Final Farewell!
July 10, 2026
We started our first day of rock climbing with a special Jackson breakfast creation: a breakfast burrito featuring eggs, maple chicken, and hashbrowns. Due to a later start to rock climbing, we spent our extra time in the morning playing an intense pickup basketball game, where Mack demonstrated some serious offensive prowess, scoring nearly all her team’s points, and Sims showed off some lockdown defense on the opposite end to make scoring difficult. Following a last-second layup by Drew to secure Jackson’s team the win, we fueled up on fresh watermelon and pineapple to begin our climbing session.
Shoutout to Clara for leading us off in our climbing and being one of the first to finish route number 6! Drew, Zander, Grayson, Caleb, and Cooper were all amongst the many to complete the challenge by routes that faced us on the indoor wall. Grayson put up a fierce effort on the hardest route, number five, and was cheered on by Drew, Caleb, and Henry. We spent the afternoon exploring Crested Butte, eating ice cream, and seeing many of the shops around town. Shoutout to Sims, Clara, and Anna for their new matching permanent bracelets! Caleb got a new shirt from the vintage store, and Cooper was able to find himself more reads at the bookstore. We ended our day with a beautiful sunset dinner of Mac and cheese, thanks to a recipe from Bailey’s mom and a special creation of Parmesan Mac and cheese for Zander!
Our second day of rock climbing got us to venture outdoors, where Zander, Grayson, and Cooper proved to be formidable on the granite, completing all three routes our guides set up! Shoutout to Elizabeth for temporarily conquering her fear of heights and being the first to hop up on the wall! Mackenzie and Sims both conquered the trickiest route in the middle after some difficult route finding and tough moves! After rock climbing, we began our long drive to Sand Dunes National Park, following lunch in the park filled with soccer, football, and gymnastics courtesy of Lily and Clara. After arriving at Sand Dunes and watching a beautiful sunset over the mountain clouds, we ate a delicious dinner of walking tacos before getting an early bedtime in preparation for our big day.
We began our morning early in Sand Dunes, waking up before the sunrise with 4th of July tunes courtesy of Jackson’s JBL. Trekking out onto the dunes we prepared for the coming sand boarding slopes successes and fails. Shoutout to Drew and Caleb for taking on the biggest dune and staying on their feet the whole way down, and Zander for taking a tumble at the last second that had everyone laughing. In addition to some awesome pictures, we walked off the dunes with so many memories of rolling down the sand, 4th of July ring pops, and a dark wake-up with “Mr. America.” As we left the dunes, we headed for Salida to celebrate the rest of the 4th of July, which included a delicious pizza-filled lunch and an awesome parade that resulted in a variety of candy eaten after the main course.
Our final day of activities saw us take on the Captain Zipline ropes course and zipline tour. We started with big ambitions as Jackson and Anna had a bone to pick with the Rattlesnake double black. Everyone took to the ropes and demonstrated some expert skills, but Cooper, Sims, and Lily successfully tackled the unique challenge of the Grizzly black diamond route! Shoutout to Jackson for being the only one to conquer the double black!! After a delicious sandwich, a fancy Italian sandwich lunch courtesy of Bailey, Elizabeth led us and herself over her fear of heights on the zip line course. We headed back to Salida for the afternoon, taking to the river, sometimes lounging like a lizard in the sun on the rocks or riding down the surf wave. Big shout out to Drew and Mack for riding a bougie board on the wave so long they practically had to be dragged out of the water.
We started our final full day together with a new breakfast recipe that became an instant hit: Hawaiian roll French toast. Our drive back to Denver was full of classic hit songs like Replay, Party in the USA, and Mr. Brightside. Upon getting back to Denver, we began our banquet activities, cleaning the van and breaking out into an impromptu soap fight where Herrington raised mayhem, coating anyone he could catch in foam. Shoutout to Mack for taking over the vacuum and getting the floor clean! We next headed to the Goodwill to pick out outfits for one another that resulted in some properly hilarious attire: Henry in a leprechaun costume, Elizabeth the cowboy, and Sims the hipster. We donned our attire and headed to Bad Daddy’s Burgers for an amazing dinner of buffalo wings, smash burgers, and Mac and cheese while watching a heartbreaking U.S. men’s team defeat. But our spirits couldn’t be held down as we laughed over retold stories and adventures from throughout the trip. After dinner, we made a special extra stop to celebrate Grayson’s birthday by getting ice cream!! We ended our final day together with our last Moonup led by Anna, Bailey, and Jackson, where we reflected on our time together and shared many heartfelt words over the course of “before you leave, I want you to know.”
In the airport, we shared our final goodbyes over many hugs and heavy hearts, and perhaps even a tear or two, watching y’all take off on the plane. We miss you all so much already and are so excited to see you all back at Moondance and the incredible people you all become!
