A BLAST Backpacking!
July 8, 2026
*helicopter noise* Canadian Rockies checking in! *helicopter noise* Since the last time we posted, *helicopter noise* we have had quite the adventure in the backcountry of the Canadian Rockies! *Helicopter noise*
Before all of the “helicopter noise,” we climbed atop a glacier, a part of the Columbia Icefield. The kids were in awe of all the ice. Our guide taught us all she knew about glaciers. Although every joke she made fell flat in the eyes of the kids, they still stepped off the glacier reciting newly learned vocab words like: cravas, moraine, and cryoconite. We finished off the tour with some lunch and hot cocoa (with unlimited refills) in the lodge. Jack may have won for most hot chocolate drank, getting at least 2 and maybe 3 refills!
Our next stop… helicopter pad!
Upon our arrival, *helicopter noise* we were greeted with a treat, Sadie’s duffle had finally arrived! Caroline could finally sleep easily knowing that Sadie had her sleeping bag…. Oh, and Caroline would also sleep easily with her own sleeping bag returned after lending it to Sadie. The group split into helicopter groups, we finalized last-minute packing, weighed in our bags, and of course, took lots of photos! The helicopter ride into the backcountry was epic. *helicopter noise* Ellie had the biggest smile on her face the whole time, and William even got to ride shotgun, or I guess he would be sitting co-pilot.
As the noise of the last helicopter faded into the mountains, we were left with the wonderful sounds of a roaring snow melt stream and the screams of marmots. Isaac, from a safe distance, befriended these groundhog-beaver-looking balls of fur. We set up tents before taking a quick sledding break with William and Wyatt leading the charge! While the sledding was a bit icy and underwhelming, everyone was excited about the amount of snow that was on the ground. For many, this was the most snow they had ever seen! As we settled into the evening, we had an excellent dinner. Pizzas were a crowd favorite meal in the backcountry. We sat around the stove waiting for our pizzas to cook, telling stories and riddles until the sun started to set. To celebrate the first night in the backcountry, we ended the night by building a fire, making s’mores, and of course, Moonup!
We woke up late the next morning to a M&M pancake breakfast around a fire! After a slow morning, our group was ready to conquer a nearby peak! When we returned to camp, we reignited the fire. And since there was a fire… we had to make s’mores… again! Needless to say, it was an awesome afternoon! For dinner, Ben and Valery chefed up some stir-fry noodles, chicken, and veggies!
The next morning, it was finally time to say goodbye to our backcountry camp for the past 2 nights. We packed up and hit the trails. This group was absolute beasts on the trail! We crushed miles in no time, telling stories, and playing LOTS of games on the trail! Special shoutout to Finleigh for keeping morale high all day! She was chosen as LOD for the next day because of her excellent ability to get people talking and having fun throughout our hiking day! The first 80% of the day was delightful. Great weather, a nice trail, and most importantly, NO bugs… Our group was absolute troopers, though, and took it like a champ. When we made it to camp, we called it an early night to escape the swarms of bugs and served the group dinner in their tents. The girls piled into 1 tent, giggling and talking the night away. Meanwhile, the boys feasted on a three-course meal of chili mac, followed by scrambled eggs, and finally noodle soup!
*helicopter noise* We woke up early the next morning to get ready to meet our ride out of the backcountry. *helicopter noise* For our big day, we chose Gillian and Ben to lead us! They rallied the group for our fastest wake-up yet! *helicopter noise* No matter how many times you ride a helicopter, it really never gets old! Some of the biggest smiles plastered each of our faces as we heard the sounds approaching… *helicopter noise* and the ride did not disappoint! As we flew over much of the terrain we had hiked through the day before, we were all in absolute awe. A successful expedition was celebrated with a parking lot pancake breakfast topped with sprinkles and as much maple syrup as we could have ever wanted! Happy and proud of all of our hard work, we piled into the van once again to drive to our next stop, Revelstoke! Jamming to some of our favorite songs, we were off! Gillian set the vibes, playing her song of the summer and encouraging others to choose one as well!
