Farewell, Canada!
July 29, 2026
HELLOO all CNR families and friends! By the time you are reading this, sadly all of our adventures will have come to an end. Our students will be on flights going home, but until then, we have been having an epic time and cannot wait to tell y’all everything.
Ok so since we last updated y’all, we were on our way to the iconic Lake Louise. While Lake Louise truly is beautiful, it is a bucket list destination for any Canadian tourist, hence crowds of tourists, all fighting for the same photos and views. To avoid these crowds, after taking one group photo (we had to!) we began a nearby hike up to Lake Miller. This is a similarly radiant blue lake, but tucked about a mile and a half away, and with WAY less people. On the way up, we made good fun out of being in such a crowded area. We played the game where you greet people with a word that begins with each letter of the alphabet, for example, “Aloha”, “Beautiful day today!” the list goes on and on. However, it begins to get interesting towards the end of the alphabet, “Up up and away!”, “Victorious we will be when we get to the top!”, and my personal favorite, “X marks the spot, Lake Miller!”. While I’m sure you could come up with way more normal greetings than these, we didn’t care and were hysterically laughing the whole way up. Don’t ask about our response rate to our greetings! We maybe got 1/5 of the people we were talking to say hello back.
In the afternoon, we got the best news that Rob’s knee had no tears or breaks, and he would be all good to go for rafting. In high spirits, he returned to camp, and we decided that this was worth a celebration of ice cream! We loaded into the van, and headed into town. Hunter made the group laugh as he ordered bubblegum ice cream, which notably was bright blue, then proceeded to stain his entire mouth blue! Afterwards, we continued our searches for the perfect t-shirt souvenir. Katie, Louisa, and Ellen finally found the one, and even better, they could all match! We returned to camp to make some dinner and prepare for our rafting adventures, all while leaving time for plenty of hacky sack that night! Our LOD, Henry, led the goofiest, most unserious Moonup, maybe ever in Moondance history. For a sneak peak, one (of so many) of the questions asked what the person next to you would be if they were a smell, and the Moonup ended with him and our other LOD, Katie, standing on a table and declaring the next days leaders.
The next morning was an early wake up as we raced to be on time to meet our raft guides. Just in time, we made it to the put in, where we met all of our guides and they showed us how to pack our stuff into the dry bags we would be taking. We hopped into the raft, and it was finally time for our river adventures to begin. One boat spent the morning solving riddle after riddle! Umm, now that I think about it, I think this trip update may be a banana! We built sculptures of each other, some of which could even dance. The award to the best sculptor in the group has to go to Joe! Meanwhile, the other raft turned into a rave, spinning in circles, blasting house music, and dancing along. We made it to our riverside camp, where most of the group set up their sleeping bags in the sand along the shore, excited to cowboy camp that night. Cowboy camping is camping without a tent, and one of the biggest perks is being able to look at the stars as you are falling asleep. For dinner, our raft guides made us some of the best food yet on the trip. Our appetizer was chips with salsa and a queso dip, followed by a main course of fajitas! Then, for dessert, the original plan was to make our own ice cream by throwing around a ball. Sadly, the ball broke, so we had to settle for only the greatest chocolate chip cookies you have ever had! They are called “Pretentious cookies” and take over 2 days to bake, with different types of chocolates and a special form of sea salt! They just might be the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had! After such a big day, we retired to our sleeping bags, excited for a good night of sleep beneath the stars!
We woke up the next day to a freshly made breakfast by our raft guides. We truly are so spoiled on the river. Getting into the river life rhythm, we quickly helped our guides to pack the boats and hit the rapids! Poppy, became our raft guide in training, she spent the day paddling her boat and learning many of the basics! Meanwhile, Caroline took the day to lounge in the sun, relaxing on her boat! Other activities from the day include more riddles, more dance parties, and some unforgettable raft wars! There was lots of splashing and some throwing people off the boat!
Once we made it to camp, our group quickly decided that the most perfect sleep spot was across a small section of the river from where the kitchen area was. The river was only ankle deep or so, but since we knew that they would need to make this walk at night and in the morning, the most natural solution was to build a bridge across. Harley led this effort, and although his structure was not necessarily a bridge, he built the most structurally sound dam. It was almost as good as if a beaver had built it! We finished the night off with some hot dogs and a raft guide classic, deconstructed s’mores! This entails a roasted marshmallow coated in a layer of melted chocolate, all rolled in a layer of graham cracker crumbles. We told lots of stories and shared many laughs into the night, savoring these last couple of days altogether!