A Blast While Backpacking!
July 5, 2026
We kicked off our backpacking adventure by making our way to the trailhead, where we enjoyed a lunch of ramen before tackling the famous “duffle shuffle.” Everyone worked together to divide up camp gear, kitchen supplies, and food. Once our packs were loaded, we hit the trail toward our first backcountry campsite. The hike was filled with beautiful scenery, great conversations, and plenty of games. Lily, Elizabeth, Anna, and Bailey kept themselves entertained with a game of Wavelength while hiking in the caboose, while the front of the pack enjoyed great conversation about past travels and favorite hometown activities. Grayson, Drew, and Jackson kept a steady pace, leading the group, helping everyone make their way up the trail. At one river crossing, Elizabeth took an unexpected dip, while others, including Grayson and Henry, decided to embrace the cold water and simply walk right through! Shoutout to Caleb for his navigation skills to keep his shoes completely dry while scaling the rocks across the river. After arriving at camp, the girls all squeezed into one tent to stay warm before enjoying delicious pita pizzas for dinner. We ended the evening with Moonup, where Clara and Mack had everyone laughing with their best snoring impressions.
The next morning, we fueled up with oatmeal before heading out on a day hike to beautiful Navajo Lake. Cooper made sure Grayson got the last brown sugar oatmeal packet, earning some extra friendship points before the hike even began. Along the trail we passed several friendly dogs and tackled some intense incline trails. Reaching the lake was well worth the climb, and everyone was ready to relax and enjoy lunch by the water. Grayson and Drew had success fishing, while Elizabeth, Sims, Cooper, Caleb, Jackson, Zander, and Herrington cooled off with an icy jump into the lake to earn a well-deserved Sour Patch Watermelon reward. Herrington led the charge after losing a game of “What Are the Odds?” and fully committed to the challenge. Back at camp, Anna and Jackson worked their magic in the kitchen, whipping up a tasty chicken, rice, and bean dinner despite realizing they had forgotten the seasoning. We wrapped up another unforgettable day with Moonup, where Herrington, also known as “Steve,” officially earned his newest nickname, MC Swivel Hips, after treating everyone to some unforgettable dance moves.
Our final day of backpacking was met with an early wake-up in order to have plenty of time for a good lunch in Telluride before heading off for two days of rock climbing. What’s for breakfast, you might ask? A variety of cereals and a camper favorite: Made Good Granola Bites!!! After making it down the County Road 38 and into Telluride, we stopped at the Cornerhouse Grille for a tasteful medley of hamburgers, fried chicken, Mac and cheese, and enormous fried pickles which Lily kindly shared with everyone. The meal was punctuated by conversations where Drew and Clara claimed they could do better than the English national team mere seconds before Harry Kane scored an 86′ minute game winning goal. Wandering through Telluride we ran into even more dogs to pet thanks to a friendly roofer who previously worked for our rafting guides at River Runners.
Following a stop at the store and a drive to Elk Creek, Bailey cooked a dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce, which Sims revealed during Moonup to be one of her favorite meals of the trip. As dinner was cooking Elizabeth and Clara took a photoshoot courtesy of Zander’s camera that continued through the night with many others joining in on the fun. We ended the night by doing a fruit roll up eating race, where hearts were broken and victory was grasped in the final moment. While Henry was fumbling to grab the half eaten fruit roll up he dropped, and Elizabeth was celebrating her seemingly certain victory, Caleb swooped in at the last possible second to finish his first and claim victory at the end of a Moonup filled with laughing and contemplation thanks to excellent questions from our LODS Lily and Herrington. We went to bed eager and excited for the rock climbing that awaited us the next day!!
Thank you mom and dad! I’ve had so much fun here! -Herrington
Thank you mom and dad so much for sending me here. I have so many memories and new friends! -Grayson
I am having so much fun. Thanks mom’s MF dad for letting me come. I am making so many new memories! -Sims
I am having so much fun and making so many new memories! Thanks mom and dad! -Elizabeth
I am having an amazing time out here and I am super thankful for the opportunity to go on this trip. Thank you mom and dad! -cooper
Thank you mom, dad, and Mimi so much for this trip, I have fun new memories and new friends! -Clara
Thank you for sending me on this trip. I have made so many friends and memories. -Lily
Thanks for letting me on this trip, can’t wait to see you! -Mack
Thanks mom and dad and Mimi for this trip. I am having fun. I am so grateful! -drew
Thank you mom and dad for sending me here. Having fun! Love y’all. -Caleb
Thank you mom and dad for letting me go on this trip! I’ve had lots of fun and tell minnie I said thanks! -Zander
I am so grateful for you guys (mom and dad) giving me the opportunity to go on this trip. Making so many memories! With love. -Henry
Shout Outs!
