AAVE Trip BLOG » General AAVE Trip BLOG
August 18, 2010
Farewell AK - Ultimate Alaska 2A
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Farewell Bold Earth 2010
Backpacking Denali State Park Day Numero Uno: We arose to the ever so fascinating Alaskan weather, rain falling and the temperature feeling like October in the Midwest. We filled our bellies with French inspired apple pancakes cooked by Sophie, Juliette and Duncan and started packing for a four day hike (still in the rain). Bear bins were stuffed to the brim, as well as our backpacks feeling heavier than ever. As we took our last schmoos and headed to the trail head, we had no idea of the surprise that was waiting ahead of us; the eight of us were going solo. Nerves were a little strung as we repeated the directions over and over in our heads “around the lake, left at Cascade, left towards Tarn Point” and we began our long hike, trekking up the mud the entire way with Ben and Caitlin a fifteen minutes behind. After meeting up with the leaders with about a mile to go, we slowly made it to our destination and of course, it was raining. After setting up our tents at lightning speed and piling our layers on, we found time to shove down a warm bowl of mac and cheese before running into our warm and toasty sleeping bags.
Backpacking Denali State Park Day Numbre Deux: As always, the wonderful Alaskan skies were crying as we awoke and packed our packs. Even though the rain continued, we trudged on in the hope that a view of Denali was in our future. The weather cleared up as we ate dinner and saw our shadows for the first time.
Backpacking Denali State Park Day Three: The morning air was filled with EXCITEMENT with the sun SHINING in blue skies with BEAUTIFUL SNOW COVERED DENALI peaking through the little mountains. We hiked in and out of a luscious green and mud filled valley before a vertical climb to our lunch spot. After a filling cheese, crackers, fruit and meat meal (Ben’s favorite) and the rain drops falling on our backs, we decided to pack-out a day early and spend our last days bonding on lower grounds.
Break Day: A yummy breakfast of Reeses pancakes cooked by the lovely Ben and Caitlin was followed by a visit to the tiny mountain town of Talkeetna, where only the cool Alaskans visit. After spending two hours in town, we headed back to Anchorage resuming our fun filled break day. A quick dinner at our home of Eagle River campground and a mini dance party with the other group came to an end when we jumped into the van and went to glow in the dark bowling. The fun didn’t stop until after a late night movie. Rolling out of the van around 1am, we fell asleep together in a large white tent at the campground to scary stories told by Ben.
Final Day: We woke up to the noise of chopping fruit and heath bar, the guitar, and flying sleeping bags. Our reward for cleaning everything was lunch by a lake followed by a numbing swim. Showers were desperately needed to attempt to clean off the permanent dirt that has accumulated over the past week or so. With clean bodies, we loaded into the van to go make friendship bracelets at a nearby park. After splurging on our last dinner at Outback Steak House, we said our first goodbye to Romans. Ice cream came next before heading to the airport to set up “camp.” Signing off for the last time in the beautiful, dark Alaskan skies, Team Stratus heads to homes across the world.
Written by: Emily Cloch and Sophie Sawyers
August 16, 2010
Ice Climbers! - Ultimate Alaska 2B
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Hey All,
So much has happened it seems like forever since we spoke last. In that time we’ve been glacier climbing on the Matanuska Glacier, white water rafting in the Matanuska River and backpacking in Denali State Park! The experience has been beyond our words to describe, so we’ve asked for help from our beloved campers. So here’s what your campers have to say about our incredible experiences.
Ron says: Glaciers are one of the more incredible things I have seen. Salt Pans in Botswana, The Blue Mosque, the beaches at Normandy are all daunting, but little can compare to dangling by an ice pick over a hundred foot deep crevasse, hearing the mountains of ice creak and crumble alongside you. The sheer power of this river of ice not only amazed, but calmed me. Little can do it justice on this paper as we speed along the highway, so trust me when I say it’s fearsome.
