Coming Home from Colorado!
July 24, 2026
A final hello from Colorado! All of our students are en route home, and we are so grateful for a smooth travel day!
We left off on Day 11 as we were heading to our second to last campsite. The students killed it setting up tents for the last time; we are so proud of them for how much they grew in just 2 weeks! Luke, Wade Thomas, Lennon, Nora swam in the river as we cooked hot dogs and mac and cheese for dinner. We had an amazing Moonup and got to know each other even more deeply. We’ve been so impressed by this groups vulnerability and openness to share.
On Day 12, we woke up and cooked breakfast sandwiches and got excited to raft the Royal Gorge. It was class 4 rapids, which was thrilling compared to what we had done earlier in the session. We geared up and went to the put in, where we met our amazing guides. We were so impressed by everyone conquering their fears, especially Evelyn and Julia who were unsure about the Class 4s, then had a ton of fun! Royal Gorge was beautiful; it was definitely top 3 coolest views we’ve seen the whole trip! Tripp was loving all of the fun facts about the old railroad, and Jacob’s boat enjoyed getting to take a nap as the guide paddled in still water!
When we got back to camp, we made pizzadillas for dinner, which Ethan said was his favorite meal! Maggie and Fran made us laugh so hard as we hung out and played with their Nee-Doh; we loved how comfortable they all got with us and each other! They have truly been an amazing group. During Moonup, Hunter was making everyone laugh while talking about the huge bug he saw, and we had another great night under the stars.
That brings us to Day 13, our last full day! We woke up and made pancakes for breakfast, which was a group favorite. On our drive, we stopped in Leadville and got to get candy and souvenirs, then made our way to Denver. We cleaned and showered, then had our banquet dinner. It was so much fun laughing and reminiscing on the trip! We had an amazing Moonup, then went to bed, as we had early ups!
COT 3B, we couldn’t have asked for a better group to end on! You all were so fun, funny, genuine, energetic, refreshing, and wonderful! We are so grateful for you, and we can’t wait to hear about the ways you carry the lessons from this trip into your year.
Don’t forget: kindness only, positive attitude, THEN follow your heart’s desire. It must be in that order!
We love you so much!
Caroline, Eliza Dunn, Will
Update from COT 3B!
July 22, 2026
Another hello from Colorado!
We’re having an absolute blast as we wrap up our trip.
When we left off on day 6, we ate a delicious and well earned lunch in town after the sand dunes, then we floated down the whitewater park in tubes. We were so happy to have such a fun day, and we had an early night after such an early morning.
On Day 7, we started the day with fly fishing. Ethan and Luke were beasts and cast until the very end; they both caught fish! As the group tapered off, Nora led a game of cards by the beautiful lake, which was just as fun as the actual fishing! After fishing, we got in the van for a long car ride to our backpacking location. Julia kept spirits high by asking thoughtful questions that allowed us to all get to know each other better. We made a spontaneous stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, so they got to check off 2 national parks this session! When we arrived to our campsite, we got to shower and prepare for backpacking before heading to sleep.
On Day 8, it was time to go backpacking! When we started hiking, we got hit with a lot of rain, but the group was extremely positive. Hunter led the group to our campsite, and when we got there, Tripp proved to be an asset in setting up our rain tarp. Evelyn was the first to volunteer to help get water and was such a trouper in the rain. When it stopped raining, we were able to set up tents and make a hearty dinner of mac and cheese and ramen. We had a great Moonup, and everyone slept well after a long day.
On Day 9, we woke up to some sun finally! We made breakfast and hit the trail for our day hike up to an alpine lake. Jacob helped keep spirits high on the difficult hike, and Maggie said even though it was hard, the view was more than worth it. When we got to the top, we had to quickly turn around to beat the rain, but we made it back to our campsite dry in time for lunch! We ate a classic trail lunch of summer sausage and pb&j tortillas, which might have been Wade Thomas’ favorite meal!
On Day 10, we woke up and hiked out of the wilderness. We had only seen the trail in the rain, and it was so beautiful on the sunny day. The wildflowers were amazing! When we got back to the van, we had a bit of a drive, and Lennon made the car ride fun by requesting sing a long songs. We made it more than halfway of our total drive, and when we got to our campsite, we cooked our burgers and hot dogs. Fran made us all laugh with stories and jokes as we hung out, and we had a late but fun Moonup.
