I forget so easily how unnerving it can be for many young crew mates to leave the comfort of their routine (family, homes) to disembark on a potentially painful and emotionally raw journey of physical and mental stamina. Yet, every voyage-departure-morning as I organize my last bits and kids shuffle around grabbing their gear and say "hasta luego" to family, I'm struck conscious by students' uncertainty and the overwhelming buzz of their courageous energy mustered to step on. There's not a voyage experienced that I don't return elated by the shear bravery, compassion and just overall grit exuded by the young. All doubts I had on what I believed was a cap on the capability of 11 and 12 year olds, continuelly is being redefined. I'm sure by now you've heard about how soggy our trip into the woods became. Dripping tarps, saturated socks, moist sleeping bags, gray skylines, tree-top tippin' winds, cold fingers and numb toes. The stories are true. Some of natures less tolerable elements converged on the Jefferson Creek Trail system and presented the crew with a maelstrom of undesirable situations. We were forced to dig a bit deeper into our personal toolkits of wellbeing and readjust our mindsets. Everyone was successful to one degree or another. The images below are a bit of a contradiction to our struggle. Yes, they capture some exhaustion, stoicism, and wavering confidence, yet they truly highlight the grand time we did, with certainty, experience. One evening during Last Light we had a conversation around how challenging adventures almost always manifest into positive memories. How can that be true when adversity can pound hard times into an experience? I say, mindset and thoughtful, considerate reflection. One could proclaim our trip a failure because it was hard. Instead, I'd like for us to reflect on those small moments when a friend made you smile or lent their gloves to warm your unbearably cold fingers. Perhaps recall the complex smell of the drenched forest, the way the sun's heat, if only for a moment, elevated our spirits or how the wind rattled the pine needles and brushed against our cheeks. You hiked through the mountains for four days carrying supplies that nurtured and protected each of your crew mates. You walked halfway up Mt. Guyot in the clouds, over talus. We all ate filling food and drank clean water because of you. ...Or, maybe, we simply find solace in acknowledging that for a week our classroom was the Colorado wilderness. We exhausted plan A, B, C and ended up on plan D...elighful. Below are just a few of the 800+ images. At the bottom of this post is a link to the entire collection. Here's a link to our crews Google Photos page.
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