Katy says: So I can say that ice climbing is an experience that everyone should try. On the first day we learned different knots, how to walk in crampons, and rappelling. The last three days were actually climbing! It was physically and mentally challenging but tons of fun. One of the days I had done quite a few climbs and one of our guides challenged anyone who wanted to, to climb without ice tools. It was hard and fun. Our last climb of the schooling was in a crevasse. We got lowered in as far as we wanted to and climbed out. I had probably done at least 3-4 climbs already, but decided that I wanted to go all the way to the bottom, 120 feet! The climb back up was really hard and I kept thinking “What did I get myself into?” I finally got to a point where I could just hear encouraging words from everyone. It was a huge challenge both mentally and physically, but when I got to the top I felt the most accomplished that I have ever felt. So the long and short of this is that ice climbing is AWESOME!!!
Natasha says: There are no words to describe the feeling of being on top of the Glacier with the wind encircling my body. In front of me laid miles and miles of ice that was surrounded by mountains with rolling green hills. I felt so small against the glacier’s landscape and a little intimidated as I prepared myself to climb it. Sooner than later I was lowered into the belly of the glacier, and a 120 foot climb faced me straight on. There was no turning back. It was either climb and conquer or let mother nature defeat me. I was tested physically and mentally and reached the top undefeated. I couldn’t ask for a better group because their support and love was what I climbed back to.
Azaria says: Rafting was very fun. I sat in the front of the boat with Andy and Ryan. In the second rapid we hit a rock and Ryan and Andy took a bath. Our guide pulled Andy back into the boat and I pulled Ryan back to the boat with my paddle so he could get pulled in too. Later as we went down the lazy river we saw two bear cubs and a mom bear.
Daniel says: Our 1st day of rafting was a ton of fun. Ryan, Ron, and Andy fell off the boat, but had huge smiles the whole time. After the rapids we had a lazy river and we saw a bear with two cubs. I went crazy when I saw them.
Ryan says: Rafting was fun…and…yeah I fell out of the boat, along with some other people (like Andy and Ron) But it was a good experience, because while it was happening I was all like “OMG this is happening?!” To be honest, I felt that that kind of thing happened to other people and wow, I’m having to spell happened a lot, which sucks cause I’m not sure if that’s the right spelling…Oh well. Any-hoodles. The overnight rafting was much more relaxing than the hardcore rafting. The guide did all the paddling. We camped out in a nice spot. And guess what. It was actually sunny! Like OMG right? XD? But ya, the two days we could chill was very nice. I tried to read, key word is TRIED. The views were amazing and Jackson slept through all of it (LOL). So, ya…It was pretty fun. The guides didn’t talk too much but that just made them moree mysterious. THE END. cyall.
Jules says: Our last backpacking trip in Denali State Park offered an exceptionally awesome ending to Ultimate Alaska. Yo! Despite the cold and rainy weather each and every member of our clan kept high spirits and we were able to accomplish an extremely difficult feat. 18 miles of hiking in adverse condition completed in two days and one night. I loved the challenge, as well as the teamwork that was displayed by every one. In addition to the beautiful scenery, Ryan and Jackson’s smiling faces were a familiar sight trooping at the front of the line. Katy and Ron impressed everyone with their unrelenting determination, whilst Dan, Emily, Natasha, and Azaria kept the group entertained and in a good mood. With corralling from Andy and Angela, we all continued forward to finish a trying backpack which turned out to be one of the more enjoyable and breathtaking of my life!
Jackson says: Our last backpack trip was amazing! It was originally supposed to be four days and three nights but we completed 18 miles in two days! The weather at the beginning was poor but I think we all appreciated the sunshine on the second day. I did however like the weather the first day as well because it was cool to see the clouds and mist surrounding us! We also all slept under a tarp which I loved! Even though we didn’t meet our goal of 27 miles in two days (kids idea not ours), I think 18 in two days is still phenomenal. The trip was so much fun!
