News from Camp: July 2, 2017

We have had another great week at camp! We celebrated Fourth of July yesterday with a fun dance and spectacular fireworks! The day began with Saturday Specials and our traditional “Hike the Pike”. Many campers and staff chose to walk up to six miles to raise money for charity.

Long trips at High Trails returned Thursday and Friday exuberant about their adventures and accomplishments. The four-day Elbert-Massive Backpack climbed 14,443’ Mt. Elbert (Colorado’s highest peak). The Colorado Trail five-day trip backpacked 25 miles along the Continental Divide and climbed Mt. Columbia (14,077’). Two groups of climbers reached the top of 14,036 Mt. Sherman and another group summited 14,036 Mt. Democrat. The four-day Oxford/Belford backpack trip stood on top of 14,160’ Mt. Oxford and 14,197’ Mt. Belford. The four-day Pikes Peak Backpack reached the top of 14,115’ Pikes Peak and impressed all the tourists who had driven up the mountain or taken the cog railway. The girls on the four-day backpack trips in the beautiful Tarryall Mountains and Buffalo Peaks were elated by their experiences, and another group backpacked for four days on Mt. Silverheels, achieving the 13,822’ summit. The Pike’s Picasso three-day loved exploring our new property at the base of Mt. Antero. The four- and five-day horse trips had a great time exploring wilderness areas south and west of camp, and the Canoe/Paddleboard Trip successfully canoed around the perimeter of Eleven-Mile Reservoir.

Big Spring campers enjoyed many exciting overnight and all-day trips last week including climbs of Quandary Peak (14,265’), La Plata Peak (14,360’), and Mt. Shavano (14,232’) and Tabeguache Peak (14,163’). The boys also had fun on horse overnights, technical rock climbing overnights, canoeing and fishing trips, and much more.

The Second Term of Sanborn Junior campers arrived Tuesday; they have been enthusiastic and energetic about their activities this week. They loved their first campout on Thursday and Friday, and have also enjoyed horseback riding, swimming, crafts, hikes and nature programs at the Interbarn. They were extremely excited about our Fourth of July fireworks.

Next week, Big Spring will head out on three-, four-, and five-day backpacking trips, mountain climbs and horse-pack trips. High Trails has a variety of overnights and all-days planned including a trip to the resort town of Breckenridge on Thursday. Sanborn Junior campers are looking forward to another campout, more horseback riding, an all-day trip tubing on the South Platte River, and an all-day hike to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

• Jane