Bye Bye Big Wild!
July 29, 2026
Hello again Moondance families and friends! It’s Henry and Kiki here for the last time to report on our rafting section and final few days of the most special two weeks!
We woke up the morning before rafting and got on the road to our put-in on the Salmon River, enjoying breakfast on the go! We met our amazing guides who helped us pack into our dry bags and go over a safety briefing before our 70-mile journey on the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states. Everyone learned to paddle like a pro whilst taking in the views of the canyons, rocks, and rapids surrounding us. Later, we pulled off for lunch where Lowe and Phifer helped prepare delicious chicken Caesar wraps with fresh cherries. We slid back onto the river to go through the big, splashy Class III rapids of the day. Taylor and Bo loved “riding the bull,” also known as sitting on the front of the boat with your legs out through a big rapid! Later that afternoon, we made it to camp and helped our guides set up before having some time for naps, soccer, and lots of swimming. Our guides made us a special first night meal: a grill out with elk burgers, homemade fries, salad, baked beans, and a pineapple upside-down cake for dessert! After a spectacular dinner, it was time for the entertainment of the night: the Big Wild 6B Talent Show! Emmy, Taylor, and Louise performed their special act of “sit down comedy” while Hank treated us to an incredible Hank Williams Jr cover with Hattie as the background dancer. After laughing till our stomachs hurt and finally getting ready for a good night’s rest, our leaders of the day Hattie and Lowe led us in a great Moonup reflecting on our trip thus far.
The next morning, we woke up bright-eyed for our biggest and most exciting day on the water. Our guides made a yummy breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon before we got on the river for the day. We began with paddling through a couple Class IIIs and swim time while tackling each other in the water and pulling off to scout our biggest rapid yet, Snow Hole. Bo and Hank were essential paddlers during such a huge and fun rapid! We got off the boats for lunch where Taylor and Cole helped make an extravagant charcuterie board filled with meats, cheese, crackers, fruit, and veggies to fuel up for the rest of our big rapid day. After lunch, we got back on the river for our next Class IV rapid called China. Our guides showed us the Chinese mining ruins along the river bank whilst scouting out our route for this complex rapid. We made it through with our fierce paddlers and had the most fun yet getting splashed and jostled around by the massive waves! We continued on our way down the Salmon before finding our camp for the night, a nice sandy beach with deep water, perfect for all the games we had planned. Our afternoon consisted of the famous raft slide, where Louise and Ovid caught insane air time. We also did a king of the raft tournament, played soccer, and simply enjoyed each other’s company. Our guides prepared us everyone’s favorite dinner yet, fajita burritos with tons of toppings and homemade strawberry shortcakes with lots of whipped cream for dessert. After dinner it was finally time for our long-awaited entertainment: Dancing with the Stars night one! With Louise and Emmy as our MC’s alongside 6 talented dancing duos, everyone danced their hearts out while Henry, Kiki, and the guides served as our guest judges. We ended the night with a great Moonup led by Franny and Ovid before hitting the hay after a long day rafting.
The following day was our last full day on the river with many exciting things on the agenda. We woke up to the smell of French toast, sausage, and fresh fruit and yogurt to fuel up for our day. We piled into the rafts and rowed down the river where we were met with a cliff-jumping spot off the basalt columns along the river. Everyone loved the thrill of jumping into the water below, and soon after we pulled off again for a delicious lunch called cowboy caviar. Further down the river, we did a short uphill hike to a scenic overlook of Blue Canyon, which some refer to as the heart of the Salmon River. Next, we rowed along to the confluence- the point where North America’s two deepest river gorges (the Salmon and the Snake) meet and flow outward, eventually making it to the Pacific Ocean. It was amazing to see these two different colored bodies of water merge into one. Hattie and Cole especially enjoyed getting to swim right between both rivers before piling back onto our rafts to our campsite for the night. We made it to camp and took power naps in the warm sand before dinner, after which our guides prepared an extra special dessert of s’mores cake! It was then time for Dancing with the Stars night two, which was even better than the night before. The whole group danced their hearts out in a dance party finale before we announced our winners (Emmy and Lowe) and our runner-ups (Louise and Ovid). We settled down for our final Moonup on the river, led by our LODs Rowan and Cole where we discussed our favorite weird food combinations and where we’d like to see ourselves 5 years in the future.
