| Rocky Mountain Way log (2004-07-06 -> 2004-07-19)
Leaders: Jordan Crockford, Sarah Burbank
Students: Pace Hilton, Parker Hardwick, Daniel Franck, Charles Margiotta
We picked up the group at the airport on the 6th and headed to Pueblo, CO for the evening. We got to camp, learned to set up tents (which these boys are naturals with), and cooked dinner. For dinner we ate chicken, rice and broccoli. After dinner, Parker helped Sarah make a Jell-O No Bake peanut butter pie--We devoured it shortly there after. After dinner we walked around and explored the area around Lake Pueblo and threw the Frisbee around. In between catching and throwing the Frisbee, we were all able to look up and see one of the most beautiful sunsets so far this summer. Before bed, we had Moon-Up and Pace continued to entertain the group with his hilarious sense of humor. We woke up this morning at about 7:30 which was easy since the sun had already creped into our tents.
We spent the day rafting the Arkansas River which was a lot of fun. Charles provided the afternoon's entertainment keeping us all in stitches on the raft and Daniel paddled like crazy in the front of the raft--making the difference to get us into a place where we could surf the rapid. We engaged in several water fights with other boats drenching them and staying relatively dry ourselves. Parker put it best when he said, "we dominated them." The surfing was the highlight for most and also getting to jump into a rapid and float downstream.
We leaders just want to make a quick mention of how well mannered of a group we have. The boys couldn't be more polite and considerate of others. They never complete a meal or an activity without a "please" and "thank you" and one even called Sarah "mam", which made her feel really, really old (after only 22 years!!). Anyway what a great group we have and we are getting really excited to go climbing for the next two days and we'll be checking back in after that. Take Care.
Trip Update 7-7-04
Hello Everyone! We are just coming off of our climbing section in Lake City and Telluride. We spent two days climbing rock faces right outside of Lake City with an outfitter called Gunnison Valley Adventures. Our boys were master climbers making it up all of the routes our guide Courtney set up for us. Pace was the quickest of the group getting up all of them on the first day and giving spider man a run for his money. After climbing we rappelled a little bit and Charles led the pack in technique and speed. He jumped a few times which he described as a lot of fun. We were pretty worn out after our first day of climbing but not enough to miss out on a beautiful hike to a waterfall. It was a good one hundred and fifty feet above us and the water sparkled as it fell to the rocks where we were standing. Daniel was the only one brave enough to get a little wet and can now say that he's taken a shower in a Colorado waterfall. Don't worry we got pictures. There was a neat cave at the base of the waterfall too where we found what looked like and was later confirmed by our guide to be a mountain lion track. Much to the boys disappointment, we decided that wandering in was not safe and therefore we did not enter. After our hike we went back to camp and played a rousing game of Frisbee baseball where Parker dominated on a team with Daniel but still were unable to overcome Pace and Charles's early lead and they ended up losing. The next day after climbing we drove to the Faraway Ranch and set up camp where we are tonight, as we prepare for our backpacking section. This morning we climbed the Alpine Tower, went on the 40 ft Alpine Swing, and did lots of different team challenges to build our communication skills and trust. The boys completed these with ease and had a blast. Their favorite thing was the swing. We are now spending a half day in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride--arguably the most beautiful place on earth--we'll let you know what the boys say about it! Anyway we head into the San Juan Mountains for our backpacking section tomorrow and we are all really excited. We'll check back in at the completion of that and let you all know what a blast we had. Take care.
All of the boys enjoyed Telluride with a few of the highlights being the gondola ride, the music shop, and dinner at a local restaurant The Sweet Life. After Telluride we went back to our campsite at Faraway Ranch and had s'mores for Parker's pre-birthday frontcountry celebration. We slept well that night and woke up early so we could pack and get on the road.
When we woke up we packed quickly and were on our way to the backpacking section fairly early so that we could make our campsite before dark. Luck, however, was not in our favor and we got a flat tire a mile outside of the small town of Rico. AAA and Shanti the tow lady saved the day with a new tire but unfortunately neither had the ability to turn back the clock and allow us more time for the first day of backpacking. We amended our first day's itinerary and went about two miles from the trail head and set up camp before dark. It was a nice site but we wished we could have gotten farther.
