Rockin Out on Rafts!
July 9, 2026
As we make our road trip back to Wyoming, we reminisce on the magical days Big Wild 4A spent in Idaho! We kicked off our 4th of July celebrations by meeting our raft guides in McCall, Idaho, and beginning our 4-day excursion down the Lower Salmon River. The group was feeling very patriotic, with the girls buying matching USA t-shirts and everyone donning some Dollar General accessories. On our first day of rafting, the group learned the ropes of paddling, white water classifications, and how to closely follow our guides’ instructions. Immediately on getting on the river, we tackled some awesome class 2 and 3 rapids! The guides were impressed by our paddling skills, which we ultimately mastered. Duke remains the chillest kid in the group and somehow managed to keep his calm even after jumping out of the boat on the first day! Although the water was chilly, Olivia especially enjoyed jumping out of the boat and floating in moments of flat water. After rafting about 20 miles, the group set up camp right off the river on a beach. The group enjoyed one of our few slow evenings of the trip by lounging around the beach and napping. After a delicious dinner made by our amazing rafting guides, we had Moonup while watching a spectacular 4th of July sunset. After Moonup, the kids were thrilled to sleep without tents under the stars (aka, cowboy camping)!
The next day, we woke up fully rested and excited to tackle the biggest rapids on the trip. After some breakfast burritos, we got on our rafts and completed some warm-ups on class 2 and 3 rapids. Soon enough, we were ready to face our class 4 rapids, called ‘Snow Hole’ and ‘China’. Before both rapids, we hopped out of the rafts and hiked up to a viewing point where we scouted the river conditions. The guides walked us through the plan and gave us clear instructions so we would feel comfortable when taking on these huge rapids! After scouting Snow Hole, Henry gave our raft an awesome pep talk that successfully turned any fear of the rapids into excitement! The group crushed both Snow Hole and China and had an absolute blast doing it. We were seriously so impressed by their attentiveness towards the guides and expert paddling skills. Even after tackling the huge rapids, this group of thrill-seekers was still pumped to ride down one of the minor rapids out of the boat! Alden had a particularly awesome time swimming down the rapid and was glad she faced her fears. After one of our raft guides declared war on the other raft, Mariann and Zoe took it upon themselves to attempt an overthrow of the enemy raft. Although they made an excellent effort and managed to climb onto the other raft, they were ultimately pushed back into the water. They are still planning revenge efforts! After a long day of rafting, we arrived at our next campsite, where the kids enjoyed passing around the football before taking some well-deserved beach naps. Lucas was not as interested in resting as he somehow made his way up the huge hill our campsite was situated under. No one is surprised to see Lucas taking every opportunity for adventure that he can get!
We began our next day of rafting with some morning cliff jumping! Chesson was our cliff jumping MVP, and we had to practically rip him off the 20-foot cliff. Before lunch, Lux and Henry continued with their typical antics and had all of us laughing while Lux buried Henry in the sand. After lunch, engines were attached to our rafts, and we sped off to our final campsite. On the way to camp, we stopped at an orchard off the river, where the group enjoyed fresh apples and grapes. Once we got to the campsite, the group entered into an intense game of Bocce Ball. Although Wade and Chesson put up a great fight, Zoe and Alice ended up taking home the gold! After some amazing tacos, the group enjoyed a wonderful last rafting Moonup and a final night sleeping under the stars.
The next day, we had our final breakfast by the river before motoring back to our van (lovingly referred to as the ‘moon-van’). Over these past two days of travel, Lucy has been the brightest light when the group gets sick of being in the car. We have been so pleased by her constant positive energy! As we make our way back to Wyoming, we are filled with excitement to see what our final days have in store, but we could not be more sad to be nearing the end of our time with these amazing kids!
Sincerely,
CeCe and Wade
Thank yous!
