The fall semester is flying by and this weekend was CAP New Vista‘s final camping trip together as a group! After a quick gear check in Boulder on Saturday morning, we arrived at a camping spot near Taylor Mountain in Allenspark, CO. While the hike in was less than two miles, it was a great chance for the CAP students to practice backpacking, logistics, and risk management skills. The group had a discussion on self-care, blisters, and hot spots before setting out.

After arriving at the campsite and setting up, the group spent some time exploring the beautiful camping area. We then created three teams and had a chance to learn about and practice primitive shelter building skills. The results were awesome! Students who had little experience with shelter-building created some seriously weatherproof and architecturally creative primitive shelters. Each of the groups had a chance to check out others’ creations and afterwards, they had fun practicing LNT and deconstructing (‘demolishing’) the shelters together. The evening included dinner, hot chocolate, and ghost stories around the fire.

Sunday morning, the group noticed how many leaves had fallen, even around the campsite, from the overnight winds. Fall is ending and the morning included a sit spot to take in the beauty of the remaining aspen leaves and mountain views. After packing up, the group also had a chance to do trust falls together. Every person in the class participated as a catcher and a faller. CAP New Vista will take this group unity home to school where they’ll be finishing their sustainability project this week, teaching their community about the benefits of hemp.

Written by: CI Instructor, Keiran Bissell

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