Emily says: Who would have thought that any of us would be backpacking through the Alaskan alpine tundra enduring severe wind, rain, and cold temperatures? Well we did it. For the last backpacking trip in Denali State Park this is what we had to deal with. But even though it may sound bad to everyone at home, the 11 of us have learned to deal with these conditions. They even brought us closer as a group. Between slipping in the wet hiking boots and tripping on rocks, we helped and motivated each other. This tiring and emotionally taxing trip has proved to me that in a matter of 18 days, a group of strangers can come together, bond, and become a family of sorts. (Even if we don’t get along all the time) We have one full day left on out Ultimate Alaskan adventure and when I get home to Boston, I will miss everything about it (Bad weather included!) Thanks to everyone who helped to make this trip happen! See you soon Mom, Dad, Dan, Roo, and Nuala! XOXO P.S PLEASE PAY FOR MY BAGGAGE ONLINE! (:
So there you have it, it’s been really really wonderful and I’ll let you hear the rest of their wonderful stories in person in a couple of days.
Love,
Bold Earth - UAK 2B - 2010
An Epic Ending! - Rock & Roll 3
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As we sit here in the Denver International Airport, we can’t stop thinking about how unbelievable the past two weeks have been! What started as ninja training has transitioned into a family affair of brothers (plus Heidi) with days filled with endless laughter and smiles. It’s so hard to say good-bye to such good friends, amazing travels and crazy fun, but it’s time for our trip to come to an end.
The last few days have been just as unbelievable as the early days which were such an incredible way to end our adventure! Since our last blog we have been moving around just as fast as always, but have some really good stories to share! To start, we left Buena Vista heading towards Breckenridge where both our service project with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative and our Quandary summit would take place. We made it to Breckenridge for the boys to have some town time for a few hours. During their scanter about town, we gave each of them a quarter to see what they could possibly get as an exchange for twenty five cents. We were both shocked to see Isaac and Brandon come back with snowboards while Phil came back with a bike wheel and a derailer for a bike amongst many other random gifts! It was a hoot of a day! The other boys explored their way through Breckenridge and came back with epic stories of adventures on the town gondola! Once town time was over we all set up camp at the base of Quandary Peak, where we would begin our service project the next day.
Thursday morning came very quickly, especially since we had to meet with Evan and Francis of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative at 6:30 in the morning for our trail work! While the morning started out beautifully with clear blue skies, the rain and hail of the Colorado monsoon season moved in before we could even start hiking! The boys still marched up to the work spot to work on restoring an old trail on the mountain with smiles on their faces! Such troopers these boys are! We were so impressed with their optimism and energetic spirits even when it was hailing and wind was blowing at 35 plus miles an hour. All of us had a really great time working on the trail and restoring an ecosystem on a mountain that we would summit the very next day. Although the rainstorm rushed us off the mountain before we could give all the work we were hoping for, we all agreed that we had a great time and learned a lot about alpine environments, trail work, and what it feels like to be at 11,000 ft! Tell you what our boys were loving’ the tools that came with trail work! Raul, Dylan, and Darron could make quite the water bar with a pick axe! Get that tool in their hands and they could create a masterpiece for water drainage! Evan and Francis, of CFI, were very amazed with the optimism and work ethic of all the boys and said they enjoyed seeing such a close group of teenage boys. We finished the day with an intensely fun game of ultimate frisbee in Breckenridge before we rested for our big ascent of Quandary Peak the next morning.
We woke up at 2:30 am to begin our hike to the peak of Quandary, a whoppin’ 14,265 feet above sea level. The stars were amazing and it was truly a magical hike up as we walked in silence until one of us would see a shooting star and make genuine ooo and ah sounds! We started the hike early for the intention of a sunrise hike and we got the most unbelievable sunrise overlooking a mountain range that included two other fourteen thousand foot peaks…it was most definitely a highlight of the trip for all of us to enjoy that together! After taking a rest to watch the sun rise over the majestic Rockies, we continued to march up the steep mountain. The air became very thin very quick, and just before the last thousand foot push to the summit, the elements forced Heidi and Brandon to turn back due to altitude sickness. While the group was bummed to see the two head down, they were even more inspired than ever to summit carrying the two in spirit! The last bit was definitely the hardest, but once the remaining eight made it to the summit thanks to Matt’s excellent leadership, it was worth the agony for sure. The wind was blowing at hurricane force on the summit, but there was not a cloud in the sky and we all screamed for joy once the uphill leveled off! After taking a few pictures and enjoying the panoramic views, we all descanted quickly to get more air, get to calmer areas, and to meet up with Brandon and Heidi. That afternoon we chilled at camp, rested, then went into town to watch the movie Inception at a theatre, which was a great reward after a long hard day!