This morning, we woke up bright and early in order to paddle to the put out, to have one last epic van ride. We drove to Canmore, where we had a busy afternoon. Our first stop was… ice cream! Our ice cream spot served any flavor you can think of out of an old, abandoned school bus. It was nothing less than amazing. Our next stop on the itinerary was a vintage thrift store, where we raided the $5 box to put together some of the most out there, stylish outfits we could find for our dinner in town. Afterwards, our group explored Canmore, once again searching for the perfect souvenirs and tshirts to bring home with them. For dinner, we made our way to a local favorite pizza shop, and while we definitely got a couple of strange looks, probably because of our crazy outfits, we hardly noticed. The pizza was a 10/10, and since this is our final night, we had to make a final pitstop at the grocery store to stock up on last minute snacks and energy drinks for the long all nighter ahead.
We will end the night with a final Moonup, and we will see if the group makes it through the full all nighter, powered off of lots of caffeine and sugar! Tomorrow morning will be an early one as we head to the airport to say our goodbyes and part ways. This truly has been a trip of a lifetime and we couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to have spent these past two weeks exploring the beautiful and amazing Canadian Rockies with this group of students. It has been a blast, and for the final time, CNR 3 is signing off!
With gratitude and love!
Caroline and Bowen
Glorious Glacier Fun!
July 25, 2026
What is up CNR 3 groupies!
We finally emerged from a successful backcountry expedition. Now we find ourselves in Revelstoke at the halfway point of the session. Let’s dive into what y’all missed.
It was the day to be flown into the backcountry via HELICOPTER! Before our flight, we climbed onto the Alabaska Glacier to explore its cool features. Everyone was pretty excited to see the glacier. While some of the girls posed for some aesthetic pictures, Harley led the boys in getting some clips of playing hacky sack on the glacier. If you complete something on your bucket list, you better get a video of it to prove that you did it. Pictures weren’t the only thing we took from the glacier. Poppy was so excited to fill her water bottle up with water from the glacier, and the rest of the group followed her lead and agreed that may be some of the best water they had ever had. Our breath was taken away by some other huge features of the glaciers: like a 200-foot hole in the ice carved out by a waterfall! We finished our glacier expedition with some hot cocoa from our nearby lunch spot! It was now time for the much-anticipated helicopter ride into the backcountry!
We arrived at the helicopter company, with just enough time to pack last-minute food and group gear items into our bag, and even more importantly, catch the final few minutes of the World Cup final! With a couple of minutes to spare, we played some hacky sack before splitting into groups to hop into the helicopter and enjoy the views of the mountains and valleys we would soon be backpacking in! To celebrate our first night in the backcountry, we had to make a fan favorite of backcountry pita pizzas! Not to brag, but these just might be the best backcountry pizzas ever made… we even brought a cheese grater into the backcountry to properly shred the mozzarella cheese and ensure a full melt. We made some classic cheese and pepperoni pizzas, but also made a couple topped with hot honey BBQ sauce as well! Needless to say, they were amazing! We finished the night off with s’mores around a campfire followed by Moonup. After saying our good nights, an hour or 2 later, we found ourselves all still sitting around the fire. One story had led to another, and Hunter had captured everyone’s attention, telling story after story. Past midnight, it was finally time to call it a night!
The next morning we all slept in. Once most of the group had made their way out of their tents, Ellen fired up the stove and began cheffing up M&M pancakes for the group. After firsts, seconds, and maybe even a couple of thirds, we were finally ready to conquer this layover day in the backcountry. Different groups set off to explore different areas of the surrounding areas and features. Rob led a group to attempt a pretty cool summit that involved climbing up 2 stools before a final climb up to the highest ridge line. Louisa, Katie, and Poppy, after the hike, took a polar plunge into the lake! It wasn’t thattt cold, they told the rest of the group! Other layover day activities included a charcuterie-turned-quesadilla lunch, lots of fireside conversations, a couple of riddles, and finally a jambalaya dinner followed by Moonup. While this layover day was not full of rest, we sure did have a blast!