Lux- Hey mom and dad, thanks for signing me up for this. It has been a ride. It’s cool here I like The Tetons. We got back from the rafting trip yesterday, there were 4 guides, one of them named Milo was cool. It was alright though, Henry and I felt like castaways baking in the sun. Thank you for sending me away. – Lux
Henry – Howdy ma and pa! First thing first, thank you guys so much for sending me here. I’m having a great time and I am very grateful to be here. I’ve pushed my comfort zone, but I’ve also done plenty of fun stuff otherwise. Everything has been a good time, but my favorite part thus far might be getting to swim in a lake at our campsite in McCall, Idaho. Idaho is an interesting place. I miss y’all, but everyone here is awesome and I’m pretty sure they like me. Also, Wade and cece know about I think you should leave! Thanks again for sending me here, I’m having a blast. Can’t wait to see yall and talk about my trip (and also be a hermit in my room and rest as well)! 😍😍 Henry the killa boy
Olivia- Hi mom and dad these past few days rafting have been the most fun part of the whole trip. I loved getting to tan on the boat and go down the rapids. Even though mom said it was the scariest thing she had ever done, it was so much fun and I loved getting splashed by the huge waves. I also loved getting to sleep outside in the beach it was the best sleep I had gotten the whole trip along with the food being so good. We had 4 rafting guides and they were really goofy you could tell they were from Idaho. We also go to go to goodwill and get crazy outfits to wear to dinner the last night. I’m kinda sad it’s almost over but I can’t wait to come home and see yall. Love yall so much.
Lucy- hey yall! It’s Lucy again. I think my last day I told yall about was before fishing so basically I caught none. That’s it. We went for like two hours and I caught none. Im never fishing again. Next we went to rafting. It was fun. Being here makes me realize I never want to leave the south like it’s pretty here but no where beats the south. Thank yall for sending me on this trip it was amazing. Please buy me cuticle clippers so they’re here when I’m home. Also can I drive up to the beach lmk. Anyway I’m so grateful for this trip and happy I got to go with olivia. Bye!
Alden- Hey mom and dad! Thank you guys so so much for sending me on this trip. It has been really fun. We went white water rafting which was fun. Anyways I’m having the best time ever and I miss yall so much. Love you!
Mariann- Hi mom and dad. Thank yall so much for sending me on Moondance! It has been so much fun! It is so pretty out here. We just finished our white water rafting trip and it was so fun! I love yall and can’t wait to see yall!
Lucas- Hey mom and dad. I’m having an amazing time everyone is so fantastic but I’m missing our pup dog every day I’m sure she had an amazing Fourth of July. We finished our rafting trip and are moving into climbing! But I love you guys and I’ll see you soon!
Alice- Hi mom and dad and ward! I’m having soooo much fun here! I’ve met great people and we have an awesome group. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip I’m so grateful that I got to experience this. I love yall so much and thank you so much for letting me go on this trip! I have so many stories to tell ya’ll and can’t wait to see you guys! Also happy birthday dad!!
Duke – Hi mom and dad, thank you so much for sending me on this trip. It’s been such a great experience and done a lot of great things. We just got done with the rafting trip which was a lot of fun. Love you guys excited to see you guys.
Zoe- Hi mom and dad!! Thank you so much for sending me on this amazing trip. I’ve had the best time ever. I’ve met some of the best people and had the best experiences. I’m gonna be so sad to leave this place and wish I could stay but also so excited to see you guys! Thank you again and I love you!!
Chesson- Hi Mom and Dad. Thank you so much for the trip. This has been one of my favorite trips I have been on. The people here are amazing! Gonna be sad to leave but am so excited to see ya’ll! Love you guys!!!!😍😍😍
Big Wild 4 Has Begun!!
July 4, 2026
Trip update #1
Something newsworthy has happened in Jackson Hole… Big Wild 4A has arrived!!! From the second that this group arrived on the scene, we were immediately impressed by their maturity and enthusiasm for all our trip had in store. After a long airport day, we stopped in to a local pizza shop for some dinner and engaged in some important ice breaker topics, like, for instance, my favorite question of ‘if you had a store, what would you sell and what would it be called?’ On arrival at our campsite on the Gros Ventre river, the group established themselves as extremely helpful and responsive to instruction because of how fast the camp was set up. Wade and I could not have been more pleased with the group’s dynamic! With a long day in store, the group fell asleep quickly and had very little complaints even in the face of the brutal cold front.
