One Final Farewell!!
July 26, 2026
Our adventure into the Sand Dunes began bright and early before sunrise courtesy of “Mr. America” waking everyone up with some AC/DC to get fired up. We trudged through the dunes with Sully and Colten leading the way until we reached a prime spot to begin sand surfing. Weasie led us off bravely by showing off her skills on the board and tackling a huge dune with a gnarly wipeout at the end. Following Weasie, Grace showed off some patience and persistence and eventually got the hang of the board after a few tries. Throughout the course of our morning in the dunes we discovered various new methods of surfing, with Dawson showing us how much speed one could get lying on their stomach and riding head first. After which Sully, Price, and Colten all huddled onto the board for a three person run with a spectacular wipeout at the end. We memorialized the morning with a plethora of pictures and sour patch watermelon. Before heading out from the dunes we enjoyed a huge breakfast of chocolate milk, eggs, and hashbrowns to refuel from our early adventure. We spent the rest of the day driving to and enjoying time in Salida to prepare for our zip lining the next day. We explored the town picking out souvenirs to take home, playing hacky sack in the streets, and doing bike tricks before ending our time in town with a stop at the incredible Salida pharmacy for ice cream.
We began our day with a quick breakfast of homemade sausage McGriddles to prepare for an intense couple hours of ropes course. Fallon and Annie were amongst some of the first to finish a course and led us off on a day that culminated in Grace, Sully, and Maggie completing the hardest double black diamond route!! Before beginning our zip lining, we stopped to refuel with a fancier lunch of fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, spinach, olive oil, and pepper over Italian sourdough accompanied by lays kettle cooked Cajun chips (a quickly discovered fan favorite). Weasie took on the responsibility of being our camera woman for the afternoon, strapping the GoPro to her helmet and get first hand views of the incredible zip lines, including the oldest and first zip line placed in Colorado.
The next day we put our swimsuits back on and prepared for an incredible day of rafting on the famous Royal River Gorge. Bailey’s raft of Annie, Weasie, Price, and Colten was full of laughs and fun conversations. Huge shoutout to our guide John led us the whole day without getting stuck thanks to his tenured 32 year rafting career. The water was full of fun for all, as we descended down a series of class IV rapids providing an exciting challenge with big waves that left everyone soaked. We stopped for an incredible lunch right below the Royal River Gorge bridge, taking in views of the canyon walls towering over a thousand feet above us. Right after lunch we got to stop for a swim and rock jump where once more Price showed his lack of fear hitting a gnarly belly flop off the rock followed by Mills and Jackson making jumps of their own. In the afternoon thanks to the guiding of Jimbob in Jackson’s boat, Fallon was able to finally master her paddling and help steer her boat through the rapids. Additionally Sully provided commentary throughout the entire trip, educating everyone in the raft about the fish and plant life that was surrounding us. Overall it was an incredible day on the river with everyone thoroughly enjoying the challenge of harder rapids from our rafting earlier in the trip.
Following a delicious breakfast of Hawaiian roll French toast, our final full day together began with a drive back to Denver to complete all of our preparations for banquet night! Weasie has one last chance to add to her song list she’d been compiling throughout the trip and Price had one more chance to get his gas station Mac and cheese which had become a staple joke of the trip. We took the van to get a nice wash after two weeks of gathering dirt, and it wasn’t long before the car cleaning turned into an all out soap war. No one was safe with Colten and Sully doing everything they could to provide everyone else with a new shade of pink added to their clothes. Once the van had finally been cleaned, we got ready to head to the goodwill to pick out our wacky outfits for our final dinner together. Few people came out of it as colorful as Charlie, who sported some particularly dapper rainbow cat pants, or as classy as Hendee, with her headphones and grandma glasses. We ate an incredible dinner at Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar where, despite the name, Maggie ordered a Giant pretzel twice the size of her head and took it down. It was smashburger and chicken sandwich galore, with not a single bite of leftovers on the table. We capped off our final evening together first with a stop at Dairy Queen for blizzards and then our last Moonup. It was a bittersweet one, with Anna reading us the Bon Vivant Manifesto, encouraging us to be the true lovers of life, and a concluding circle of “before you leave I want you to know” that left us with heavy and appreciative hearts.