The next morning, we woke up and laced up our hiking boots for a big day! A couple of river crossings, way too many mosquito bites, lots and lots of bushwhacking, and nearly 8 miles later, we had made it to camp. While the hike was tough and our bags were heavy, our group made it look easy! We spent the day telling stories, telling lots of riddles and jokes, and having an absolute blast on the trail. Upon arriving at our campsite for the night, we could not be more proud of ourselves, and celebrated by starting a fire! Caroline even took a dip in the lake! As this was our last night in the backcountry, we had an interesting dinner. Our first course was a gourmet chili mac n cheese, followed by a second course of pancakes! We spent the night telling stories and laughing around the fire before retreating to our tents.
**Helicopter Noises Today was the day! We woke up bright and early, threw all of our stuff into our backpacks, and with some of the biggest smiles you can imagine covering each of our faces, made our way to the helicopter landing spot. The helicopter flew us over the terrain that we had walked through just yesterday, and it was crazy to point out landmarks as we made our way back to the front country. Despite all the smoke, the views were insane and made for scenery that was unlike anything we had seen yet! When we landed, Fred had a stack of hot pancakes ready for us to devour! We rewarded ourselves with clean clothes, and feasted until all 3 groups had made it back!
Our next stop in this adventure was Revelstoke! We piled into the van, like always, blasting some country bangers, and began our journey. After a couple of days in the backcountry, the car naps were absolutely necessary! Within an hour of the drive, the tone of the music shifted to more chill, and before you knew it, most everyone was fast asleep. Once we arrived at our camp for the next couple of days, there was lots to do! Dishes, unpacking our bags from the backcountry, airing out our tents, but most importantly, swimming in the hot springs and showering! So showering is somewhat a taboo topic in this group. Henry has showered only once in his life, many many years ago, and Rob has never showered. This made showering quite interesting, as you could hear winces as the water hit them, as a joke of course! After a few days in the backcountry, the hot springs were incredible, and a much-needed treat! Once we were clean, it was time to hit the town!
After a much-anticipated grocery run, where we loaded up on caramel m&ms and Cheez-its, we made our way to the local Mexican restaurant. Immediately, we arrived to platters of chips and dip, followed by some nachos! Given that this was a Mexican restaurant, I was surprised to see that more than a couple people ordered burgers or chicken wings, but whatever makes people happy! Food was obviously amazing, but the highlight of the night may have been a spice challenge that almost every person took part in! The restaurant brought out 3 separate salsas: a mild, a medium, and a spicy. “How spicy could a drop of the spiciest salsa be?” we all asked. One by one, we each tried a drop of the salsa and were quickly proven wrong. Ellen, who hates spice probably more than anyone else on the trip, bravely took one of the first bites! We are trying to get the kids stoked for a polar plunge, but we have some work to do; we had a lot of help from Joe. The previous LODs picked Joe Mitch to be their next Leader of the Day. He is making big plans for tomorrow– we are going on a day hike to an alpine lake.
Before you know it, these kiddos will be back at home, and the Moondance will conclude! Sadness.
Until next time!
Caroline Wilkins: hello family! I’m having the best time in Canada! The views we’ve seen are so pretty. We went paddle boarding today and it was so fun! We are going to lake Louise tomorrow and then we are rafting. Can’t wait to tell yall about it when I get home! Love and miss yall!
Katie Holland: Hill!!! I miss all of you guys so much. The mountains are literally insane and we’ve done the coolest things. We’ve been canyoning, on a glacier, a helicopter to backpacking for 4 days, a lot of hikes, and we paddle boarded today. It’s been the best time and my group is so good. See y’all at the lake!! Love u guys!!
Harley Tyler: what’s up guys! I’m having a great time. I have seen such amazing views. I hope yall are doing great. Love yall!
Hunter Dossett: Hey Mom and Dad! It’s been really fun so far. I can’t wait to see you guys! All of the group is really cool and has been so much fun! I’ll tell you all about the stories when I’m home. Love you guys.
Henry Brown: Hey, I have been having a lot of fun with this trip so far. I also can’t wait to see everyone back home again. The group is full of great people and a lot of people to have fun with. I’ll tell you about it when I get home!
