Bye Bye Big Wild!
July 23, 2026
Day 9 was our first day of rafting! We woke up early and drove from McCall, ID to the even smaller town of Riggins, ID. We got to the Salmon River, had our safety talk, packed up and we were off! Caroline got to “ride the bull” first, which is where you don’t have to paddle and can just sit on the front of the boat. She was immediately splashed with a huge wave and we were all dying laughing! We paddled for a few hours before we stopped for lunch! We were all so amazed with the food they had for us and so excited to have Caesar wraps for lunch. Elias was especially hungry and was running around with the bag of chips! After lunch, we kept rafting and our guide taught us a few games! We played them all, sang songs, talked about all of our favorites and next thing we knew we were at camp for dinner. We all helped cook and clean and immediately went to bed after Moonup. We got to cowboy camp and watched the stars before our big day of rapids tomorrow!
Day 10 was our first full day of rapids and our biggest day of rapids! We woke up to a beautiful clear sky and the sun beaming down on us! We got hot chocolate, pancakes, sausage, and so much fruit for breakfast to fuel us up for our long day. We all got another lesson on how to paddle correctly and we hit the water! We got to go through a lot of class 2 and class 3 rapids and even a class 4! We were paddling hard and singing chants to make sure we were all in sync. William was by far our best paddler and we were all looking to him for when and how to paddle. Going through the rapids was so fun and there wasn’t a single one of us that stayed dry. When we got to camp for the night, Marie had the great idea to float down the rapid! The guides told us we could and showed us how to safely go down it and we all went multiple times! We spent the rest of the afternoon playing card games, talking, playing a football game, and playing so many games of spike ball! The rafting guides even joined in on our games and gave us some good competition. Sloane helped cook our amazing dinner of fajitas and we all ate together as we talked about our day. Our dessert had a slight sugar and salt mishap but thankfully we had candy instead! With our bellies full we went to bed with the sunset and moon that never gets old!
Day 11 of our trip started early with some French toast and a sunrise! We had a slow moving morning with hot chocolate and good conversation. The guides even surprised us with a warm face wash and Sloane couldn’t get enough of it! It was luxurious after only having cold river water. We got all packed up after breakfast and loaded onto the boats to get going! We floated for a while before we reached a huge rock to jump off of! Hunter wasn’t the least bit afraid and jumped off of the highest rock multiple times. We kept rafting through multiple rapids and later in the day we even got to float down a rapid! Dixon was one of the first to jump in the water and float down. By the end of the day we were all exhausted from our adventures. We rested for a while but right before the sun set we got a second wind and all hopped back into the water. The rafting guides took everyone out of one of the boats, flipped it over, and turned it into a slide! Everyone went so many times but Thomas flew the highest up in the air no doubt. We ended our night with a s’mores cake and laughing under the stars with silly games!
For our last day of rafting we, like every other morning, woke up early! We had gone from being on the Salmon to going to confluence and being on the Snake the day before. The Snake river gets a bit slower so we motored out of there and got to shore in no time! We quickly changed once on land, thanked our amazing guides, and started another road trip once again! The girls started on some friendship bracelets to pass the time and Gia was absolutely amazing at making them. We drove all day with a stop for lunch at Chick-fil-A before we finally reached our campsite for bed!
Day 13 was our last full day together! We woke up from cowboy camping to a beautiful sunrise and quickly got ready and into the car. We stopped at the grocery store and Cole helped pick out breakfast for everyone to eat on the road! We queued up everyone’s favorite songs and got to driving. Around halfway through our trip we stopped for a stretch break at goodwill! We got assigned random names and everyone had to pick out silly outfits for each other. Once we got into Jackson Hole, set up camp, and changed into our outfits we were off into town. Charlie picked out the worst outfit by far and won our costume competition by a mile! We walked around town in our silly outfits, got candy, shopped, and had such a fun time exploring the town! We all met back up in the town square and showed off all of our new purchases. After our hauls we walked on over to Jackson Drug for a fun last dinner together. We all got burgers, sodas, and chatted about the best moments of our trip! After stuffing our faces to the brim we went on a walk to digest until we had just enough room for ice cream! We drove around listening to all of our best songs of the trip before we stopped at a park with a direct view of the Tetons. We had a dance party under the stars before we did our last Moonup. We shared our favorite stories and what we would all miss about each other. We spent our last together under the stars reminiscing on what a great trip we had and the wonderful friendships we made.
Our very last day was an especially early morning! We woke up, packed as fast as we could and we were off to the airport. We listened to our favorite songs of the trip on the way and said our final goodbye to the Tetons. We are sad to say goodbye to everyone but so grateful we had such an amazing trip and group! We will cherish these memories and people forever! Bye from Wyoming!
Exploring the Sand Dunes!
