| Colorado Trail log (2006-07-13 -> 2006-07-30)
Leaders: Michaelyn Koss, Brad Kossover, Charlie Nordstrom, Julie Buehler
Students: Reid Palmer, Kelly Hite, Eric Young, Dillon Brooks, Rosemary Straut, Albert Ford, Newton Law, Hunter Rich, Rebecca Riley, Elmo McGough, Maggie Fitzgerald, Alli Fox, Lucy Boswell, Walter Gayle
7/13/06
All have arrived safely to Denver, CO. Preparations are underway for whitewater rafting on the Arkansas river. Stay tuned for future updates!
After the successful completion of a wet and wild overnight rafting adventure, the Colorado Trail group brings you its inaugural trip update. It was the first of many adventures for our larger-then-life group, which consists of 18 members (14 students and 4 instructors).
It’s hard for a Moondance instructor to know exactly what kind of group he or she is going to have before the infamous arrival day. The Colorado Trail instructor team had a hunch that this was going to be an extra-special group even when viewing all the members only on paper. This hunch was quickly proven to be right on the money, even from the first arrival.
Once all the members of the group had arrived we sped off in our two vans, affectionately nicknamed “Mach 5” and “Bessie”, destined for Salida, Colorado.
No one likes a long van ride and that includes all 18 Colorado Trail members. Lucky for us, our camping site at Salida was no farther then a couple hours away from Denver. Our campsite was picturesque, surrounded on one side by rocky bluffs and on another side, the Arkansas River. The heat was intense so a swim was most definitely in order, with Reid demonstrating an impressive belly flop to a passing group of rafters. Hunter also demonstrated his cannonball prowess, greatly impressing all present.
Frolicking can take a lot of anyone and soon it was time for dinner. Rosemary, Walter, and Lucy set the standard for participation by volunteering to help cook dinner. They did a marvelous job preparing some delicious chicken fajitas. Socializing and a Moon-Up took place after dinner and then, after a long but exciting day; it was time to get some sleep.
Once the rays of the sun reached us, everyone was up quickly. It was time for a leisurely morning, with chocolate chip pancakes being the order of the morning. Dillon and Ali did an awesome job preparing breakfast for everyone. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In another display of excellence, our group was ready to go over an hour before our scheduled departure. Why not prepare for rafting with another swim?
A quick drive brought us to our rafting departure point, with excitement permeating the air. Before going 100 feet from our departure point, we had our first whitewater swimmers. Several attempts to “surf” a rapid led to Maggie, Kelly, Becca, and Eric taking unexpected dips. They all made textbook recoveries, swimming to shore safely. After these exciting events, we departed.
Our group took whatever the river could muster to throw at us. Every single one of us paddled incredibly, eager for tomorrow when we would encounter the largest rapids of our overnight trip. Albert’s paddling in particular was an awesome example for us all to follow.
After setting up camp on the river and enjoying a delicious taco dinner prepared by our river guides, we took time to unwind with some games and merriment. It was a safe bet that everyone’s dreams were on the next day’s rapids.
Life is at it’s most relaxed when you can start and end your day according to the rays of the sun. We embraced this philosophy by abandoning our watches and waking up whenever the sun was able to rouse it. Fresh fruit, bagels, and sausage fortified us for the excitement to come.
Even as we drive to Ridgeway to prepare for our backpacking section, the adrenaline rush of earlier is still with us. It’s hard to describe the rapids we paddled through, but it’s safe to say our ride was fast and furious. Elmo and Newton fully embraced the river, always wanting to go bigger and even more thrilling on every next rapid. The best part is we still have over two weeks to go!
July 22nd Update
Greetings friends and family! The Colorado Trail has survived its backpacking section and we are full of hilarious stories to share and hundreds of pictures documenting every step of our adventure. Sore muscles and blistered feet posed no problem for our intrepid group. Many of our group began as novices with no prior experience but emerged from the backcountry with the skills and attitudes needed to survive on their own.
Our first day of backpacking began with a short jaunt from the town of Ridgway, Colorado, through Rico, and ending at the Bear Creek trailhead. After enjoying a quick lunch, we strapped on our backpacks and headed into the wilderness. For many of our group, this was their first time strapping on a fully loaded backpack weighing 40-50 pounds! I think every single one of us wondered to ourselves if we’d truly be able to make it that first day. After struggling with his pack at the back of the group for the first mile, Dillon decided to try hiking in the front and quickly became a pace setter for the rest of the entire trip! “I can’t believe how much easier it is for me at the front!” he kept exclaiming. The stunning scenery also helped us forget just how much weight we were each carrying. Aspen trees and wildflower-speckled meadows stretched for miles. Reid constantly offered to help carry weight for others whose packs were just a little too heavy and we never heard him complain once. Occasionally, I’d turn around to check on the group and every single time, without fail, Albert seemed immersed in the backcountry experience. He was either cracking jokes and smiling or sharing how much he loved being a part of our group in that setting. It was wonderful to watch his interest in the wilderness peak.
