New Vista High School CAP class students had the opportunity to celebrate the fall equinox and changing colors near Allenspark, Colorado on their second fall camping trip! Nine students who have been learning backpacking skills throughout the semester packed their backpacks, made a meal plan, assigned camp chores, and hiked up Taylor Mountain to enjoy two days and one night in the woods.

Early that morning, the trip started off with a service project. The students and instructors participated in the Rocky Mountain Anglers annual Boulder Creek Clean Up. This is an awesome project that included over 30 volunteers cleaning up trash to support the ecosystem at Boulder Creek. From there, the class went up to Taylor Mountain!

Once finished with camp set up, the students came up with a plan for accessing a rock in the lake to pump water despite the nearby lake’s low water levels. After an accident with one filter, they quickly learned that water can be an arduous, delicate, and critical task when backpacking.  The class worked as a team to pump, transport water to the other side of the lake, and get dinner cooked.  Even without a campfire, there was some fun bonding time and music before bed, and the clear night made for excellent stargazing.

The next day, the class showed off their creativity creating bush art as a morning project, and had some fun playing games at the campsite before setting off for home. As the class wraps up, CAP students will complete their action project regarding plastics in the ocean.

See more photos from the trip here!
Written by CI Instructor Keiran Bissell