I have been having sooo much fun and making many new friends. I miss you guys so much and love you both!
Howdy From Jackson!
June 8, 2025
Hello Big Wild Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Jackson Hole! The trip is off to a great start, and we are so excited to hear more stories as they begin their adventure.
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next 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
