Students in the second trimester Community Adventure Program (CAP) Class at Aurora Expeditionary Learning Academy (AXL) got to experience a magnificent state park that is less than an hour away from their school! Roxborough State Park is a 45 minute drive Southwest of AXL, but as you can see from the photos, it looked like another place altogether.

This Colorado State Park has a beautiful visitor center where students sat in a miniature red rock amphitheater to view an introductory video all about the history, geology, and wildlife in this unique location. After packing a lunch, the group headed out on the Fountain Valley Loop Trail for a 3 mile hike that was mostly on packed snow.

The group stopped at the Lyons Overlook for a great view of the natural red rock formations in the park and used a sit spot to take it all in. (A sit spot is where each person finds their own secluded spot, takes a seat, and takes in the sights, sounds, and feelings of that place.) As the hike continued, the group spotted not one, not two, but 20 mule deer along the right side of the trail! A couple deer came close to the trail, but the group did a great job of respecting wildlife and neither the deer nor the group felt threatened by the encounter.

Every student found things to enjoy in this hike. A few took on the role of photographer, some found peace and quiet along the hike, and others got to know each other through talking and playing games along the trail. In the end, everyone could check off:

• Visiting a state park in 2019
• Seeing more deer than other visitors during the day
• Growing an excitement to continue exploring the outdoors and our connection to them through CAP Class this trimester

Thank you to all the families for your support and helping students prepare for this hike. Everyone is excited for the overnight cabin trip on February 6-7!

Written by AXL CAP Instructor Adam Fedyski

See more photos from the trip here!