Airport day saw us tell a sad but excited goodbye to Price at four A.M. so his dad could get him back to Tennessee in time for a Little League World Series qualifier game, with the rest of us heading to the airport soon after. As we sat at baggage claim, phone numbers and contact information were exchanged as well as final hugs with hard goodbyes. As we took you all to your gates and saw you off we meant everything we said, and already miss you more than you could believe. We are so proud of all of you and can not wait to watch and see the people you all become from further Moondance trips and so much more. We are the livers of life, care to join us?
COT3A Thank Yous
Hey yall thank you for letting me go to Moondance this summer I miss yall so much see yall soon. Fallon
Hi mom and dad thank you so much for letting me come on this trip. I am so grateful for this experience. You guys are the best and I miss you so much. I am so excited to tell you all about my time here!!! Love you!!! Annie
Hi mom and dad thank y’all so much for putting in the hard work for letting me come to this trip. I am so happy that y’all are my parents. I have learned so much from this trip and so excited to share with y’all and Francie. Love y’all so much!! Hendee Hayes!!
Hey Mom and Dad! Thank you so much for letting me come on this amazing experience that I had the opportunity to come on. This was one of the best weeks of my life and I made so many new memories! Can’t wait to share all of the stories I have with ya’ll! Love you so much!! Happy late birthday mom!! Maggie Spence!!
Hey Family! Thank yall so much for allowing me to come on Moondance, this has been so fun and I have grown more on this trip than I had ever expected. I love yall so much, Thank you!-Mills
Hey mom and dad, thank you so much for sending me on this trip. It’s been an adventure I’ll never forget. I’ve made some of the best memories and met some of the best people. Love. -Weasie
Hello mommy and daddy, Thank you sooo. Much for sending me to moon dance it is the best camp in the world. I miss you soooo much even though I’m having the best time ever. Truly this is the best experience ever. All of the people in this camp are the best. Love you. -Grace
Hi dad, Thank you for sending me on this amazing trip and giving me lots of opportunities in life. Camp is really fun. Love you -Charlie
Hi mom and Rolf! This trip with Moondance has been super fun! I have learned a lot about nature and life. If I could I would love to have the opportunity to come back to Moondance next year. I love this camp and all of the super nice people I have met. Thank you guys so much!!! I love you too! -Colten Becker
Hey mom and dad! I had so much fun at camp and it was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. I want to thank you guys so much for giving me these cool opportunities to meet new friends and explore the world. Love you guys and see you tomorrow! -Price
Hi Mom and Dad! Iam having a lot of fun. I miss you guys. I have met a lot of new people and tried a lot of new things. I feel a lot more confident now. I’m excited to get home and see you guys and tell you guys everything. Love you guys. Bye – Dawson
Hi mom and dad, I am having lots of fun love you so much. -Sully
Tales from the Trail!
July 22, 2026
Our backpacking adventure began with a stop at the trailhead, where we met up with Porter from Moondance HQ! After enjoying lunch together, it was time for the classic duffle shuffle before loading up our packs and hitting the trail. Sully stepped up to carry one of the tents, and Colten led the way as we made our way towards camp. Once we arrived, everyone pitched in to get camp set up before making delicious pita pizzas for dinner. Weasie even put his own twist on dinner with a creative bagel pizza! As everyone got to know him, Porter soon became a highlight of the trip, and everyone couldn’t wait for the adventures together ahead.
The next morning, we fueled up with oatmeal before hiking toward Navajo Lake. Colten once again set the pace at the front while Price, Sully, Anna, and Bailey enjoyed bringing up the rear of the group. Grace, Maggie, Mills, and Jackson enjoyed some classic “wavelength” to pass the time. As the final hill approached, Anna kept Grace motivated with a “phenomenal” song that helped carry everyone to the top. Once we reached the lake, Sully and Porter wasted no time grabbing their fishing rods while Fallon and Maggie started an entertaining game of tortilla slapping. Colten enjoyed a well-earned nap, Weasie taught everyone the Aussie word of the day, and although an afternoon rainstorm rolled in, we found the perfect cave and tree cover to wait it out. Dinner took a little extra patience that evening, but Porter’s WhisperLite expertise came through and helped save the day.
