On May 4-5, the students of the CAP classes set out for our Denver Green School Community Adventure Program camping trip at Cheley Outpost Camp by Estes Park. While it was a bit chilly at night, the weather was beautiful during the day and we packed in a bunch of fun activities, played games, learned camping skills, and spent some quality time with our friends (old and new!) outside of school. Here’s a short list of some of the things we did:

• Set up tents
• Play Gaga ball
• Go on a hike to see a beautiful view of Long’s Peak
• Learn whittling and carving
• Cook delicious meals
• Play on a tire swing
• Make fire and roast s’mores
• Have a quiet Sit Spot to reflect
• Play hide and seek tag
• Make a short video for Cottonwood
• Organize a search party for a lost camera
• Hang out with our friends and make new friends
• Break down camp, make sure we Leave No Trace, and head home!

We really enjoyed being out in nature without our cell phones or other distracting technology. While it was hard at first, we came to appreciate how calming and relaxing it was to notice new things about our environment and surroundings. We were surprised by how different it felt from being in Denver. Many of us noticed how having time to hang out and relax in the mountains made us feel less stressed, especially as we noticed all the beauty around us. After the trip, we reflected on how we felt, what we saw, and what our experience was like. Here are some of our favorite quotes from CAP students about the trip – can you find yours?

“One of my favorite parts of the trip was playing hide and seek with new people. This was fun because the woods are a really good place for hiding and while you hide you can really take in the things you never see and feel in the city.”

“Some of the differences that I noticed between the mountains where we hiked and Denver was that in the mountains there are more animals, more vegetation, fewer people, and fresher air.”

“After this trip I feel a stronger connection to nature and I feel like I can escape my stress and pain in nature.”

“I look forward to camping again and going out with the Cottonwood Institute was fun.”

“I liked sleeping there because you could just lay there all night listening to how quiet it was or natural sounds like the river or animals moving around or the trees moving in the wind. I also really liked this part because you don’t really get to do this that often.”

“It really is a stress reliever to go to the outdoors and just mess around and have fun for a while.”

“You notice how you are feeling. You notice every thought and feeling.”

“After this trip, I feel more connected to my classmates and more excited for trips like this to happen!”

“In Denver, the mountains look like tiny hills and there’s only about 2-3 rows of mountains that you can see. But when you’re inside the mountains it looks much more beautiful – everything looks like it came out of a film scene or movie.”

“I had a great time during this trip, hiking, playing games, and making more of a connection with others.”

“We went on a hike to the top of the mountain to go see a view. At first, I didn’t want to go and as we were walking up I wanted to turn around so bad. But I kept walking and when we made it all the way to the top it was worth being up there with all my friends.”

Written by CAP class teacher, Colleen and students

Check out more photos from our trip here

Thank you Cottonwood Institute!