Final Farewell!
June 25, 2026
Hello families and friends! Kiki and Henry here to share our final updates from our last and most special moments of this trip.
We woke up at our gorgeous lakeside campsite to enjoy bagels, muffins, and fruit while making our way to the rafting put-in on the Salmon River. After getting all packed up into our dry bags and hearing instructions from our guides, we embarked on our first day of the 73-mile journey, white water rafting on one of the longest undammed rivers in the country. On our first day, we experienced the natural beauty of the Salmon and its rich history while splashing through class 2 and 3 rapids. Julia and Marian enjoyed sitting in the captain’s seats at the front of the raft, also known as “riding the bull”. Carter showed us all her pro-paddling skills from years of canoeing at summer camp, while Will cracked jokes and kept everyone entertained while on the water. Upon arrival at our beach campsite, Henry K was very helpful in setting up camp quickly so we could all swim and hang out on the beach after a long day of paddling. Gabby volunteered to help the guides with dinner as they prepared a spectacular meal of chicken, wild rice, and asparagus with freshly baked carrot cake for dessert. Our amazing LODs, Marian and Brad, then led us in Moonup, where we discussed our biggest moments of learning and growth from the trip. Falling asleep with the lull of the river beside us and the bright crescent moon above us, everyone got a great night’s sleep before another big day on the river.
The following day, we woke up to breakfast burritos and hot chocolate made by our guides as we packed up and headed back on the water. We started the day with class 2 and 3 rapids, which gave everyone a few good morning splashes to wake up. We pulled off onto the beach for a small hike to see ruins from mining cabins along the Salmon during the 1800s Gold Rush, while simultaneously scoping out our biggest rapid yet- Snow Hole Canyon. Famous for its huge waves and extensive whitewater, this was our first class 4 rapid of the journey. We headed back to our boats and pressed on with Dutch and Connor bravely leading the group in paddling through drops and splashy waves. We came off the water once more for lunch, where our guides provided gourmet sandwiches, salad, and snacks to fuel up for the rest of our day. We floated through a few other rapids, having silly conversations, talking about our spirit animals, and answering questions like “if you could shoot three liquids out of your fingers, what would you pick?” We learned a few games to play while on the rafts, like T-grip trust falls and imitating the sound of the magical “beaver shark” tail, created by smacking one’s paddle at the perfect angle on the water’s surface. Once we arrived at another gorgeous rocky beach to stay for the night, everyone worked together to set up camp and help the guides with the kitchen so we could spend the rest of the afternoon swimming and playing. Bryant, Dutch, and Brad played monkey in the middle with the football in the water while Carter and Ali soaked up the sun along the shore. Our LODs, Henry K and Gabby, assisted the guides in cooking our Michelin-level dinner of pork chops, mashed potatoes, seasoned sweet & spicy veggies, and decadent brownies for dessert. After dinner, we had our own Big Wild episode of America’s Got Talent featuring a dance battle between the boys and girls for who helped with the dishes. Even though Brad and Bryant boogied their hearts out, the consensus was a victory for the girls. We ended the night with Moonup overlooking the sunset over the river, making special memories and reflecting on the beauty of the rafting section thus far.
On our third day on the river, Henry and I woke the group up with Jack Johnson’s soothing voice singing ‘Banana Pancakes’, which felt fitting as our guides prepared a stellar breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and the best pancakes we’d ever had. Today was considered our longest day on the water, as we were only a few miles out from experiencing the mighty confluence of the Salmon and Snake River. Our day began with an opportunity for cliff jumping, where we jumped off the basalt columns along the riverside into the water below. We hopped back in our rafts and continued on to a famous creek that poured into a waterfall, which formed a perfect natural ice bath. Connor, Gabby, and Bryant braved the cold together, hopping up into the natural tub to dunk their heads in the refreshing water. We then passed through one of the most beautiful stretches of the Salmon called Blue Canyon, known for its shiny blue lava rock and narrow passages which form the exciting Checkerboard and Sluice rapids. While passing through the rapids, the group had many wildlife sightings, including big horn sheep, wild turkeys, deer, and herring. LODs Dutch and Bess helped prepare our lunch, which we enjoyed on the Oregon side of the river to check off another state on our list. After lunch, we chugged along to the confluence- the point where North America’s two deepest river gorges meet and flow outward, eventually making it to the Pacific Ocean. We then took a pit stop at Cache Creek Ranch, a landmark where we learned about the local wildlife, plants, and history of the Nez Perce tribe. Pulling off the river, we set up camp on another beachy area with fruit trees growing wild mulberries and apricots around us. Our guides made us a fan favorite: build your own tacos with freshly made pico and a decadent cobbler for dessert, using the mulberries we picked. Our final night along the river was bittersweet, with Dutch and Bess leading the group in Moonup, where we all doubled over laughing and shared the qualities that we admired in one another.