June 28, 2026
Zander: Hi guys, I am having lots of fun here in Colorado so far. We have whitewater rafted and fly fished. Fly fishing was way more fun than normal fishing, and the whitewater rafting was awesome. Right now we are headed to San Juan National Forest to backpack. The views out here are great, and I can show you guys with my photos. Overall it’s amazing! Love,Zander
Caleb: Having fun here. Miss y’all. Dad, there is a lot of old people because there is a lot of Cadillacs. Love y’all.
Drew: Hey Mom and Dad, I am having fun. I caught my first rainbow trout on fly. I miss y’all.
Mackenzie: Hey Mom and Dad, I’m having a great time and we are about to go backpacking. I caught 1 fish fly fishing and tried kayaking. Miss you! Tell Maverick I said hi.
Clara: Hey Mom and Dad, I’m having fun. Other than that, I miss y’all too and I’m excited to tell y’all about everything.
Lily: Hey Mom and Dad, I’m having a lot of fun. I miss you guys and can’t wait to see you.
Henry: Colorado is great. Views are better than anything I have ever seen. Counselors and people are also great. Hope everything is good at home. Can’t wait to see you.
Herrington: Hey Mom and Dad, I’m having a great time! Love y’all, see you soon!
Grayson: Hey Mom and Dad. Tell Rex, Eli, Emerson, and Paws I said hi. I am having an amazing time and I am missing you guys. Love you.
Elizabeth: Hey Mom and Dad, I love and miss you guys and can’t wait to come home! Also tell Lizzie I miss her too. Can’t wait to see y’all soon!
Sims: Hey Mom and Dad, I am having so much fun. Everything here is so pretty. I hope you are having fun in Italy. Can’t wait to see you.
Cooper: Hey Mom, Dad, and Kendall, I’ve had a lot of fun so far whitewater rafting and fly fishing. I have been taking pictures, and I can’t wait to tell you guys all about the trip. The temperature is also pretty nice. Love you guys.
Crushing it in Colorado!
June 28, 2026
HELLO COLORADO TRAIL FAM AND FRIENDS!
We kicked off our adventure with an exciting first day on the river! After a delicious breakfast of eggs seasoned with taco seasoning and crispy hashbrowns, we met our rafting guides at the river and got geared up for the day ahead. The river was full of fun rapids, teamwork, and lots of laughs. While no one ended up taking an unexpected swim, Caleb, Henry, Elizabeth, and Clara’s raft seemed to find just about every rock on the river, except for the biggest rapid! Lily stepped up as captain of her raft and navigated like a pro all day long. Along the way, Cooper kept everyone entertained by pointing out and talking about the many different rock formations that make up the beautiful canyon. We stopped along the river for a delicious lunch prepared by our guides before cooling off with a swim. Daisy even showed off with an impressive jump off the raft, making everyone cheer her on.
After a fun day on the water, we arrived at camp and got settled in before Jackson introduced everyone to the game Signs. Somehow, Henry was almost always accused of being “it,” keeping the whole group laughing throughout the evening. We wrapped up the day with a delicious stir-fry dinner and a meaningful Moonup led by our Leaders of the Day, Lily and Grayson.
Day two brought even more excitement as part of the group traded the raft for inflatable kayaks while the rest stayed together in the raft. Grayson, Herrington (also known as “Steve”), Henry, Caleb, Drew, Zander, and Anna were ready to take on the river from their own boats. Herrington’s boat needed a little bump from Anna’s to help get off a few tricky rocks, but everyone was all smiles and eager to keep paddling. Sims was the first member of the raft crew brave enough to jump off Elizabeth Rock, titled by the group after Queen Elizabeth, with Mack following right behind. After lunch, Mack hopped into a kayak and absolutely crushed the rest of the river. Jackson also made it his mission to get Clara soaked by the end of the day, and while he didn’t completely succeed, he definitely got close! After another great riverside lunch with beautiful views, we finished our rafting adventure and headed back to camp for a delicious taco dinner. We gathered for another wonderful Moonup led by our Leaders of the Day, Elizabeth and Herrington. We reflected on another incredible day together before wrapping up the night with a hilarious tortilla game that had the whole group laughing.
On our third day, we traded rapids for fishing rods as we met up with our fly-fishing guides and headed to the beautiful Wrights Lake. Surrounded by stunning mountain views, everyone enjoyed learning new techniques and trying their luck on the water. Drew had an especially impressive day, reeling in five fish! Mack, Grayson, Caleb, Zander, Anna, Jackson, and Bailey all landed fish as well, making for an exciting afternoon full of celebrations and high fives. After enjoying lunch by the lake, we packed up our gear and hit the road for our next campsite, excited to head into the San Juan National Forest for backpacking!
Talk Soon!
Anna, Jackson, + Bailey
Safe Arrival in Denver!
June 24, 2026
Hello Colorado Trail Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Denver! 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