After breakfast the following morning, we packed up camp and hit the trail once again. Mills stepped up by carrying a large share of the group gear, while Dawson and Sully traded off carrying the bear can along the hike. Annie bravely crossed the river, although most of us weren’t quite as successful at keeping our feet dry! We powered through some rainy weather to start the day, and Sully and Anna spent part of the hike talking about crows, movies, and surviving what felt like a wall of mosquitoes. Thankfully, the sun greeted us as we neared the van. Once back at camp, we quickly got tents set up before the rain could return, changed into dry clothes, and celebrated the end of our backpacking section with m&m filled pancakes. Fallon and the girls earned everyone snack-stop privileges by giving the van a thorough cleaning, and Porter surprised us all with fresh watermelon and Tajín. We rounded out the evening with grilled cheeses, quesadillas, hot chocolate, and a beautiful sunset while Charlie, HH, and Annie helped Anna tackle dishes. Charlie and Annie led a wonderful Moonup that left everyone tired, grateful, and excited for what was next.
The next morning, we packed up camp in record time without leaving a single piece of trash behind before heading into Telluride. We even had the fun surprise of running into a former Colorado Trail Moondance student and leader! After a delicious lunch in town, we spent the afternoon exploring the shops. Colten found a toy that he immediately used to scare Jackson, Bailey picked out a new hacky sack that Porter, Mills, and the boys quickly put to good use, and the girls found fun hair clips and sunglasses. Before leaving town, we said goodbye to Porter and thanked him for making our backpacking adventure even more memorable. Just when everyone thought the surprises were over, we revealed that showers were next! After getting cleaned up, Price wasted no time working on his tan while everyone else finished. We stocked up on fresh groceries before heading to our next campsite, where Bailey whipped up delicious walking tacos for dinner. As the sun set over the lake, Colten, Dawson, Fallon, Grace, HH, and Maggie enjoyed the incredible view while Sully successfully scared Anna from the bushes not once, not twice, but three times! Price, Sully, and Colten even celebrated the evening by dancing in the rain before HH and Dawson led an awesome Moonup, ending the night with a fun game of telephone. We headed to bed excited for our upcoming day of rock climbing!
Rock climbing day began with a delicious breakfast of maple and honey sausages prepped by Jackson. We headed off to meet our guides and, after a quick hike, made it to the cliffs. After a safety debrief and equipment preparation, we began our adventure. Everyone did a fantastic job jumping right in; shoutout to Annie for tackling the hardest route first. Sully completed all three routes in record time, and special props to Dawson for his speed-run and hitting the sub 90 second time. Mills won the “golden boot” after completing 8 climbs on the day. After finishing, we enjoyed a lovely lunch at a local park in Gunnison while soaking up some rays and enjoying a flyfishing performance by Colten, Price, and Sully. Grace and Fallon took a “playground” adventure of their own before we all packed up and hit the road toward the Sand Dunes National Park. We enjoyed a scenic drive with some hits from the famous song request sheet. We arrived at the campsite and devoured some of Bailey’s famous Mississippi home recipe mac and cheese. We enjoyed an absolutely beautiful sunset with Moonup led by Weasie and Mills, including hilarious acting performances to end the night excited to tackle the dunes in the morning.
Finding Adventure Around Every Bend!
July 18, 2026
We started off our adventures with a successful airport day and began heading to Salida for a delicious dinner at a Pizza place in town. We then stopped in town to fill our waters and enjoy a sweet treat and a nice view by the Arkansas River that runs through town. Sully picked up an iconic donut tube float that quickly became a staple piece for photos for the evening. After town, we headed to our campsite and learned how to properly set up camp with excitement for rafting in the morning.
Our first full day began bright and early with a breakfast of delicious eggs (with the secret ingredient… taco seasoning), granola bites, fruit, and more. We arrived to meet our outfitters and split into our rafting and kayaking teams after a safety debrief. Shoutout to Maggie, Fallon, and Grace for leading their rafts all morning. Charlie persevered after getting stuck a few times but quickly became a pro on the kayak after a few rapids. We stopped for a delicious lunch a few miles down the river and then switched the rafters to the kayaks for the afternoon. Mills, Dawson, and Colten led their rafts that afternoon and concluded a successful first day on the river. We set up camp for the evening and had a yummy general tso chicken and veggie dinner. We concluded the evening with Moonup led by our first LOD’s of the trip, Weasie and Mills.