That brings us to Day 11! We got ahead on our drive yesterday, so we had a bit of a “bonus morning,” and we went to the rec center to climb and swim. It was such a fun way to hang out and relax a little! We just went to get Mexican for lunch, and we’re heading towards our campsite for rafting tomorrow.
We can’t believe we only have 2 more full days with this group; it’s flown by! They have been absolutely amazing, and we are so grateful for such a fun last group. Thank you for sharing your wonderful kids with us!
Caroline, Eliza Dunn, Will
Jacob: hi mom and dad. Thank you for sending me to Moondance. See u in 4 days
Wade Thomas: hey mom and dad I having a great time I think yall would like to here that I did splinting and rock wall.
Julia: heyyy mom and dad i really miss yall sooooo much im having the best time ever i loved backpacking it was so funnnnn I hope mb and simms r having fun toooo also miss cowboy and captain i lovvvve yalll sooo much💗💗
Luke: hello again I am having such a good time. We just went backpacking and did a wonderful hike where we got too see a beautiful lake. Thank you for sending me to Moondance.
Evelyn: Hi Mom and Dad! I have been having so much fun and I have made so many new friends. Back packing was really fun and the hikes were so pretty! Thank you so much for sending me on Moondance it has been so cool. Love you and can’t wait to see y’all soon.💗
Lennon: Hi Momma and Dadda!!!! I am having sooo much fun, thank you so much for sending me to Moondance! Thank you love you byeeeee!!!❤️😁😁😁
Ethan: Hi mom and dad! How are you guys doing! Right now I am in the car on day 11 headed to one of our last campsites. It has been an amazing trip but is not yet over! Tomorrow we have our last rafting, level 4 rapids! I can’t wait to see you guys in SC when I get back! Love you and see you sooner!
Hunter: Hi mom and dad! I have been having a great time here, thank you so much for sending me here it is like top 10 inventions of all time besides Dexter and the boys. love u good bye
Nora: Hi guys! Moondance is awesome, and I can’t believe that we only have a few days left. Thank you so much for sending me! For next week, Mom, would you pack Ella and my dark sneakers for me? Thank you! Love you guys!
Tripp: Hi mom and dad Moondance is fun and I can’t wait to see you again soon I miss you guys and love you guys.
Maggie: hey mom and dad!!! I hope you guys are having an amazing time even though it might be hard without me. I can’t wait to see you guys I miss you so much! Thank you so much for sending me to Moondance it’s been so much fun! I’ve made so many friends! Love you so much!!!❤️❤️❤️
Fran: hey mom and dad!!!!! Recently I have done backpacking which was so fun and the views were crazy. Although, it was very hard but so worth it!!!! I miss yall SO much and can’t wait to see you very soon. But I just wanted to thank you guys for this trip to Moondance, and how much fun I have had here in Colorado. I love y’all and I can’t wait to tell you about this amazing trip!!!!!
Crushing it in Colorado!
July 17, 2026
Greetings from the Rocky Mountain state!
We’re having an absolute blast as our trip hits the halfway point, and the group is absolutely crushing it. We are so grateful to have such an amazing group for our last session!
On Day 1, we picked up everyone from the airport and made our way into the mountains. We stopped for pizza by the Arkansas River before heading to set up our campsite. Even though it was windy, everyone crushed setting up their tents for the first time. Everyone explored the rocks at the campsite, and we had our first Moonup. Ethan and Nora were chosen as the first leaders of the day, and we all laughed and bonded before bed.
On Day 2, we started the day with a ropes course and zip lining. On the ropes course, everyone tried at least one or two routes, and Evelyn had the best attitude as she did the course and cheered on the group. On the zipline, Wade Thomas bravely conquered his fear of heights, and the zipline guides made us laugh with all of their tricks and stories. It was a blast!
After the ropes course and zipline, we headed to our next campsite, which had a beautiful lake. Everyone jumped in and swam, then Tripp uncovered some treasures buried in the sand, which made us all laugh. We made burrito bowls for dinner, then had cookies for dessert. After a long day, we were all exhausted and ready for bed.
On Day 3, we woke up excited to climb. We made breakfast sandwiches to fuel up, then we drove to a canyon to climb. We were so proud of everyone for climbing, and Hunter was a beast and climbed six routes! When we waited to climb, Jacob taught the group to play a card game called “Bashful Stephen,” which made us all laugh. After climbing, we drove over a mountain pass on the Continental Divide and got out on the summit. Even though it was cold, we were awestruck as we took in the views.