In the cool morning air, BGW 4A was up and ready for day 2! With a later start time this morning, our group had a wonderful time relaxing around camp and making a warm breakfast of French toast with berries. Our first LODs (Leaders of the Day), Zoe and Lucas were quick to show off their positive attitudes and enthusiasm for helping out! After a relaxing morning, we were off to the Snow King Ropes Course and Zipline. While they were reasonably anxious, the kids were ready to tackle the steepest zipline in North America. When we arrived, we went through a safety presentation, got fitted for harnesses, and practiced on the demo zipline. Once everyone felt comfortable with the equipment, we were ready to conquer the Jackson Hole Zipline. In pairs, the group soared down the mountain, reaching speeds of up to 60 mph! The kids loved the exhilarating ride, and through lots of encouragement and some convincing, Alice was especially proud of herself for facing her fear of heights. After ziplining, the group headed over to the ropes course, where the obstacles were divided by difficulty level. Alden, who unfortunately had to arrive a day late, immediately impressed us by jumping onto the ropes course with no hesitation about an hour after landing in Jackson. Duke was our ropes course MVP, as he finished the hardest section with ease over half an hour before anyone else! Everyone had a blast climbing through the trees and taking on a variety of exciting challenges. That evening, we had an elaborate pasta dinner diligently cooked by Lucas and Zoe, followed by a wonderful Moonup!
The next day, we had a very slow wake up, as it was our only day without a guided activity! After an enjoyable sleep-in morning, we quickly got ready for a ride on the Jackson Hole Ariel Tram, followed by mountain top waffles and a day hike. The group was pumped to ride the 4,500 feet from Teton Village to the top of the Rendezvous Mountain, but they were most excited about trying the famous Corbett’s Waffles. After our ride to the top of the mountain the kids finally got to enjoy the warm waffles in the freezing cold of the 10,500 ft elevated mountain. Once we were full on delicious waffles, we decided to head on our way to our day hike. As we began to follow the trail to our intended hike, we were made aware that the route was closed. Having to quickly pivot, we stumbled upon a far less traveled trail, and decided to follow it- looking back, this could not have been a better choice! This hike ended up becoming one of our Jackson Hole favorites! While the views were breathtaking, the elevation gain was no joke and the kids were troopers. In the last mile, the elevation gain was around 900ft and Henry, as per usual, had nothing but positive words to say. This hike was truly one of my favorite memories throughout the summer thus far and we were so proud of the kids for their ability to smile in the face of adversity! After our hike, we rushed back to camp to get ready for our evening at the JH Rodeo. The kids had a blast experiencing western culture at the rodeo, and Chesson even got to pet one of the horses! After some post-rodeo ice cream, we had a wonderful Moonup, where Olivia continued to impress us with her thoughtful answers and responses to the group!
Day 4 was spent driving into Idaho to start our fly fishing and rafting adventure. We could not have been more impressed with everyone’s positive attitudes with the long drive! The day was filled with laughter, excitement over the special treat of fast food and good music! After a long day road tripping, the next day we began our highly anticipated fly fishing activity. In the morning, our guides led us through instruction. Chesson was instantly a fly fishing stand-out and was even providing assistance to the rest of the group! In the afternoon, we went to a private pond to fly fish. Immediately on his first cast, Duke caught a rainbow trout! Throughout the afternoon, almost all of the kids caught at least one fish. Zoe and Duke were in competition to see who could catch the most and ended up in a tie with 5 rainbow fish caught! After fishing, we headed back to the campsite where we enjoyed a dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup, thanks to Lucy, who showed off her grilled cheese flipping skills. In the evening, Lux did some amazing graffiti style art on the van, so we are now riding in style! The group took a trip to the lake next to our campsite, where Mariann and Zoe jumped in while still in their clothes- truly living in the moment!