We woke up on our last morning on the Snake River to hashbrowns, cheesy eggs, and bacon while prepping for our last day of rafting. We motored out for the last stretch of our journey, zooming through a couple more splashy Class III rapids and stopping along the way at a beautiful sunflower patch for group photos and snacks. We made it to our take-out which concluded our 70-mile adventure through the Salmon and Snake rivers, touching into 3 different states along the way! We unpacked all of the gear and enjoyed gourmet sandwiches while our van was delivered to us. Next, we began the fun road trip back to Jackson with many naps and calming tunes, eventually making it to our surprise stop for ice cream and snacks! We chugged along by making friendship bracelets, reading, and chatting until our dinner stop where Henry and I pulled another much-requested surprise: Chick-Fil-A for dinner! Everyone set up their sleeping bags and enjoyed hot showers at the campsite before bed, getting nice and clean for our fun-packed final day tomorrow. Our LODs Louise and Hank led us in Moonup, where they prompted us to think about the small challenges we overcome every day as we closed off the rafting section of our trip.
On our final full day, we woke up and piled back in the van to complete the rest of our drive to Jackson. The morning was filled with naps and quiet music before stopping for gas and breakfast. The energy picked up as we rolled closer into Jackson, with everyone belting sing-along songs and laughing as we rolled in just in time to grab the famous pizza from a Jackson local spot for lunch. Next, we took advantage of the amazing shops in Jackson Hole, grabbing T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and souvenirs galore! We headed back to our campsite to organize and help clean all the gear we used during our amazing session. Next was the most exciting part of our night- the outfit reveal for our crazy banquet night get-ups! We drove back into town for our final dinner together at a local American joint, enjoying Philly cheesesteaks, burgers, fries, Caesar salads, and so much more as our final dinner together. Our final Moonup of the trip was bittersweet, where Taylor and Rowan helped us reflect on our biggest takeaways from the trip. We closed the night by making mini ‘nug jugs’ and shared our gratitude for each other, the activities we did, the outdoors, and our Moondance community as a whole.
Henry and I want to end by thanking all the parents for making this experience possible for your student. Over the past two weeks, we’ve had the privilege of watching them grow, step into leadership, build friendships, and create memories that will last well beyond this trip. Their enthusiasm and kindness have made this experience just as meaningful for us as leaders as we hope it has been for them. Saying goodbye at the airport today wasn’t easy, but we feel incredibly fortunate to have shared this adventure with such an outstanding group of kids. Thank you for helping make BGW 6B and the end of summer 2026 so unforgettable!
Signing off for the final time,
Kiki and Henry
Backpacking in the Big Wild!
July 24, 2026
Hello again Moondance families and friends! It’s Kiki and Henry here to tell you about our amazing past few days backpacking in Wyoming!
The morning before backpacking, we woke up at our campsite bright and early and piled in the van to head to our trailhead. Henry whipped up bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches while Kiki helped everyone pack their packs for the trail. We then met our outfitter and her adorable dog, Red, to lead us on our journey through the Gros Ventre wilderness. We hit the trail and everyone crushed the four mile hike with lots of elevation, taking in the views of snow capped mountains and green forest all around us. We stopped about halfway for lunch, with our leaders of the Day Ovid and Franny helping prepare our PB&J and summer sausage and cheese wraps to fuel up for the rest of the hike. After lunch, the group pressed on through the steep incline on the way to our campsite with Hattie keeping up the group’s morale! We finally made it to our spot for the next two days, setting up tents beside a gorgeous crater lake and underneath a snow capped mountain. Rowan and Taylor jumped right in the water while Lowe and Hank set up their fly rods, and then our afternoon was filled with swimming in the refreshing lake water, fly fishing along the banks, and much deserved nap time. We made camp “charcuterie” and personal pita pizzas for dinner, a camping classic! Our LODs led us in Moonup with a scenic view, where we reflected on qualities that make a good friend.