Ellen Thompson: hi mom and dad and Marge I miss you guys so much I hope your trips were so fun and I can’t wait to tell you everything about Canada it’s so awesome. Backpacking was so hard but so pretty! I met so many cool people and it’s so pretty here. Hi Aubrey and Kate and all my friends !! Kate i hope the beach was fun and Aubrey I hope your basketball tournament went well I miss you guys a lot. Rian and Eily I’m betting soccer is just a blast I can’t wait to be back also remember to get number 12 for me please or just anything! Love and miss you guys
Louisa: HI YALL!!!! I’m having so so so much fun!! I miss all of yall so much and can’t wait to tell yall about everything when I get back! I’ve seen and done the most amazing things here and I love this trip so much. My group is so awesome and I am having the best time. Wade and daisy I can’t wait to see yal and tell yal some funny stories. LOVE YALL!!
Joe: what’s up yall! I am having so much fun! This is amazing! The helicopter ride was so cool and we went on a glacier and so much more cool stuff! I can’t wait to tell yall all about it! I hope yall are doing well!
Rob: what’s up fam! I’m having a blast out here in Canada. I’ve met a bunch of cool people, and seen a bunch of cool places. While activities such as a glacier walk and backpacking were cool, the helicopter ride was by far the best part of the trip. I can’t wait to tell yall about all of it!
Poppy: Hey guys! I have been having so much fun! The canyoning has been my favorite part! The helicopter was super cool and I am in love with the mountains! The glacier was also super fun, we even got to drink the glacier water! Miss you guys a ton, see yall very soon! PS: You were right Finleigh, the Mexican was great! Shoutouts to Finleigh, Lola, leila, jack, Jules, and Olivia!! Love you guys so much and see ya!! in BHM!!
Checking In From Canada!
July 19, 2026
WHATS UP TO THOSE TUNING IN. We are about to head off to the backcountry to backpack for a couple of days and wanted to update y’all on what we’ve been up to before then!
Our adventure started off in the Calgary airport just a few days ago! While we waited on our group to arrive, we absolutely feasted! Powdered sugar donuts, chips and salsa, pizza, you name it! However, the crowd favorite food was… veggie pizza, with pineapple on it! JK nobody but Bowen even ate a slice.
Caroline, Joe, and Katie were the first to arrive and served as the welcoming committee for each subsequent person! After each arrival, we would replay the name game, quiz them on the classic get to know you questions, and then once all of that was done, of course, play hacky sack. Once everyone had arrived, we met our Canadian guide Fred and piled into the van to go to our hostel.
The next morning, we absolutely could not wait to get the day started! We returned to the Calgary airport to pick up Louisa, our final group member. Within no time, she was chatting away, quickly meeting everyone, and seeming as though she had known everyone forever! Our first stop on the trip was Banff! During the car ride on the way, we had a very important task, make the trip playlist! As we drove down the iconic Icefield Parkway, CNR 3 built the most epic, country banger playlist.
Our first stop on the way was a scenic lunch spot. As Poppy led the preparation of an amazing, and delicious, charcuterie board, Rob and Henry began exploring the area. In order to cross a nearby river, they built a bridge that very quickly fell apart, which was no problem at all since they just walked right across anyways. It’s Moondance, who really cares if your shoes get wet! After lunch was done, we packed up and hit the road once again!
Later that day, we arrived to our camp site for the next two nights. We learned to set up tents and very quickly became experts! Our guide Fred cooked up a dinner of chicken and rice gyros with greek salad, and our group agreed that this just might be some of the best food that they have ever eaten on a Moondance trip. Afterwards, Ellen, Rob, and Hunter, our dish crew all exclaimed that they actually loved to do dishes, and would even be on dish crew every night! We settled down for our first Moonup, and talked about what we wanted to get out of each of our Moondance trips! Even though it had only been one full day of the trip, it already felt like we had known each other for so much longer than 24 hours, and we went to bed, so excited to get started for our first activity of the trip, Canyoneering, the next morning!
It was a bright and early wake up, but our group was ready! Everyone shot out of their sleeping bags, and within minutes were outside of their tent, ready for breakfast! We chose between yoghurt, oatmeal, muffins, fueling ourselves for a big day ahead! Once again, we hopped into the van, of course, bumping even more country bangers, and headed off to meet our outfitters.