We woke up the last morning of rafting, ready to conquer the day while our guides made us English muffin breakfast sandwiches and sliced up fresh melon. Will was especially helpful with the dishes; eager to slide back onto the Snake River for our final few miles of the journey. We motored a stretch of the river and paddled the last section to our outlet, where we reunited with our beloved van and enjoyed lunch to-go packed by our guides. After unloading our boats and saying an appreciative farewell to our rafting guides, we embarked on our road trip back to Idaho for the night. Our drive included naps, surprise Oreos, and lots of jamming out. We made a pit stop to grab funny outfits for our banquet dinner the next night, and grabbed our materials to make everyone’s favorite dinner yet- pesto pasta with grilled chicken, Caesar salad, and garlic bread. Everyone enjoyed a hot shower, and afterwards, the LODs Bryant and Carter, helped us make dinner. We enjoyed it family style while the sun set over the Snake River beside our campsite- a location rich in history following the path of original pioneers on the Oregon Trail.
The next morning, we hit the road early to maximize time for our town day in Jackson! The car ride consisted of breakfast to-go with yogurt, croissants, fruit, and OJ, and many morning naps. Upon arrival in Jackson a few hours later, our LODs Connor and Ali helped grab some world-famous pizza in Jackson for the group’s lunch, which we ate in a park downtown. Next, we shopped for anything and everything! Hats, bags, sweatshirts, and souvenirs galore, it’s safe to say we took advantage of the great shops in Jackson Hole. We ended our shopping with a surprise trip to the best gourmet ice cream in town. We headed back to our campsite to organize and help clean all the gear we used during our amazing session. Naps and downtime were enjoyed before the most exciting part of our night- an outfit reveal for our crazy banquet get-ups. Brad, Julia, and Will had especially interesting attire that surely made everyone laugh. Next, we headed back into town for a yummy meal at a local American joint. Whether it was a Philly cheesesteak, burger, or grilled cheese, everyone loved it! Our final Moonup of the trip was bittersweet, consisting of questions like “where do you see yourself in 5 years” and denoting our immense gratitude for each other, the activities we did, the beautiful outdoors, and our community as a whole.
Henry and I would like to close with a thank you to all the parents who made this trip possible for your child. Seeing everyone off at the airport today was difficult, as the past two weeks have been extremely impactful for us, along with the students. This is truly a special group of individuals, and we are so proud of everything they accomplished and learned on this trip. We are grateful for each and every one of you; thank you, BGW 2B!
Signing off for the last time,
Henry & Kiki
Wild West!
June 20, 2026
Howdy everyone! Kiki and Henry and here again to report on the next few days of the best two weeks ever!
Today we woke up and had a speedy breakfast of cream cheese bagels and fruit to get in the road for our first day of climbing in the Tetons. We played some group games and hacky sack while getting prepped with our harnesses, helmets, and climbing shoes for the day thanks to our awesome guides from Exum. We learned basic climbing and belaying skills on the sides of big boulders surrounding the lake. Marian led the group with her past climbing experience, and Connor inspired everyone with her perseverance to conquer the most difficult pitches up the rock. The group headed back to camp for a well deserved dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with Caesar salad executed by Bess and her sous chefs, followed by a special surprise- a trip to the Jackson hole rodeo! The kids had an absolute blast dancing and cheering in the crowd, especially when the announcer shouted out Moondance!
The next morning we woke up to yummy eggs, sausage, and bacon before heading back over to the Tetons for our second day of climbing: bouldering, multi-pitching, and rappelling. Brad and Henry K conquered some gnarly vertical pitches, while Carter and Will practiced their pro-rappelling skills. After a long day of climbing and lunch on the rocks over looking the lake, we headed back to camp for some down time filled with card games, throwing the football, naps and reading. Our leaders of the day Bess and Ali made an American classic dinner for the group- hot dogs and creamy Mac and cheese. Henry and I took the group out for a sweet treat run- blizzards from the Dairy Queen in town! We made our way over to a beautiful spot to have Moonup overlooking the pink and purple sunset behind the silhouette of the Tetons.