The next day, we had an amazing morning after sleeping in and starting the day with chocolate chip pancakes. We got packed up for the day and began our day hike to summit Strawberry Butte, and nearby red mountain top with a breathtaking view of the entire national forest around us. The group crushed out the hike with ease and pushed through the elevation with the reward of amazing views of mountains, meadows, and pocket lakes surrounding us. Our LODs Taylor and Bo helped prepare lunch at the top, which we all enjoyed while chatting about our favorite local restaurants from our hometowns. We even saw an elk crossing the meadow below us while eating lunch! After lots of pictures and enjoying the view, we all headed back down the mountain and through the valley to our camp. We had a bit of swim time before heading into our tents for naps and hanging out during a perfectly timed afternoon rainstorm. The weather cleared up while we made dinner, which was delicious Mexican bowls that we all ate together while looking over the beautiful lake by our campsite. We ended the night with a great Moonup led by our LODs, where we discussed role models in our lives and shared a big group hug before a good night’s rest.
Our last morning in the backcountry, we woke up to warm oatmeal while packing down camp and getting back on the trail for our hike out. The group zoomed through our hike with a speedy pace, making it through our creek crossing in record time. Passing by the same rolling hills, creeks, and meadows as before, we finally made it up to our beloved van with hot showers and a meal in town waiting for us. Emmy and Franny enjoyed delicious sundaes and Ovid and Lowe loved their milkshakes as we all got treats after a long three days in the backcountry! We jumped back in the van for our drive back to Jackson, jamming out to pop hits along the way. The leaders of the day, Rowan and Phifer, helped grocery shop for dinner, which we made when we got back to the campsite: build your own greek bowls with seasoned chicken, rice, and lots of toppings! Everyone loved the dinner, and our LODs plus Franny volunteered to help clean dishes. After dinner, we headed to a special location for Moonup with a silhouette view of the Tetons and many Oreos were passed around the circle! We ended the night talking about our ideal superpowers and people we are most proud of in our lives.
The following morning, we completed our travel day from Wyoming to Idaho to transition into the rafting section of our trip. We began the day with an early wake up and naps in the van, followed by breakfast on the road. Later on in the drive, we shared our favorite gas station snacks, made friendship bracelets, and did sing-along karaoke! Henry and I surprised the group with a lunch spot everyone loved- Chick Fil A! We also made a special stop for sodas from Swig, per Emmy and Taylor’s popular suggestion. After cranking out the rest of the drive, we arrived at our gorgeous campsite on the banks of a lake in a national forest in Idaho. We set up camp in record time so that we could head down and jump off the dock, lay in the sun, and play games by the water. Cole was quick to pull out his frisbee, and Louise and Phifer had fun jumping in the water and warming up in the sun. Our swimming was followed by a campsite luxury- hot showers! After getting clean, our LODs Bo and Emmy prepared an amazing Mexican dinner for everyone. Chicken and cheese quesadillas, chips and dip, and yummy smores were almost as good as the laughs we shared around the campfire over our meal. volunteered to clean dishes before we all headed back down to the water to have Moonup by the water under a spectacular sunset. Our LODs prompted us to reflect on our trip thus far, and then we all got in bed for a good nights rest before rafting!
We can’t believe how fast this trip has flown by! Henry and I are so grateful for every moment and the time that we still have left. We’ve already made so many unforgettable memories with this incredible group, and we can’t wait to create even more as we spend the next few days rafting the beautiful Salmon and Snake Rivers!
Until next time,
Henry and Kiki
Thank yous:
Thank you mom and dad for sending me on Moondance! I’m having so much fun! -Emmy
Thanks for sending me mom this trip mom and dad, it’s going very well right now!
-Ovid
Thank you mom and dad for sending me on Moondance, I am having the best time!!