Yesterday, our last full day together, was by far one of the most fun days of the trip, despite no planned activities! We slept in and then ate a huge egg breakfast thanks to Jeff’s cooking! While packing up and cleaning camp, the boys enjoyed the last hours in the woods hiding and chasing each other, it was really fun for us to watch them smile and laugh! We then headed to Boulder for the afternoon, where we played a phenomenal game of ultimate frisbee before showering one last time! We then hit the town for a photo-scavenger hunt and time to grab some last minute souvenirs. Then the chaos began of our last evening together…we headed to the Cheesecake Factory to enjoy some delicious food and laugh over all the finds during the photo scavenger hunt. Raul, Phil, Isaac, and Brandon were dedicated to winning and they did with flying colors! We don’t know if it was the picture of Raul with a 20 year old kissing his cheek or a picture of him dancing with a random girl on the street, but all of their pictures were hilarious! Shortly after our delicious meal, the cheesecakes came and the whip cream fights began! So we left with our continuing battles before anyone got too mad and carried on with it on Pearl Street as it emerged into a full on sprinting water fight between the ten of us! We all ran, laughed and screamed throughout the crowded pedestrian mall with all sorts of tourists looking at us like we were crazy… it was so much fun! For the nightly meeting we headed up to the Flatiron Mountains to overlook the city of Boulder in an amphitheater made of rocks. It was not only a spectacular spot for meeting with amazing sites, but the meeting was definitely one remember.
These boys have showed us their great depth and genuine compassion for one another. It has been a true pleasure spending the last two weeks with them and watching them come closer and closer throughout the activities and nightly meetings. Not only have they done so well in all the activities and grown close together as a group, but these boys have all taken ownership of this trip showing how mature and responsible they can be. They all came as individual boys two weeks ago, but now they leave today as both brothers and young men, and the two of us feel so privileged to spend this time with them watching them laugh, smile, conquer and grow! Thank you for sharing your sons with us, they are all awesome guys! Best wishes and enjoy the many stories they will tell!
Lots of Love,
Ian and Heidi
Surf, Service and San Francisco - Bold West 4
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Hello Abbott, Family, and Friends!
Surfs up from California. Everyone had a blast surfing in Santa Cruz. Everyone stood up right away and was able to hang ten and ride the wave. After surfing on Wednesday we did a service project with Save Our Shores (SOS). SOS is a local non-profit organization in Santa Cruz that works on cleaning up the beaches in the area. They taught us a lot about the harmful environmental impact plastic has on the ocean’s ecosystem. We were amazed at how much trash we picked up in only a few hours, even though they do clean-up projects everyday. All together we picked up 80 pounds of trash and 11 pounds of recyclables! Good work Bold West crew!!!
On Thursday we drove to San Francisco and did another service project at Presidio Park for the National Forest Service. We helped out by spreading mulch and removing invasive plants in the area. San Francisco is beautiful and everyone was excited to contribute with some meaningful work and see the Golden Gate Bridge stretching across the bay.
Today we went to Haight-Ashbury to check out the stores and step back in time to when the music of the Grateful Dead was popular. The crew vowed that the only music we listened to today was the Dead.
Tomorrow we are headed to Alcatraz and will spend the rest of the day at Crissy Field and the Golden Gate State Park. We are having fun exploring this intriguing city and staying indoors at a cool hostel! Hope you are all well! We miss you and are coming home soon!
-Julia, Kale, and the Best Bold West Crew Ever!
Mahalo and Aloha - Ultimate Hawaii 3B
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Mahalo Bold Earth Friends and Family,
It is our final day of an epic journey around the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. Our final five days were action packed and AMAZING! On our two days of sea kayaking, we explored coves, paddled through arches, played “King of the Kayak,” snorkeled, spear fished and ate delicious fresh fish for dinner!