We are now en route to begin our 4 day overnight white water rafting adventure and could not be more excited! This group has been nothing short of wonderful and our week has been filled with laughter (we seriously are all sore from laughing). We are so happy and grateful for our time spent with these kids and are so excited for more adventures to come!
Best,
CeCe and Wade
Shout outs:
Lux- Hi Mom and Dad, we’re in Idaho now but Wyoming was really dope, the Tetons are awesome. Wade and CeCe let me do a big graff piece on the side of the van which was fun. We are on the way to go rafting as I write this, and the river is much easier than the one in Colorado, there’s only 2 class 4s. I’m super excited to get back home in a few days, I can’t wait to see you guys and go back downtown again. See you later, tell Ryn I say hi.
Alden- Hi mom and dad! I’m having so much fun at Moondance. We are going rafting today from idaho to Wyoming. We also did a really fun hike in the Tetons. I think it was best hike I have ever done. I miss yall but I’m having the best time. I love yall so much and I’ll see you soon.
Mariann- Hi mom and dad. Moondance has been so fun! We went zip lining and it was really fun. Yesterday we went fly fishing at it was so fun. I caught one rainbow trout. It is so pretty out here. We are in Idaho and we are about to go rafting. I love yall and can’t wait to see yall!
Duke- Hi mom and dad. The trip has been awesome so far, we are in Idaho right now going to the start of the rafting trip. The sites have been great and I’ve really enjoyed everything. Wyoming was great and we did a lot of fun things there. CeCe and Wade are also great. Love you guys see you soon.
Chesson- Hi Mom and Dad. The trip has been really fun and have done a lot of cool stuff. We are in Idaho right now and are about to got white water rafting. This trip has been really fun and have made some good friends. Love yall and can’t wait to see you!
Zoe- Hi mom and dad! The trip has been awesome so far and I’m having the best time! I’ve made many friends and my leaders are great. Today we are leaving to go on a four day rafting trip which has been the thing I look forward to most. We also did hiking, zip lining, ropes courses, and more fun activities. I love you and miss you!!
Alice- Hi mom and dad! We are in Idaho right now about to start our rafting trip which I’m really looking forward to. Wyoming was great and we did some fun stuff. I’m having sooo much fun and I’ve met some really great people! Also happy early birthday dad!!
Lucas- Hey mom and dad I’m having an amazing time we are about to go rafting but tell Noah I said hi and that I hope he’s doing well in college (and with the huzz) but I’ve met amazing people and it’s awesome!
Olivia- hey mom and dad I’m having a lot of fun with Lucy and all the new people I got to meet on my trip. We went on a really pretty hike the second day that was also really hard but the views where really good.We got to go to in and out and swig yesterday on the road trip and it was so good. I also caught a fish while fly fishing after 2 hours but it was still really fun( im definitely better than dad now).I also got really burnt which is good. I had to buy melotonin to be able to sleep good but it’s ok because now I can sleep good. I can’t wait to come back and sleep in my own bed and see Macy. I love and miss yall so much.
Lucy- hey yall it’s your favorite child I know yall miss me so much but I’m having so much fun. The first day we went on a ropes course and zipline. The next day we went on our only hike of the session. Then we went to the rodeo same day and that was the coolest thing ever. The next day we drove ten hours to idaho and I love car rides and they played the best music so it was great. Yesterday we fly fished all day and i caught nothing but I got tan so it’s all good. Finally today we’re driving to our three day rafting trip. The food is so good and we eat tacos and pasta for dinner. We wake up pretty early but since we don’t know the time it’s not bad. My group is really good especially the girls and my counselors are seriously the funniest people ever. Bye!
Henry – what up dudes. I don’t really know what to write here but I’m having a great time. Everyone here is pretty cool and cece and Wade are awesome. We’ve done a lot of cool stuff and I actually did the zipline and stuff. I miss yall, but I’m also having a blast here. Love yall.
Safe Arrival!
June 30, 2026
Hello Big Wild Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group is finally complete and the last student 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 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