We spent the day travelling through a massive, and beautiful canyon. It took about half an hour to hike up to the base, before we zipped up our wetsuits and began maneuvering ourselves up to the top of the canyon. This took a combination of walking, scrambling, and at points, even climbing through rivers and rocks. Canyoneering is truly an activity like no other. In record breaking time, we had made it to the top for an early lunch of sandwiches.
Now that we had made it to the top of the canyon, we were in for a true treat, going down! The first step is to slide down a series of natural “water slides”. While this is really just a stream of water running over smooth rocks into a deep pool, they are so much fun. Our next challenge was a series of repels, where our canyoneering guides lowered each person over small cliffs or down waterfalls! Our group caught on so quickly, moving so swiftly down the canyon, and were so quickly experts! We had an absolute blast, laughing, dancing, and taking LOTS of photos the whole way! We even made it back to the road in record breaking time, beating even the pick up van! We returned our gear, said our thank yous and goodbyes to our guides, before returning to camp for a busy afternoon of prepping for backpacking.
Although we had lots to do, we had to make time for a quick chips and salsa break, and at least one, maybe more…, games of hackysack. We learned what to bring with us into the backcountry and how to pack our packs, before separating to each prep all of our stuff, and most importantly, did this quickly in order to leave time for a couple more games of hacky sack before dinner! A highlight of the afternoon, was that Harley heard the rattle of a rattle snake, and while we paused to look for it, he began telling us fun facts about rattle snakes. Did you know that the majority of death by rattle snake are caused by teenage boys trying to catch them?
We sat down for a family style dinner of chili, and maybe for the first time ever for a Moondance group, our kids even sat at coed tables, unprompted, on day 2. While this sounds like not a big deal, this almost never happens. For dinner, we warmed cookies on the stove, and got to choose between triple chocolate chunk and salted caramel chocolate chunk cookies. While we were sitting around, dipping our cookies into glasses of milk, we heard a nearby commotion, and went over to see a black bear exploring our neighbors camp! This was our first bear sighting of the trip, and for many of us, the first bear we had ever seen! We even got to see our guide spray the bear with bear spray to scare it out of our neighbors camp!
Our night ended with Moonup, where we reflected on different parts of a Moondance trip that we appreciate most. Some of our answers talked about living in the moment, making new friends, breaking out of our comfort zones, and getting to spend time with nature. Since it was still light outside, we played one more game of hackysack before calling it a night.
Tomorrow morning, we will pack up early before heading out to explore the Columbia Icefield on a glacier walk! We will learn all about glaciers and the area, before packing our bags, and flying in a helicopter into the backcountry! The next time you hear from us, we will be seasoned backpackers, with so many stories to tell about our time in the wilderness! Until then, we are having a blast and are so grateful for this opportunity to be out here!
Our group wrote notes of thanks to express this gratitude!
Poppy G: hey guys! I am having so much fun, thank you so much for giving me opportunity to come on a second Moondance trip! Love you guys!!
Caroline W: hey mom and dad! Thank yall so much for letting me go on this trip! Having the best time! Love y’all!
Katie H: HIII GUYS! I’ve been having so much fun and I’m super grateful for this opportunity to come. Love you guys so much!!
Ellen: Hey guys! I’m having so much fun in Canada views and people are awesome thanks so much for letting me come love you!
Louisa: HEY YALL! I’ve had SO SO much fun and I’m so grateful to be on this trip! Thank you so much! Wade and Daisy I miss yall so much!! Love all of you guys so much!!
Henry: Thank you so much for having me go on this great trip! The people and adventures are great!
Rob: what’s good fam. Thanks for sending me on this trip; Canadian are really nice people and the mountains are lowkey massive. This opportunity means the world to me even though I can’t wait to see where LeBron signs. Love all you guys s
Harley: what’s up yall! Thank you so much for this opportunity! Having so much fun! Love y’all
Joe: hey yall! I hope yall and the dogs are doing well! I’m having so much fun! Thank you so much for sending me! Love you!
Hunter- Hi Mom and Dad! I’m having a lot of fun and seeing a lot of cool scenery! Love you guys and can’t wait to see you!
Safe Arrival!
July 17, 2026
Hi Canadian Rockies Families!
We heard from our leader that the group landed safely in Calgary! After a few travel snags, they are united as one. 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
