A couple weeks ago, Cottonwood Institute teamed up with Casa de la Esperanza, a housing community in Longmont hosted by Boulder County Housing Authority, and engaged seven kids, one chaperon, and two Cottonwood Instructors in a weekend adventure exploring new lands.  As the bus pulled away from the city and entered the luscious green of the Boulder foothills, we began a weekend journey of exploration into the unknown.  For many of these kids, the foothills and the sounds of nature, while mere minutes from the city, are on another planet.  A planet without video games, cell phones, and the incessant sounds of traffic; one instead filled with snakes, toads, spiders, lizards, whispering winds, and roaring rivers.

With only two days to explore our new planet, we jumped right in.  After setting up camp and eating a hearty snack, we wandered the shores of the river, stopping every few moments to comment on something new and exciting, including the powerful force of water.  The after effects of Boulder’s flood from two years ago was evidenced everywhere, and it provided great conversations with these young minds.  We found colorful wildflowers, exotic looking spiders, caterpillars, and even toads, snakes, and lizards.  Watching the kids become more and more willing to explore, listen, touch, and try new things was a highlight of this trip.  Words went from, “Ewww!  I’m not touching that!” to “I want to hold the snake. Can we find more?”

After an afternoon of exploring, and with the mountain sun beating down on us, what better way to relax and cool off, then to hit the water.  Timid at first, we tested out the temperature of the water as it ran lazily through our own private canal.  Within only a few minutes, we were all splashing around and wading excitedly through a tunnel to come out the other side and run right back through, to do it all again.  Then we discovered the rope!  This wasn’t just an ordinary rope, but a rope swing taking us from one side of the canal to the other, making us feel like Tarzan, King of the Jungle!  After more games, a fulfilling dinner, smores, and scary stories, the sounds of the river lulled us all to sleep.

The next day gave us more sunshine and energetic smiles once we ate breakfast and played some invigorating nature awareness and teamwork games.  We set out to learn about invasive thistles, and had a great time chopping many of them down to keep this land usable for many more kids to come.  Yet, our day was not done. We all piled into the bus and with all the gear packed up, headed just a short jaunt up the road to Heil Valley Ranch for an afternoon hike before eating lunch and heading home.

With sand in our toes, the roar of the river in our ears, and the beauty of the Boulder foothills, ten energetic people couldn’t be more grateful to the groups that made this trip possible.  Many thanks go out to Feet on the Earth and Heil Valley Ranch for lending us their land and the leaders at Casa de la Esperanza and Cottonwood Institute for making this trip possible and giving these kids a chance to appreciate nature at its finest.

Written by CI Instructor April Pishna