The next day we woke up and celebrated Parker's 14th birthday with a banana nut breakfast cake and got on our way. We hiked a long day and the boys were exhausted before we got to camp but after a meal of macaroni and cheese (one of Parker's favorites we're told) we were re-energized and started a rousing game of stick ball. Danny, Parker and Jordan played extremely well, especially Danny's almost game winner...but they were no match for Sarah, Charles and Pace who won the game by one run. After the game we looked up and just by chance happened to see the most amazing sunrise ever. The sun was not only reflecting off the Mountains giving the alpine glow but also off of a storm system that made the sky streaked with pink and purple. Don't worry parents--we took pictures.
The next day we had a short hike to the base of Centennial Peak so that we could summit on the following day. We spent the night cooking together and laughing a lot around the kitchen. Pace, being the group comedian, of course kept us in stitches with all of his jokes and acting. He has a future in movies. Danny continued to show his impeccable music taste and helped us figure out what albums we should all buy when we get home.
The next morning we woke up at a late 4:30 am so that we could summit Centennial and make it back to our campsite before the afternoon storms set it. We got up there with little trouble because this group is so strong. We enjoyed the view and then descended in later that morning. On the way down, we played in the snow and went glissading and sledding on our rain pants. It was the first time any of the boys had ever played in snow in July! After the snow, we took a nice siesta in order to rest up for a three mile hike. We hiked to a new campsite so that we could hike the ridge out the following day. Needless to say we were all tired so we had an early bed time after enjoying pasta and brownies.
The next day we hiked along the Skyview ridge and had beautiful views. Then Mother Nature rained down hard on us and then she decided to throw in some hail. After the first hail storm we thought we were in the clear but we were wrong. We had a brief period of clear skies and then more hail. It wasn't all bad, though, because when the sun did finally come out we saw (no exaggeration) 75 elk in a small valley right below us. We also saw 30 elk earlier, but the 75 made that seem almost unremarkable. We finally got to camp ate dinner and had hot drinks before falling fast asleep.
This morning we woke up knowing we had a short hike out which was good because we were all very tired. On the way out we were lucky enough to see a fox, some humming birds, and a giant hawk. The highlight of the afternoon for most though was finally taking off our hiking boots and then going to a nearby store for a Gatorade.
We all had a blast and got a lot accomplished even though we lost a day due to the tire. The boys are some of the greatest I have ever met and continue to show excellent behavior and consideration for others. They have learned a ton of outdoor skills in the past couple of days too including: bear bagging, stove use, Leave No Trace ethics, map and compass, and other important backcountry skills. They are all getting to be excellent chefs too which they will use tonight in our iron chef competition.
We raft tomorrow and will be checking back in after that. Hope all are well. Take care.
Trip Update 7-18-04
Last night, after coming out of the backcountry we stayed at a frontcountry campsite in Buena Vista, CO. It was nice to get back to civilization and get some showers but we all certainly missed the solitude of the backcountry. We ate a big hearty meal of chicken sandwiches and cornbread for dinner, a nice change from backcountry cuisine. It didn't take much to put us to bed for the evening because we were all worn out from six hard days of hiking.
Today, July 17, we rafted the Brown's Canyon section of the Arkansas River. Nature was on our side giving us beautiful weather and high water, which were a nice after effect from the rain we have been getting in the afternoons here. Parker and Pace paddled strong in the front keeping us right in line to hit the rapids well. On the rapid & Stairs, we hit a wave sideways and Danny took an unintentional swim but didn't mind getting a little wet to cool off. He was quickly pulled back into the raft by our lovely guide Shannon and we all had a good laugh. We all swam later on when we took a break to do some rock jumping. Pace kept the group entertained during the slower parts with talk about and description of his fictional girlfriend named Jasmine. After rafting, we changed into some dry clothing and fired up the double burner for some of Danny's famous grilled cheeses, which were as good as he had built them up to be. Charles and Pace showed us a way to make great toast with only a pan and so we certainly ate well today. After lunch we headed to Mueller State Park where we are staying tonight in order to wrap up and have our final banquet. We are all sad to leave but have had a great time. This is our last update and everyone is looking forward to seeing their parents in the airport on the 19th.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful boys with us for two weeks we have had an absolute blast. We hope to see all their faces back with MOONDANCE again next summer.
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