Yesterday we made our long drive from Wyoming to Idaho for our rafting section. We all piled in the van bright and early to grind out our drive, with the first few hours consisting for car naps and calming music. The group shared their favorite gas station car snacks while we played games like trivia, cards, sing along karaoke, and friendship bracelet making. We made a surprise stop for lunch at everyone’s favorite- Chic Fil A! We stopped at a park to eat lunch and stretch our legs before pressing on with the rest of our roadtrip. Upon arrival to our gorgeous campsite on the banks of a lake in a beautiful national forest in Idaho. After setting camp up as quick as possible, we headed down to swim and play water games. Our swimmming was followed by a campsite luxury- hot showers! After getting clean, our LODs Carter and Will jumped right into making dinner for the group. Chicken and cheese quesadillas with a Mexican dip trio and tortilla chips were almost as good as the conversations and laughs we had at the table. Bryant and Julia volunteered to help clean up dinner, and then we headed back down to the boat dock for a sunset moonup overlooking the water. Our LODs prompted us with introspective questions about our character traits and reflected on our trip thus far. Moonup may have eneded with Henry and I jumping in the lake with our clothes on to make everyone laugh…
We are sad that our time has gone by so fast already but grateful for the time we have had thus far with this amazing group. We are now headed to our rafting section on the Salmon River, where we will cherish our last few days with this group!
Until next time, Henry and Kiki
Thank you for paying for this trip and the materials necessary to go to Big Wild. I am having so much fun and seeing many beautiful views. Rock climbing has been my favorite activity so far! Love, Connor
Thank you so much for this trip I have had so much fun and have made so many memories, I’m so sad that it is ending soon but I am excited to see y’all. I love and miss y’all so much. Love, Bess
Thank you so much for sending me on to big wild. This will be an experience I will remember for the rest of my life and I have made such good friends. I have had such a fun time and I’m sad it’s going to end soon. I miss y’all so much Love, Ali
Thank you so much for sending me to big wild! I am having so much fun and experiencing many new things that I will remember forever. I have made really good friends! Time is flying by but I’m super excited to see you! Miss you and love you! Love, Gabby
Thank you guys for sending me on this trip I’m having a lot of fun love you guys so much see you soon, Bradley
Thank you for sending me on this trip. I am having. I’m having Lot of fun. I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I come home, Dutch
Thank you for sending me on this amazing trip. I have made friends and memories that I will never forget. There have been highs and lows but I try to stay grateful no matter what. I’m excited to see y’all but I also know I’ll want to see you when I return. Love you so much, Bray
Thank you for sending me on this trip I can not wait to tell you all about the trip, Henry
Thank you so much for sending me on big wild it has been one of my favorite out west experiences and we’re barely half way through, I’m so excited to tell you my favorite parts love you, Will
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to do new things and meet new people! I can’t wait to see you guys. I love you and will tell you all about Big Wild when I see y’all, Carter 🙂
Thank you for sending me on Moondance. I have really been able to step outside my comfort zone and try new things. I love this trip, but I also can’t wait to see you guys soon -Julia
Thank you Mom and Dad for sending me on this ground breaking trip. The exquisite agenda has filled my days with smiles and laughter. I forgot to say I love you in the last note, love you!
-Marian
Big Fun in Big Wild!
June 17, 2026
Hey Moondance Families!
Kiki and Henry here, and we’d LOVE to share our trip updates from this amazing adventure so far.
Our airport day was spent getting to know such an amazing group of kids, playing games including shake and pop, Calabria, hacky sack, icebreakers, and more. We later relocated to a park in downtown Jackson where we enjoyed some delicious pizza from a Jackson hotspot. Driving past the majestic Tetons, we made our way to our campsite. With a beautiful sunset behind us, we went along with our lessons on tent set ups and our first Moonup! All students got a new Moondance t-shirt while we talked about our excitement for the adventure ahead of us.
We began our next day bright and early with quite a crisp temperature but smiles and bright eyes for the day ahead. We showed everyone the ropes with camp cooking and where future meals will help be cooked by them cheffing up cheesy egg and potato breakfast burritos for an amazing start for our first day of activities ahead. After breakfast we packed up camp and moved into some backpacking prep, where I (Kiki) led students in “the Duffle Shuffle”, the formula we use for bringing everything we need to get us ready to have an amazing next three days in the backcountry!
After that we headed to a beautiful lake- the famous glacial lake below the Tetons, where we walked to a small beach along the bank to swim, sunbathe, and enjoy a sandwich bar for lunch! Despite the chilling water temperature, Bryant, Bradley, and Will were quick to wade out to the nearest big rock to enjoy the water and breathtaking view.