-Louise
Thanks mom and dad for sending me on this trip. I’m having so much fun and can’t wait to tell y’all!
-Bo
Thank you mom and dad for sending me on Moondance! I am having an amazing time!
Love, Taylor
Thank you mom and dad for sending me on this trip! I’m having such fun time and can’t wait to tell y’all about it and show y’all all the photos!
-Rowan
Hey mom and dad, thank you so much for sending me on this awesome trip! I’m having an amazing time and can’t wait to tell you all about it!
-Phifer
Thank you so much for sending me on this amazing trip it is so beautiful and I can’t wait to tell yall all about it and show the pictures. Love and miss y’all,
Sincerely Hank
Hey mom and dad! I’m really missing yall, but thanks so much for sending me on this trip. I’m having a lot of fun, and will see yall soon. Love ya!
-Hattie
Thank you mom and dad for sending me on this trip, I’ve had a lot of fun. Can’t wait to tell y’all about it, and I miss you guys . Love, Lowe
Hey mom and dad thanks for sending me on such a great experience, I have had lots of fun. I miss you guys and can’t wait to tell you guys about it! – Love, Cole
Hey mom and dad! I am so grateful that you guys gave me the opportunity to go on this trip! I am so thankful to have parents like you guys that love to see me push myself out of my comfort zone and try new things. Love, Frannie
Climbing Around The Tetons!
July 20, 2026
Howdy everyone! It’s Henry and Kiki here, and we’d love to share some updates from our Big Wild adventure so far! We’re so excited everyone’s finally here and we can begin our two week journey together.
Our trip began at the airport, where everyone trickled in as we played games like contact, wavelength, listened to music, and hackey-sacked. Once we had everyone in the group, we made our way into town for some delicious, famous local pizza that we enjoyed in a park nearby while chatting about our hometowns and covering some icebreakers. Next, we headed to our campsite where Henry and Kiki showed everyone how to set up their tents and taught everyone the basics about camp living. We then went into our first Moonup of the trip, where everyone got a few special gifts from Moondance, and we expressed our excitement for the two weeks ahead!
The following morning we woke everyone up with a delicious breakfast of hashbrowns, cream cheese bagels, fruit, and muffins. We piled back in our van to make our way into Grand Teton National Park to meet our climbing guides for the day. After getting suited up in our harnesses, helmets and special rubber climbing shoes, we made our way over to a big bouldering area where we practiced some difficult climbing pitches and rappelling. Louise hopped on the hardest pitch first, showing everyone how to get up the most difficult face of the rock! Cole and Hank also showed amazing perseverance alongside great climbing skills while the group cheered them on. We all ate our packed lunches together before hopping over to a new bouldering area for some rappelling practice. Finally, we made our way back to the van and said farewell to our climbing guides for the day. Henry and Kiki took everyone for a nice trip to a nearby lake to jump in and cool off. We played cards and passed the football by the water for a bit before heading back to camp for a little bit of downtime. Ovid and Lowe led everyone in a group hackey sack circle! Next, we drove into town for an amazing cookout of burgers, hotdogs, watermelon and chips cheffed up by our grill master Henry. After dinner, we had an extra special surprise for everyone- a trip to the Jackson Hole rodeo! Hank especially loved the exciting events and cheering for the big bull riders, and we all ate popcorn and treats while watching the cowboys and cowgirls compete. We ended the night with an amazing reflective Moonup held by our leaders of the day, Hank and Hattie.
