| Rocky Mountain Way log (2005-07-10 -> 2005-07-23)
Leaders: Kate Finkenstaedt and Adam Fjell
Students: Anna Britting, Christie Colley, Kevin Flannery, Palmer Hitchens, Ryan Irrgang, Madison Morrow, Trill Rintel, Emma Sausner, and Nicki Wilcox.
July 13, 2005
Rocky Mountain Way-4 has gotten underway with blue skies and hot weather in Colorado. It has definitely been a busy couple of days so far. After picking up the gang at Denver International Airport, we made our way south to Mueller State Park for the first night's camp. Palmer, Nicki, and Christie were the first cook group and received the nickname "Team Blade" after viciously shredding onions and peppers for the fajitas. Anna and Kevin were our first leaders of the day for the rafting sections down Brown's Canyon of the Arkansas River. That morning, they both discovered how tricky it can be to try and coax seven teenagers out of bed. During rafting the boats coincidentally split between girls and boys. This made for a vicious rivalry and continuous water fights during the calm sections. Trill impressed everyone with her blood-curdling scream as she rock jumped into the river during a break. Adam and Kate were both surprised that the entire group made the leap...eventually. The girls were led by Emma and Nicki up front who volunteered to set the pace for paddling and get the wettest. Their guide allowed them to try a unique method of going down the river called "splatting." This involves paddling vigorously towards an exposed rock intentionally grounding the front of the raft until the water hopefully spins the back safely down stream. After a couple of trials, they had it down to a science. The next cook group, "I Stole Some Taco Sauce" composed of Ryan, Madison, and Anna was named after one of Palmer's random comments. After playing in the river all day, the crew was eager to feast on chili and cornbread. Especially Kevin, who finished off the corn bread with impressive stamina and tolerance for honey.
Embarking upon the backpacking section, the students are becoming closer and closer. We are looking forward to seeing them try something totally new. Hopefully they will come away from the experience with a great sense of pride and accomplishment. Be sure to check back for another update on the 18th.
July 19, 2005
Well we're all here in Telluride, Colorado today enjoying a much deserved lunch of burgers and fries at "The Sweet Life." Everybody was surprised when Kate and Adam sprung that stop on the group. After six days of backpacking the kids all feel quite confident in their backcountry skills. For example, just this morning the crew was able to get up, have breakfast, break down camp, pack their backpacks, and hit the trail all in less than two hours. This surely is an improvement from the first day's four hour departure time.
Starting just south of Rico, Colorado the first day's hike went well. The sun was shining, the packs were heavy, and everyone was eager to get the journey under way. Led that day by Palmer and Nicki, nerves were tested as afternoon thunderstoms rolled in right on que for Colorado this time of year. After eating burritos under a make-shift lean-to, everyone warmed up with hot cocoa just as the clouds cleared and the stars began to shine.
The second day began with much needed sunshine so everyone scrambled to lay out tents, sleeping bags, and whatever else was wet to dry. The cook crew for the day, Christie, Palmer, and Nicki, prepared breakfast sandwiches as everyone got used to packing a backpack...with help along the way. Hiking six miles uphill with heavy packs served as an excellent warm-up for the next days's summit bid of Centennial Peak. Under the leadership of Emma and Trill, the group made good time. Emma, despite her quiet demeanor, turned out to be the group powerhouse when setting the pace. Luckily, all tents were set up and sleeping bags securely tucked inside before that afternoon's shower came. While preparing jambalaya for dinner, we heard a pack of coyotes howling across the valley welcoming nightfall. Bed time came earlier that night in order to prepare for the next day's early wake-up call.
Hitting the trail before sunrise, Kevin and Christie led the group towards Centennial Peak. Crossing over avalanche debris proved to be quite tricky considering the size of trees left piled like matchsticks in a meadow. The group was able to see first-hand the destruction that nature can muster. Fighting the altitude, we hiked through snow fields that would ultimately serve as Palmer and Ryan's demise under the dead-eye accuracy and skill of Adam's snowball tossing expertise. They later admitted to having regreted starting the whole fiasco...laughs were had by all. Racing time, the group summited the saddle below Centennial as well as the ridge leading up to the peak (roughly 13,000 feet) but were forced to turn around given the time and approaching clouds. Adam and Kate were both especially proud of Anna for fighting shortness of breath in the thin air and Nicki and Madison for braving the heights and scree fields. Descending, everyone was thankful to be below tree line when that afternoon's hail storm arrived. Back in camp, Ramen noodles never tasted so good and the beef jerkey went over unexpectedly well. Tuckered out, everyone hit the sack for a few hours with the exception of Ryan, Palmer, and Kevin who stayed up talking about girls...just loud enough for everyone to overhear. They're still getting it for that one!