July 17, 2026
Day 5 we woke up and got ready to go zip lining and do a ropes course! On the drive there, Elias got us all hyped up by freestyle rapping in the car. It was so funny! We started with the zip lines, doing three total. We eased into it with the first one and worked our way up to North America’s steepest zip line! Everyone did such a great job. In between zip lining and the ropes course, we got to ride the alpine coaster and slide down the mountain. We all raced each other, which made it even more fun Next, we tackled the ropes course overlooking the Tetons. The boys all made it to the hardest section and finished the entire course! Thomas was especially good at the ropes course. We headed to bed early to get ready for our drive to Bruneau Sand Dunes the next day. While we were getting ready, we spotted two moose in the river! It was such a cool experience for everyone.
Day 6 was our long drive to the sand dunes. The drive was filled with laughter and music, so it ended up not feeling too bad! Everyone got to request songs, which meant we listened to lots of old country from William and plenty of Turnpike Troubadours from Hunter. We picked up Canes for lunch and went to a nearby field to sit and eat. The sprinkler may have turned on at the end and forced everyone to run back to the van! We then got to the sand dunes! Everyone was so happy to take their first shower of the trip. I think Sloane and Gia were the happiest! We then set up camp and made some chicken pesto pasta for dinner. We then hiked up the sand dunes to watch the sun set over the desert before doing moon-up and going to bed!
Day 7 we woke up and had some delicious chocolate chip pancakes and Frosted Flakes for Caroline! We got to hang around the dunes but unfortunately it was too hot to sand board down them. Instead we got an early head start to McCall! We stopped at a gas station and Cole got some delicious taquitos that he shared with the van! We set up camp quickly and then went to McCall lake to swim! The weather was beautiful and some people got to play some beach volleyball. Sloane and Charlie cooked us dinner which was bbq chicken quesadillas and it was one of our best meals! Shout out to the chefs! Cole made us a beautiful fire before doing moon-up and going to bed!
On day 8 we woke up and learned to fly fish! We spent the morning at a local field learning casting and tying knots. We then went out to a lake and fished for the afternoon. Elias caught 5 fish! Marie was so close and had a couple bites but couldn’t get them in! It was such a fun experience to fish in one of the best fishing spots in the country! We then stopped and got some ice cream to cool down after a long and hot day! Some people jumped in the lake as well! We then had our famous iron chef competition where we split the group into two and they have to make the best meals. Dixon was locked in and led the charge to make an amazing hot roast beef sandwich with some sautéed onions and mushrooms. Hunter led the charge in the other group as they made some homemade hibachi! The winners were Leo and Aubrey who got to eat both meals! We then all got packed up and ready for our big rafting trip tomorrow!
5C Shout outs
Sloane- Hey Mama and Dad!!! I’m having such an amazing time here!! Thank you so much for letting me come to Big Wild! Everyone is so nice and Leo and Aubrey are the best leaders!! We are in Idaho now and we went fly fishing, and to this really pretty lake. Today we are leaving to go on the rafting trip!! I’m so excited to see ya’ll but I don’t want to leave here!! Haha! Love and miss you!!! Xoxo
Charlie- hey yall! I’m having soo much fun here! Thank you for letting me come here! We are about to go on a rafting trip! My friends and I are planning a way for us to get together too haha! Love and miss yall!
Gia- hey, I am having soo much fun and I am enjoying every moment! Thank yall so much for sending me here! Miss and love yall!
Dixon – hey this is like the third letter I’ve sent to yall so I’ll talk about the kids. There’s Cole from New Orleans who’s the funniest kid ever and there’s also William from Monroe, Elias from cali, Thomas from Connecticut and Hunter from charelston. Can’t wait to see yall love you. Thanks for sending me
Cole : hey mom and dad! I love yall !! I miss yall so much and am so excited to see u. Thank you for for this trip! We are going on the rafting trip tomorrow for 4 days it will be so fun!
Caroline-hey mom and dad!im having the best time m.its soo fun here i miss yall soo much. Thank you so much for letting me go. we are about to started our 4 day rafting trip down the snake river. love you so much!
Marie- hey mom and dad! I miss yall a ton. Thank you for this trip! We have done too many things and it was all the so much fun! Today we start out rafting trip and I can’t wait to tell you all the stories! Miss you love you !
Hunter- Hey Mom and Dad. Having a ton of fun in Idaho right now. A few days ago I was in a desert and it was wild. I can’t wait to tell y’all about it. Thanks so much for sending me. Love you guys!
Elias- guys this is so fun but I mis y’all so much. I caught 5 huge trout and made friends , can’t wait to see you, thanks for letting me go, bye
Thomas- hi mom and dad this has been really fun and I’m in Idaho right now and am about to go white water rafting for a few days , can’t wait to see you guys, thanks for this, bye
William~ Hi mom and dad this trip has been so fun. We are staying in Idaho. We are about to go to Washington and Oregon to whitewater raft for three days. Thank you for sending me here! Love you so much!
Rock Climbing in the Tetons!