Our time in Revelstoke has been jam-packed! It started out with a dip in the hot springs at our campsite, followed by our first showers of the trip! Definitely needed! The boys played tons of hacky sack, and Wyatt showed off his tricks! Next up, we hit the town for dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. We treated ourselves with loads of nachos and WAY too much food. Maybe it was because we’d been in the backcountry for a couple of days, but we agreed the food was some of the best ever!
Next up on our itinerary was a day hike up to Miller Lake. Our group laced up their hiking boots once again, and like seasoned experts, we hit the trails! In record-breaking time, we had made it to Miller Lake, an incredible alpine lake! At the lake, we stopped for a lunch break and, of course, a polar plunge! Bowen rallied the group, and although there may have been a couple of ice chunks in the lake, every single person jumped in at least once! Shoutout Valery and Finleigh for jumping in a whopping 3 times!! On the way back to the van, we had an epic snowball fight that lasted almost the whole way back! Longest snowball fight ever recorded? After such a fun hike, we headed into town for a quick stop! Sugar Shack! We loaded up on ice cream before taking some time to explore the town!
Tomorrow, we will start the day off with some stand-up paddleboarding on Revelstoke Lake before making our way over to Lake Louise, and then in a couple of days over to the Kootenay River. We have been having an absolute blast and cannot wait for the next couple of days!
Next time you hear from us, it will be time to say our goodbyes 🙁 but until then, we will keep doing our thing in the beautiful Canadian Rockies! Should I say summer of the year, year of the summer? That’s all for now! CNR 2 out!
Shoutouts from our group:
Valery Mitchell: hi mom, dad, Mary Lois, and Kathryn! I am having so much fun!! The views are sooo awesome! We just came back from backpacking on helicopters. This group is so amazing and this is the best experience! Love yal!!!!
Gillian Barrett: hili fam!! I’m having so so much fun in Canada! We just went backpacking (most snow I’ve ever seen) and are about to go rafting in a few days.
Thanks so much for letting me go on this trip, it’s so so cool and pretty here!! Yall would love it! Shoutout Shelby (and 67) and tell them I say hello!! Love and miss yall!!
Finleigh: hi everyone!! am having so much fun with my group and all of these views are insaneee!! The helicopter… MG. Shoutout, Lola, Leila, poppy and Greer!! This is amazing and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
Isaac: the last day of backpacking was crazy. Lots of bushwhacking. Helicopter was lots of fun
Sadie-hi mom, dad! hi Cody!! I just got out of the backcountry it was quite an adventure and so fun, also superrrr pretty views! Miss u all hope u had a good fourth!
Shout out to violet I miss ya wish u were here and I’m so exited to show u my flicks when I’m back! Shout out Zoe i misss u so excited to show u photos!
Ellie- Hi mom, dad, lan, and walker!!! am having so so much fun here. Riding the helicopter was sooo fun and backpacking was awesome. I miss you guys and I hope yall had a fun fourth. I love you guys so much! I miss Lucy, Caroline, Elizabeth, Julia, and West I hope vall are having so much fun. Can’t wait to see vall and tell you everything
Wyatt- Hi mom and dad! I’ve had a lot of fun so far and have seen the craziest views ever. I have also made good friends, the group is great. The helicopter was so cool, I’m having a lot of fun and don’t want to leave. Can’t wait to tell yall all about it!
Ben- hi mom and dad, I’ve had a lot of fun so far and have seen some of the craziest views ever. Ive also made good friends with everyone in the group. Canada is the coolest place I’ve ever seen and the helicopter was so cool; I’m having a lot of fun and don’t want to leave. Can’t wait to tell vall all about it.
Jack-hey mom and dad, these mountains are insane and the views are crazy. We just got done being in the back country and the views outside the sleeping bag were the craziest I have ever seen. The helicopter was insane and I can’t wait to tell vall about this trip.
William – hi mom hi dad these mountains are insane and I have seen some of the craziest views ever. Riding the helicopter was so much fun. Can’t wait to tell yall all about it when I get back
Canyoning in Canada!
July 2, 2026
What’s up from Canadian Rockies!!