The next two days were spent making our way back to the van via Bear Creek Trail. Slap-happy on Tang, the group cruised down the trail singing and chattering the entire time. The boys found ever new ways to sport a bandana, including the pirate and babooshka. Ryan emerged as the head chef on tortilla pizza night. He impressed everyone with his willingness to cook for three hours as nearly everyone wanted seconds. For the last night on the trail, every member of the group slept outside their tent under the stars for the first time. This was especially remarkable given the harrowing ghost stories that were shared just before bedding down.
Any shyness that was present in the first few days has vanished as the group has become more cohesive over the past six days; as backpacking is perhaps the most formative section of a Moondance trip. From Telluride we're bound for Lake City for two days of rock climbing on God's Crag. Check back in a few days for an update.
July 22, 2005
Well, we are back in Salida, CO and getting ready to embark on our final day of whitewater fun on the Arkansas River, after two days of rock climbing on God's Crag in Lake City. The first morning the group worked on mastering basics like belay technique, the figure 8 knot, and harness adjusting. A hilarious demonstration was put on by Palmer as he stumbled to make it uphill with Ryan's belay. After perfecting our skills, we hit the crag, scaling four different routes. Climbing proved to be an excellent test of our trust in each other, given that the climbers' life truly was in the hands of their other team members. Anna was constantly heard shouting words of encouragement to other climbers and helping them find more holds when they were at a standstill. Emma and Madison's skill, especially given their lack of previous experience, had us all amazed on day one. After everyone had gotten their fill we hiked over to another part of the crag where our guides, Eric and Jeremiah treated us to a sport climbing show and the students witnessed a mock "screamer." Afterwards we ventured on to check out a waterfall and an old mining cave, rumored to be a cougar's den. Trill and Emma ventured the farthest in, as the rest of us gradually chickened out. Having the rest of the afternoon to relax we chowed down on an early dinner of chicken stir fry and rice with fresh veggies prepared by the "Taco Sauce" cook group of Ryan, Anna, and Madison. Eric and Jeremiah showed back up to introduce a game called silent football later that evening. Absolute hysterics erupted when a "shock-a-thwack" was delayed or "point" was misinterpreted and the person who goofed was "punished" (dared) by the group. All star performances were put on by Christie, Trill, and Kevin. Ryan did a booty shaking rendition of Beyonce’s hit, Nicki had a breakdancing showdown, and Kate did the chicken dance. After the laughter settled, everyone opted for a night of sleeping out under the stars as the nearly full moon lit up the crag.
The next day a new route was added to the mix and what we would come to refer to as a "spicy" traverse rappel. Nerves were certainly tested on the ascent to the rappel. Christie, Trill, and Palmer were especially challenged by the section where you had to scoot through a crevasse while hanging over the edge of a cliff. One and all agreed how rewarding it was to make it all the way back down and push that comfort zone. Kevin found a perfect spot at the top of one route to take pictures of the beautiful valley below.
Hitting the road again, we made it to our campsite on the Arkansas River for a riveting Iron Chef showdown. Adam and Kate (the judges) were impressed by both groups' creativity and competitive attitude. Team Platypus, comprised of Ryan, Nicki, Trill, and Palmer prepared delectable chicken and cheese quesadillas while team Digitty made pancakes flipped to perfection by Emma topped with oreos, bananas, and oranges crushed and cut by Christie, Madison, Anna, and Kevin. Everyone got a chance to sample all of the above and then indulged in strawberry cheesecake. With full tummies, sleeping bags sounded awfully good, and after some small talk, everyone fell sound asleep. We can't believe our time together is running out, with our final adventure ahead of us...
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