July 13, 2026
Hello from Wyoming!! It’s Day 1 of a Big Wild and we are already having a blast here! Our first day was spent mostly at the airport. Gia was the first to arrive and we had a couple of hours with just us getting to know her and teaching each other card games. Once all of the other kids started rolling in we taught them our games and played a few name games. It was a bit of a long day but we made the most of it by trying to get to know each other! After everyone finally arrived we got to camp and started setting up our tents! Charlie was by far the best one at it and had her tent set up perfectly right off the bat! We got pizza for our first dinner, went to a field with a beautiful view of the Tetons, and watched the sunset. It was such a fun night and it got us all excited for the rest of our trip! We all spent our first night cowboy camping, sleeping under the stars, and dreaming about the rest of our amazing trip!
Day 2 of our trip was rock climbing! Everyone is still adjusting from all of the travel so waking up wasn’t too hard. We got ready, ate breakfast, and drove into Grand Teton National Park for our day of climbing! We started off by grabbing our snacks and filling up our waters because we had a 2 mile hike ahead of us. It was steep at times and definitely hard getting used to the higher elevation but we crushed it! And it being a hard hike only made the beautiful views we had even sweeter. Once we got to our climbing area we all started on climbing the slabs. It was so fun trying to learn where to put our feet and how to use all of gear properly. Once we finished that we moved onto a harder and steeper rock. Elias was the first to try and he did both rock climbs so fast! He was by far our best rock climber! We ended our climbing and hiked back down. By the end we were hot and sweaty so we changed and went over to Jenny Lake. Cole was the first to jump in the water and by his reaction we all knew it was going to be freezing cold! We all got in regardless though and we had no regrets. It was the perfect way to cool down before we went back to camp to cook! We had Tacos in a Bag and all rushed in the van so we could make it to the Jackson Hole Rodeo on time! Everyone got on their Moondance shirts and we drove into town to watch the show. Marie was cheering loud for the barrel racing and all of the shows. We had such a fun night and went home to crawl into our sleeping bags for a good nights sleep!
Day 3 was our second day of rock climbing. We went to Teton village and took the Gondola up to the top of the mountain. From there we had a steep hike to our rock climbing spot! We had a beautiful climb and could see the all of Jackson hole Wyoming. Dixon was one of our best rock climbers and did some really hard pitches! Hunter absolutely killed the repelling and actually did it twice! We were so proud of them! We ate lunch at the top of the mountain and made some funny vlogs on the go pro before hiking back. Caroline loves to take transitions on the go pro and there may or may not be a Big Wild 5C YouTube video coming out after the trip! After rock climbing we drove to the grocery store and got some well earned ice cream and food for dinner! We cooked Greek bowls. William has been one of our best chefs and helped cook an unbelievable meal! After dinner, we went to one of our favorite spots called the wedding tree to watch the sunset! There actually was someone getting married when we pulled up!
On day 4, we slept in a little, and cooked some scrambled eggs and sausage for breakfast! We drove to Rendezvous mountain where we took a gondola up to the top of the mountain! We got to take some awesome pictures at some of the viewpoints ! We did a hike to the “top of the world” before getting some delicious waffles! Sloane was so excited about the waffles! We then went down the mountain and drove to Jenny lake to take a swim in the lake after a super hot day! Thomas was one of the first to jump in before all of us joined! The water was still very cold despite it being very hot outside! We then went back to camp and made some of Leo’s famous jambalaya for dinner! We ended the night with a fire and some s’mores before hitting the tent!
Shoutouts!!!!
Charlie: hey yall! I’m having so much fun here! We’ve been rock climbing and hiking so far. Love yall!
Gia: Hey! I am having the absolute best time! I am so happy here and loving it! Thank yall so much for sending me here! Love yall!
Caroline: Hey! I’m having soo much fun.we have done rock climbing and eating waffle!thank you soo much for sending me here love yall!!
Marie: Hey mom! Hey dad! I miss yall so much and I am having so much fun. We have done so many things like rock climbing and we have zip lining tomorrow, miss yall sending love <33
Sloane: Hey mama and dad!! I’m having the best time ever, we went rock climbing, hiking, got the delicious waffles, and went to the rodeo! Leo and Aubrey are the best counselors ever!! Everyone in my group is so nice too!! I’ve been sleeping so well surprisingly!!! I miss y’all so much and thank you so much for sending me here!! Tell Annie I love her!!! Love you so much and can’t wait to see you!!
Thomas: Leo is so awesome and cool and he took me to a rodeo .
Cole: hey guys miss yall so much thank you giving me this opportunity to come. I’ve had so much fun with all the other kids and Leo is awesome !
Dixon: hey I love yall so much I’ve had such a great time and Leo and Aubrey are both Awesome and I think all the kids are great and I can’t wait to see yall.
William: Hi mom I’m having a great time. We have done rock climbing for multiple days and it was so much fun. Love you so much see you soon
Elias: Hi love you guys so much, I made so many friends and it is so much fun. And I speak southern now because everyone is from the south. This is so fun miss you guys. Love you .
Hunter: Hey, truly a wild trip. Absolutely love all of the people as well as the amazing views. Me and my new friend Will actually saw a moose the other day and it was the most crazy thing ever. Love yall so much!
Safe Arrival!
July 10, 2026
Hello Big Wild Families!
We just heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Jackson Hole, WY! The group is headed to their first campsite, and we can’t wait to hear 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