Our trip began in the delightful Calgary airport. The kids got in one by one –some much earlier than others. Wyatt was an early bird and helped us prepare for the welcoming party. Every time someone would get in we would play the name game and some of the kids riddle out mutual friends between them! In the time we waited at the airport, we played hackysack, guitar, and cards. For dinner, we enjoyed some delicious pizza and ate more than enough powdered sugar donuts of course! Once our whole group had arrived, we were off! It was very late for us in Calgary, even later for our friends coming from central time, but the long day and the late hour didn’t seem to have any effect on Ben. His excitement for the trip to come was so contagious we couldn’t wait to go to bed and kick things off in the morning.
To start the trip off right, we got to sleep in a bit to make up for the travel day! After our late wake up, we fueled up on muffins and juice, hopped in the van, and immediately got started curating the most epic playlist of all time. Jack took the lead, adding all of his favorite Drake songs. Particularly, Headlines, is a crowd favorite, which Ellie surprised the group by knowing every word to. Our first stop on this drive was a famous hotel in Banff, where we did a photo op, followed by a scenic waterfall. While the group enjoyed the views, Isaac showed off his climbing skills, impressing the group as he quickly climbed a tree! We made a quick lunch stop, then got a special treat of Beaver Tails at a shop in Banff before hitting the road once again.
Once we made it to our campsite, we learned about tent setup, and bear protocol. Fred, our guide, led the cook crew, cheffing up a delicious dinner of chicken, rice, and greek salad! We ended the night with our first proper Moonup, where we chose Sadie and William as our first leaders of the day! Sadie, a true leader for the group for how stoked she was in Calgary despite having such a tough travel day, and William for how engaging he had been on the first day of the trip and making people feel welcome by starting group games.
We woke up the next morning overjoyed for our first activity of the trip, Canyoning!! After a quick breakfast, we threw on swim suits, and hopped into the van, blasting house music to hype us up for the day ahead. We met our guides, who suited us up in some wetsuits before embarking on our climb to the top of the canyon. Throughout our journey up, Finleigh, Valery, and Gillian showed off some of their favorite dance moves to keep warm! We practiced skills clipping and unclipping carabiners, spotted each other, and eventually made it to the top! We ate a quick lunch before it was time for the real canyoning. We slid down “waterslides”, and our guides repelled us down waterfalls and steep ledges.
After a successful, but very cold, canyoning trip, we returned to camp and rewarded ourselves with hot chocolate. We learned to pack a backpack and began preparing for our next couple of days backpacking in the backcountry of Banff!
That’s all for now! Next time you hear from us, we will be seasoned backcountry travelers!
We are having a blast and could not be more grateful for this opportunity! Our group wrote notes expressing their gratitude!
Ben Green- Thank you so much mom and dad for letting me go on this trip, love y’all.
Jack Q – Thank you for giving me the opportunity to go on the this trip, love you both mom and dad for letting me have a great time.
William Hamilton – thank yall so much for letting me go on this trip and create new memories with friends.
Wyatt Fields – Dad, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I’ll get you a present here, thank you so much for letting me come. Mom- Love you so much thanks for letting me come.
Isaac Marks – thank you guys, love you.
Finleigh – hi, l am having sooooo much fun!! Love you guys!
Ellie – Hi!!! I hope yall are having a great time in Nantucket! I love it here my group and leaders are awesome! Thank you soo much for sending me here.
Gillian – hello!!! I’m having lots of fun and thinking of vall!! So excited to tell yall all about it! tell everyone I love them and miss them!
Valery – Hi!! Thank you for sending me on this trip I’m having so much fun! Love you and I can’t wait to tell y’all all about it!! Have fun in Amelia!
Sadie – hi mom! hi dad! Thank you guys for sending me on this trip I’m having a blast!! I hope the end of rafting was fun and u guys didn’t wrap the boat on blossom, I can’t wait to tell u bout the fun things we’re doing, love ya!!
Safe Arrival!
June 30, 2026
Hi Canadian Rockies Families!
We heard from our leaders last night that the group landed safely in Calgary! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure!
Please remember that our leaders and students will be unplugged, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the trip! 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