After hiking six miles, we picked a campsite near Bear Creek and bedded down for the night. At Moon-up that first night, we all discussed how proud we were to have already made it so far into the backcountry. We talked about the new challenges we faced and how amazing it felt to be so far from civilization (especially because we carried ourselves the entire way!) Maggie, a natural athlete, shared with the group that she was surprised at how challenging the first day was, but how wonderful it felt to know we all made it together.
Our second day began with a quick breakfast so we would have plenty of time to find a suitable base camp for our summit attempt on Centennial. A large meadow (which we nicknamed ‘Two-Mile Meadow’) made water breaks very enjoyable, as it provided space for Walter and Elmo to toss around the frisbee. A setback was suffered when shortly after lunch, we lost two hours to a storm. Kelly, Alli and Rosemary kept everyone entertained throughout lightning protocol by singing from the Broadway musical “Wicked.” They’d kill me if they knew I were sharing this with you, but the boys were at the other end of the line singing Britney Spears and making everyone laugh hysterically. Honestly, we had to beg Elmo to stop singing! We finally found a beautiful basecamp to rest our feet and our backs and set up camp for two nights.
Finally, our summit attempt arrived. Hunter woke us all up early by singing ‘There ain’t no party like a Moondance party ‘cause a Moondance party don’t stop!,” which set the perfect tone for the rest of the day. We primarily hiked up hill, hiking through valleys and up switchbacks. The view of the surrounding mountains became more and more majestic as our elevation increased. We even had a marmot (which most of us had never seen before and Dillon had never even heard of!) follow us for about a mile up the trail. Ali and Maggie made sure that everyone received tons of positive encouragement if any sign of struggle appeared. All 18 members of the Colorado Trail made the summit, which made the view and the experience even more special. We decided that all of us or none of us would make the summit, which should give you some idea of just how tight our little Moondance family has become. Kelly, Becca, and Rosemary managed to dazzle everyone with their unique summit dance (and don’t worry, we have it all on video!). Newton and Eric managed to scramble up some rocks to achieve an even better view while Dillon, Michaelyn, Reid, Walter and Elmo found a large patch of snow perfect for a snowball fight, sliding, and plenty of pictures. It was an amazing feeling to play in the snow in the middle of July with shorts on, not to mention the picturesque view of mountains from every angle. We all realized just how lucky we are to have had this experience together. The weather can change on a dime in the mountains and this day was no exception. Lightning strikes seen from afar suggested to us that we find our way off the mountain. The rest of the day was spent reliving our time on the summit and having ‘social hour’ over warm Ramen noodles.
On our fourth day we hiked nearly nine miles, ensuring that we would be able to be out of the backcountry on day five. Most days, time on the trail was spent being social. Not on this day. Day four found every single one of us focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Lucy kept us focused and made sure no time was wasted. This gave us all ample time for introspection, which we were able to share together later. You would never have believed that we were the same group of 18 on this final day. We all looked and acted like professional backpackers, if there is such a thing. Personally, I have never seen such a hard-core group of hikers. We never got more than a few feet apart from each other and even the leaders were challenged to keep the pace the kids were setting. It was truly amazing and I felt proud to be a part of our group. That night we dined on delicious jambalaya courtesy of chefs Becca, Rosemary and Eric. We all agreed it was our favorite meal so far and a perfect way to conclude our final night in the backcountry. That night the clouds finally cleared and the stars came out so we could all sleep under them.
Our fifth and final day found us waking up early and spending one last breakfast together in the backcountry. After this it was off to the van! Our crew quickly knocked off the two miles and then we spent our time traveling to our new campsite just outside of Crested Butte to prepare for mountain biking & rock climbing! Until then, enjoy your summers and think of us rockin’ on our amazing adventure!
Team Colorado Trail
CT Update #3 7-23-06
Hello again from the beautiful rocky mountain state of Colorado! We woke up this morning sad to leave the glorious Tall Texan Campground where our hosts, Mike and Linda, told us we were the most well-behaved and delightful group they’d ever had in their 15 years of running the campground! Now we are fresh off the mountain biking trails of Crested Butte feeling like superstar Moondancers (because, of course, we are!)
We began our biking excursion at the Alpineer in the center of picturesque Crested Butte. We were each assigned bikes and soon we were off to explore the trails. Brad led us through town to the beginning of the Lower Loop Trail and had Elmo, Reid, Walter, Albert and Newton (our own future Tour de France competitor) right on his tail the entire time. Hunter and Eric vigorously pedaled, having their own competition it seemed, for who would be fastest. It was obvious these guys had been waiting for our mountain biking moment for quite some time. Once we hit the trail, we stumbled upon an overgrown railroad bed now covered by a small river. We decided to launch the beginning of Moondance’s Colorado Trail X-Games with a little wet and wild biking excitement. Brad used shirts to set up and outline the course and Charlie waded knee-deep in the water to measure who went the farthest. Starting about 500 yards back from the water, everyone took turns pedaling as fast as possible towards the water. (And don’t worry, we promise this was safe!) Alli, Kelly and Julie represented the girls very well in our new sport while Becca, Rosemary, Maggie, and Lucy made sure to cheer and take tons of pictures on the sidelines. Dillon had the most creative attempt by far and managed to get a bit muddy, which we decided is all part of the fun. Albert made it the farthest after the first run, but Reid’s second try ended up beating everyone. We crowned Reid champion of our inaugural X-game (we have more to come) and bought him a delicious chocolate chip cookie once we arrived back in town.