Marian and Henry K helped out as our LODs (leaders of day), aiding in our transition to our next activity which was fly fishing in Pinedale. Our guides taught lessons about the different species of flies we fish. All the girls casted like pros during the casting clinic, with Ali demonstrating a perfect whip of the fly. After fishing, we headed to a local burger joint to fuel up for backpacking with a dinner of burgers and fries. Demonstrating amazing leadership qualities, Julia, Henry, Dutch, and Brad volunteered to help fill up the whole group’s water bottles across street. We ended the night with karaoke and sing along songs on the way to our pre backpacking campsite, where we all got a good night’s rest before heading into the backcountry .
On the morning of backpacking section we whipped up bodega style bacon egg and cheeses while leading everyone in packing their packs and distributing tents and group gear for the next three days. We met our incredible outfitter at the trailhead and embarked on a beautiful hike past Darwin ranch. We stopped at a rushing waterfall for lunch and power naps. Our hike continued and opened up into a beautiful meadow with Black Peak mountain in the distance and red clay sandstone to our right. Gabby carried the group with her great attitude, and we arrived campsite and to swim and hang out by the nearby river after a long day. Our LODs Julia and Will cooked personal pita pizzas for everyone, and we ended the night with surprise hot chocolate and Moonup.
On our middle day of backpacking, the group enjoyed a lazy morning with delicious chocolate chip and strawberry pancakes cheffed up by our LODs Connor and Dutch. Our guide led us on a gorgeous day hike loop past the waterfall, enjoying lunch on a plateau between snowy peaks at 9,300 feet. After lunch we descended passed crater lakes and swam at a river at the base of Gros Ventre wilderness. Following swimming, we hiked to an overlook at the top of the falls and saw the breathtaking view of the valley below us.
Bryant spearheaded the group in the idea to fly fish along banks of the river. Bess showed off her natural casting skills. Back at the campsite, the group played card games around the fire while the smell of burrito bowls grew stronger. Everyone fueled up on dinner over laughs and conversations about their hometown favorite treats. We ended the night with Moonup led by our LODs, where we talked about our dream superpowers and challenges we have overcome. Everyone then got cozy in their tents to rest up for a big day tomorrow.
Our last day backpacking was a hike out through the meadows which we came in. The group pressed on through the elevation, with Carter’s enthusiasm leading us through. Everyone was surprised with skittles and starbursts before the final push of the hike, making for an exciting and rewarding race to the finish line. The afternoon was a hit with soft serve, burgers, and warm, clean showers on the agenda. We ended the night with Moonup led by Brad and Carter who never fail to make us laugh. The past few days have truly been a joy and we can’t wait for the rest of the adventure to come!
Signing off,
Henry and Kiki
Shoutouts:
Hi mommy and daddy, can’t wait to see you guys and Maggie, love you so much I’m having a blast! -Bradley
Hi fam miss you guys a ton and can’t wait to see y’all soon. We just finished backpacking and it was pretty hard but fun ( my hips hurt), love you guys so much and I’m having so much fun love – Ali
Hi Mom and Dad! I miss y’all so much, and I am having an amazing time! The trip has been so cool and quick, see y’all soon!😉 – Marian
Hi mom and dad! Miss you lot but I’m having so much fun! I have done so much fun stuff and have had the best time! Love you and miss you! – Gabby
Hi mom and dad! I miss y’all so much and I can’t wait to see you. I have had so much fun and everyone is so nice and I’m so excited for the rest of the trip I love y’all and see you soon! -Bess
Hey mom and dad having a lot of fun and Kiki and Henry are great -Will
Hope y’all are having as much fun as me. Btw we packed way to much- Bryant
Hi mom I’m having a lot of fun learning new things. I am doing great . – Dutch
Hi mom and dad! I’m having so much fun hiking and backpacking. I miss everyone so much! I love you and I’ll see y’all soon! – Connor
Hi! Mom, Dad and Ben I miss y’all and am excited to see you soon! It is very pretty here and I have been having fun! I love you guys! – Carter
Hi mom and dad. I am at a campfire right now. I backpacked 13 miles over the three days. Ok bye. I love u guys -Julia
Hello family, I am well, I am having fun and I am enjoying the trip. Tell Lila I am looking forward to seeing the interior plans for the A frame. – Henry
Safe Arrival in Jackson Hole!
June 13, 2026
Hello Big Wild Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Jackson! 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 trip, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