As we made our way to the campsite, we stopped in Salida and swam in the river. Fran jumped in her clothes with a big smile on her face, and the boys played hackey sack as they dried off. We made it back to the campsite and had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner as we got ready for rafting. We are truly amazed at how mature this group is and how thoughtful they have been in Moonup. It is such a great group of kids!
On Day 4, we began rafting and kayaking. Lennon killed it on the inflatable kayak, and we had a ton of fun bonding on the rafts. The raft guides were amazing and made us some delicious meals, and we had a ton of fun playing “Silent Football” at night. Luke was the best at it, and we laughed so hard we almost cried!
On Day 5, we finished up our rafting section with a super fun and splashy section of the river. We got to jump off a rock at lunch, which resulted in a lot of smiles and laughs. After a long day of rafting, we had a short van ride to the Great Sand Dunes. Julia and Maggie brought the hype in the van with their singing, and we arrived to the campsite in high spirits. We got to take showers, then we had quesadillas for dinner. We had another great and thoughtful Moonup, then went to bed because we had an early morning.
Which brings us to Day 6, our day at the Great Sand Dunes. We woke up bright and early to embark on a sunrise hike, and everyone was amazed by the beauty and uniqueness of the sand dunes. We climbed to the highest dune, which was a first for us leaders this summer! They crushed it! We had a blast sandboarding down the dunes, and we stayed up there for hours because everyone was having so much fun. We’re currently on the way back to Salida to eat lunch at a restaurant and tube in the river.
We can’t emphasize enough what a great group this is, and we have had so much fun. Thank you for sharing your wonderful kids with us; we are so excited for the second half of the session!
Caroline, Eliza Dunn, Will
Jacob: hi mom and dad camp is fun. The rafting was awesome and zip lining and sand dunes also. Really miss u. I made a friend named Ethan. Got his supercell ID
Wade Thomas: hi momma and dad I have ing a great time did Zipline and rock rafting was good and pls bring a dog or cat to Denver if you can
Julia: hey mom and dad I’m having a great time. I really miss you guys!!!! I am hoping mb and simms r having fun to!!! I love you guys so much and am really excited to see you!!!
Luke: Hi mom and dad I’m having a great time here at Moondance. Tell Lily that I’m sorry that I missed her birthday and that she deserves awesome birthday. I miss all of you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Evelyn: Hi Mom and Dad! I miss yall so much and can’t wait to see you guys soon. I had so much fun river kayaking and the sand dunes were so pretty. Tell Boots and Ruthie I say hi! Love yall!
Lennon: Hi Momma and Dadda, I am having so much fun and doing so many fun activities. I hope you had a good time hiking Creste Buete. Byeeeeee!!:):):):):):):):) Love youuuuuu!!!
Ethan: Hi Mom and Dad! I really miss you guys but am having a really fun time! Everything we have done is awesome and I am recording it in the Moondance journal given to us. The day that I wrote this, we have like 7 days left, so I can’t wait to see you in a week! I hope you guys are having a fun and relaxing time in Kiawah! Also, we have lots of videos from the Great Sand Dunes, one or two of which includes me sand boarding down! Love you and miss you guys!! See you in a week!
Hunter: Hi mom and dad!!! I am having a ton of fun and things are going great. Also I really miss u and I also miss my bed a lot 😭. Uh ya so good bye cya in like 2 weeks I dunno. Jake owes me 60 bucks tell him that please thanks. Bye love u lots.
Nora: Hi Mom and Dad! Moondance is so fun, I love rafting! Tell Tom I miss him, but to still have fun at racquets! Love you guys! See you soon!
Tripp: hi mom and dad I miss you and I am having fun and I hope to see you soon and I love you both.
Maggie: hey mom and dad! I’m having so much fun! I miss you and I’m very excited to see you. We went to the sand dunes and it was really pretty and rafting was also really fun!!! I hope you had the best birthday dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fran: Dear mom and dad, hey!!!!!! I’m loving it here. I have been very busy doing tons of activities. I love my new friends, and my awesome leaders!! I love you guys and I’ll see u soon!!!
Safe Arrival!
July 11, 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 couple weeks! 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