Now we’re off to climb in Lake City and promise we’ll be in touch soon! Wish us luck!
July 25th update
CT Update #4
Greetings again from the all-star Colorado Trail group! We’ve just finished our climbing section and everyone agrees that this trip is going by much too quickly. It is hard to believe that we only have a few days left before we must say good-bye. The good news is that we are packing our last days full of laughter and activity.
It was no surprise that climbing with this athletic group was a huge success. We met our climbing guides yesterday morning and hiked almost a mile straight uphill to God’s Crag. After learning proper belay and back-up belay technique, everyone split up into groups of three to start climbing. Eric used his previous climbing experience to help point out footholds for the rest of the group. Reid, Elmo and Walter quickly tackled their first route and were ready to move on to bigger, challenging climbs. Lucy and Rosemary did a fantastic job of overcoming their mild fear of heights and with Becca’s support, were soon climbing every route and making sure they made it to the top. Climbing is one of my favorite activities to be a part of because every second involves trust and support. Our group did a wonderful job of cheering each other on and making sure everyone felt comfortable and confident on the rock. Maggie, Alli and Kelly climbed every route the guides set up and Alli was begging for more even as our first day came to a close.
Over the past two days, we’ve discovered that Dillon is part monkey! Every time I turned around, he was at the very top of a climb grinning down at the rest of us. I think he climbed every route at least twice! Albert also found a new passion for climbing and climbed as many routes as possible. It was amazing to watch how focused he was on each climb. This afternoon we decided to continue our Moondance X-Games with a speed climb. With our expert belayer Walter on the ground (even the guides said they couldn’t believe how good he was!), some of the guys took turns racing to the top of one of the routes. They’ve begged me to put their times in here…coming in first with the remarkable tied time of 1.10.3 (one minute, three seconds and 3 tenths) were Reid and Newton. Dillon placed second with a time of 1.15.4 and Elmo (who loves to scramble up the rocks despite getting bloody knees on the way) came in third with a time of 1.21.5.
Today’s new challenge was traversing high up on the rocks to a rappelling spot over the entire group. Kelly and Hunter were the first to volunteer to rappel. Kelly lowered herself down with a huge smile on her face (we’ve actually never seen her without a smile) and Hunter followed expertly using his newly discovered rock climbing skills.
We’re now headed to the beautiful Blue Mesa Reservoir (where we’ve already stopped to swim several times) for two days of sea kayaking. We’ll check back in as soon as we finish! We miss everyone at home, but we’re having a great time!
Team Colorado Trail
CT Update #5
7/28/06
Salutations from the great state of Colorado! With the conclusion of our sea kayaking section, we only have a few short days left until our group has to part and say good-bye. We are doing all we can to focus on filling our last days together with as much excitement and fun as possible.
As usual, our group continues to impress everyone we meet with their enthusiasm and zest for any challenge encountered. After a short drive, we met our guides at Blue Mesa Reservoir and completed a short kayaking lesson. Then we all put on lifejackets, skirts, and jumped into our kayaks. Now it was time to hit the water! Lucy and Rosemary paddled in a two-person kayak and after learning how to synchronize their strokes, paddled circles around all of us! Kelly ended up going for a swim after getting into a water fight with Brad and Michaelyn, who were paddling a canoe. It was a scorching day so everybody wished they’d gotten a chance to swim. Walter and Reid were paddling superstars, leading our group for nearly the entire expedition. Neither had sea kayaked before, so this was especially amazing! After a couple of hours and several miles, we took a break for lunch. It had been a few days since our group had a chance to do some swimming, so Albert took advantage of the chance to cool himself off by spending most of lunch in the water.
After lunch, we reached our campsite at the end of the reservoir. Now it was time to relax! Those desiring to get out of the heat walked across the sage to a good swimming hole. Dillon demonstrated his acrobatics for us once we found a ledge suitable for jumping. This ended up being a great way to spend the afternoon and get out of the heat.
The next day, it was time to paddle back. Elmo, Hunter, and Eric sat at the back of the group perfecting their splashing techniques against each other during the warm morning. Now that everyone had experienced paddling, we were able to cover the prior day’s distance before lunch! Becca, Maggie, and Alli all demonstrated extremely strong paddling, impressing the entire group. Everyone did an excellent job during our sea kayaking section and we all had a blast!
Sadly, we only have one activity left: white water rafting the Royal Gorge. Of course, this is also the most anticipated activity on the trip! We will be checking in soon after that! Until then, we wish everyone the best and can’t wait to see you!
- Colorado Trail
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