The next day, we woke up to the smell of sizzling bacon, eggs, and a special cinnamon roll breakfast for our birthday girl Phifer! We sang happy birthday and enjoyed our breakfast before hopping in the van for our second day of climbing. We met our amazing guides and got suited up with harnesses, helmets, and shoes once again then made our way to Jenny Lake loop. We began day two of climbing with a 2 mile hike to the famous waterfall alongside the beautiful glacier lake, where we practiced bouldering and got our feet ready for a long day of climbing. Today we learned multi pitch climbing, where everyone climbed up the rock face together in two big party lines. Emmy and Franny were pro climbers, showing us all how to climb up the pitches with ease. We all ate our lunches at the top, discussing what creative chip flavor we would come up with. After lunch, we did a big rappel down the rock face where Bo demonstrated perfect form. Next, we all met at the bottom to hike back down towards the falls, and the group crushed out the 2 mile hike back to our van. We returned all of our gear, said thank you to our guides, and headed out of the park for the day. Henry and Kiki surprised everyone with a trip to Dairy Queen in honor of a long climbing day and a special birthday in the group. Next, we popped over to Teton Village for a little bit of shopping! After that, we headed back to camp where Rowan and Taylor were eager to jump in the river. Our leaders of the day Cole and Louise helped prepare a meal of spaghetti and meatballs, caesar salad, and garlic bread. After our delicious meal, we got back in the car to go to a special location for Moonup: a sunset view over the Tetons. Everyone sang happy birthday while we surprised Phifer with a cookies and cream cake for her 14th birthday! She blew out the candles and we all enjoyed cake before our LODs held a great Moonup discussing challenges we have overcome in our lives. We headed back to camp and ended the night looking at the stars before getting some well deserved sleep.
The next day, we had a lazy wake up to “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5 before packing down camp and eating breakfast. Kiki led everyone in the duffle shuffle- the formula we use to pack for an amazing next three days in the backcountry! After the duffle shuffle, we packed up camp and headed to a nearby river with a great swimming area and cliff jumping spot. The girls led the pack to the jumping rock, where everyone jumped off into the refreshing blue water below. Rowan and Emmy especially enjoyed the mini lazy river by the rocky beach, and we all swam and relaxed in the sun. We ate lunch by the water and packed up, heading back to the van to make our way to our fly fishing clinic! After a stop for everyone’s favorite gas station snacks, we arrived at our meeting spot on the water where our guides taught us about setting up fly rods, different flies, and how to cast. We learned we about the flies we are mimicking as well as proper casting form, with Lowe showing everyone his experience with fly fishing and a perfect side cast. After an incredible fly fishing lesson we headed into Pinedale where we surprised the kids with Wyoming’s best burger, Dave’s last stand. Everyone loved the burgers, fries, and soft serve as a perfect pre-backcountry meal. Next we made our way to our campsite nestled below the Wind River Mountain range alongside the water. Setting up our tents beside a breathtaking view, we got ready for backpacking the following day. That night our LOD’s Lowe and Emmy lead an incredible Moonup and we fell asleep with the stars shining bright above us.
Shoutouts:
Hey mom and dad! I’m loving it here and the views are amazing! Miss y’all, and hope ur having fun in Europe! – Hattie 🙂
Hi mom and dad,I am having a good time. See y’all in a few days. -Lowe
Hi mom and dad! I’m having so much fun, miss y’all! -frannie
Hey mom and dad, having so much fun! See y’all soon. – Bo
Hello mom and dad, love you guys so much having the time of my life, tell Mack and Libby I love them take care of goose and char – Hank
Hi guys! I’m having lots of fun! Miss you! -Emmy
Hi mom and dad! I’m having the best time! Love you guys, see you soon! -Rowan
Hey mom and dad, I’m having an awesome time in Wyoming right now! Miss y’all! – Ovid
Hi mom and dad! Having so much fun!! See you guys soon! – Taylor
Hey guys, I miss y’all lots and can’t wait to see you even though I’m having fun! Tell olive and smith I say hi! – Phifer
Hey mom and dad I miss y’all so much and wish y’all are here with me, I have met so many new friends and cannot wait to tell you all about my trip! Love y’all – LOUISEEE
Hi mom and dad I miss you guys even though I’m having so much fun, I wish you guys were here to see the views and the amazing people I have met. I love you guys so much and hope to see you guys and daisy and Wilder and Bianca and Clay – Cole
Safe Arrival!
July 17, 2026
Hello Big Wild Families!
We heard from our leaders last night that all students have 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