Day two of rafting had a delicious sausage, egg, potato, and veggie mix to begin our day. We took the outfitters bus for a quick pit stop to fill waters and unload some gear before heading off to the second portion of the Arkansas River to begin our next section of rafting. The day began with the girls on the kayaks tackling two class three rapids. Fallon and Grace both had a wipeout or two but stayed positive and tackled the river head on. Hendee (HH) showed off her skills with a flawless run of the river, barely getting a drop of water on her. We stopped for lunch by a small campsite on the river and devoured some yummy wraps thanks to our wonderful guides. The boys switched to the kayaks in the afternoon, and some splash wars began to emerge. No one could get close to Austin the guide as he left many drenched who tried to challenge him. Dawson felt the wrath of leader Bailey as he fell victim to some mischievous and fun leader water flipping. Special shoutout to Annie’s raft in the afternoon, who enjoyed some great convos about books! We got off the river and headed to our next campsite to set up camp for the evening. The group feasted on some tacos with an assortment of peppers, avocado, and salsa. Shoutout to Price for taking one for the team by showing off his LNT skills (leave no trace) and making sure there were no leftovers. We had a fun evening with a bit of mountain climbing, volleyball, and sunset watching. Moonup, led by Grace and Price, had us all giggling while playing a new hit, “the fruit game,” before bed.
The next day began early with some oatmeal and a trip straight to the lake for some fly fishing. After some lessons from our guides, the group quickly began getting the hang of it. This was no ordinary fishing trip… the group brought in over 85 total fish! If there was a lake record set before, it was definitely broken, with Sully pulling in over 60 fish by himself in just an hour session on the water. Special thanks to the Colorado Parks and Rec Ranger who happened to be delivering a fresh batch of hungry trout right at the start of our day. It was such a cool experience seeing the process of a fresh fish being deposited into a public park, and boy did those fish bite. Mills, Colten, Price, Grace, Annie, Dawson, Maggie, Fallon, and Charlie all pulled in fish of their own, highlighting quite the successful day! We enjoyed a lovely lunch by the water with yummy sandwiches and some treats before heading back into town. After a quick stop for some flies, we hit the road off to our next campsite. After arriving at Ridgeway State Park and setting up our gear, we headed into Telluride. We enjoyed a feast of dinner in town with a special stop for ice cream. Special final shoutout to Weasie for giving us an Australian word of the day every day so far on the trip, with everyone excited for many more to come.
Shout Outs:
Hi Mommy, Daddy, Margaux, and Palmer! I am having so much fun and I love it here. I miss you so much. This is so so amazing and truly the most fun camp I had ever been to. Love you so much you are the best. Thank you for sending me here! – Grace
Sup Fam! This is an amazing trip and I’m having a sublime time 🙂 My group and leaders are really cool people and I’m so grateful to be in this trip, thank you.
Much love, Weasie
Hello Mom and Rolf! I am having a very fun time at this camp. I have made so many new friends! I have hiked, caught 13 fish, and had so much fun with Dawson in the tents. I miss you guys. Also please order a fox shocks shock pump for mtb camp, thanks! Colten
Hey Mom and Dad! Today is day 6 and it has been the most fun week! I love all of the people here and we are all such good friends! I have SO much to tell you guys when I get home. This has been one of the best experiences in my life! Love you guys so much! Did you buy the nails mom? How is Rosie and Lucy? Bye! – Maggie
Hi Mom and Dad I miss you so much! Buttttt I AM HAVING THE BEST TIME EVR!!! – Hendee
Hi Fam, I love and miss y’all! I am having lots of fun, thank you for sending me here, my leaders are so nice and I can wait to go to the San Dunes and I will be sad to leave. I love y’all, see you in roughly a week! – Mills
Mom and Dad, I love you!! I miss you too. It is so pretty here everywhere looks magical. Everyone is so nice and is so fun. We went backpacking for the past few days it and rained everyday. It was cold and slightly miserable but it was so fun and an amazing experience. I will tell you everything else in person, I hope you and Sarah are having fun without me and Maggie! Love you! – Annie
Dear parents, I am having a good time. I love you! – Sully
Dear Mom and Dad, I am having the most fun time of my life! I have had so much fun doing all of the activities and have made bonds with everyone here, I already have hundreds of stories at the time I’m writing this. I miss you guys so much and especially Millie.
P.S. if you are somewhere in vacation please get me a Peter Millar! – Price
Hey y’all! This camp has been so fun I loved white water rafting and just being here! Love and miss y’all! – Fallon
Hi Dad, camp is great! I am having so much fun, miss you! – Charlie
Mom and Dad, I am having a lot of fun at camp. I miss you guys a little. I will tell you more when I get back! – Dawson
Safe Arrival!
July 12, 2026
Hello Colorado Trail Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely!
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