The coffee farm was beautiful, with a great outdoor shower and tons of farm animals, including a new litter of puppies! After departing the farm, we headed north to Kohala where we stayed on Kahua Ranch, one of the 10 windiest places in the United States. The views and sunsets from this mountainous region were incredible! Using Kahua Ranch as our base camp for the final three nights, we went surfing, where we saw everyone dramatically improve!
Our final day we enjoyed an incredible time on the catamaran, where we snorkeled in a marine sanctuary, caught a 15 lbs. skip jack fish, and hooked a 250 lbs. marlin, which unfortunately spit the hook but we got to see it leap out of the water and give Henry a good fight! That evening, we took showers and went out to a delicious pizza and Italian dinner for our last celebratory night. Paper plate awards were given out, heroes and highlights of the trip were discussed, and t-shirts were signed by everyone to ensure that we never forget the amazing friends that we made this summer!
As people fly out today back home to see their friends and family, we know that it is with a fresh perspective and a bundle of stories and experiences to share. It is always hard to say goodbye to the people that have become your family over the last three weeks, but we will all strive to stay in touch and remember this incredible experience that we shared! We hope to see you again next summer for more incredible Bold Earth adventures!
One last time, aloha from Hawaii and we will see you very soon!
Henry, Abbie, and the most amazing Bold Earth group ever!
Farewell Bicycles - Bike Amsterdam Paris 3
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Bold Earth families, friends and Abbott,
When we arrived on our bikes in Ghent, it was hard to believe that we had actually biked 250! It just made exploring the city that much sweeter and I think we all agreed that it was time to take a little break from the bikes. We stayed in such a pleasant campsite just outside of the center of Ghent and we were excited that this was going to be our home for the next few days. That night Foster led the group in cooking a delicious meal of teriyaki stir fry. We followed the meal with a well deserved movie break. Sara and the crew loved the the movie that we saw, Inception, however we had not been in Ghent long enough to understand the Flemish subtitles.
After cleaning up the campground that morning, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the historic city of Ghent. We all spent time admiring the city, shopping, and enjoying the authentic Belgium waffles and candy. The next day we packed up our bags, said a final goodbye to our bikes and headed to our next stop…Paris! After a brief stop off in Brussels, we were on our way to the city. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Ariel and this was when it first set in that the end was near. The first night was one of the most memorable on the trip. We all sat in front of the Eiffel Tower, enjoyed some delicious pizza and watched the sun go down as the lights of the famous tower put on their light show. That night, we climbed to the second level of the tower, however Mike did his best to run up the tower. The view was amazing and it was even more of a spectacular night when all the lights on the tower twinkled, while Tiana and the group enjoyed some delicious crepes. After a magical night, we got an early start the next morning so we could see as much as possible. Harry and Cam were fascinated with the beautiful artwork at the Louvre Museum while Miranda, Mike and Marco enjoyed the amazing shopping on Champ d’ Elysees.
We had our final dinner at a delicious restaurant in the middle of Paris followed with some ice cream. As we sat down for our final group meeting, it is tough to believe that we are going home tomorrow. It is amazing that two weeks have gone by so quick. Throughout our journey, we have all grown so close as a group, and have learned so much about ourselves, seen some incredible cities and the best part is, we did it all on our power.
Thank you to the group and everyone who made this trip that incredible experience that it was! Bike Amsterdam to Paris – Bold Earth – 2010.
August 12, 2010
Barcelona, Salamanca and Bullfighting - Espana Clasica 2
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After our amazing backpacking trip in the Pyrenees, we spent the next few days doing many adventurous activities. We went, canyoning (´barrancando´), kayaking, and white water rafting on the famous Rio de La Noguera Pallaresa, where we passed `cascadas` and ´rocas´ that were an inspiration to Gaudi in designing his La Sagrada Familia Catedral en Bacelona. ¡Fue muy impressionante!
The location for our community service project was muy bonito. There, we went kayaking on a crystal clear lake suroundd by ´montañas` to go around the lake-bed and pick up trash of all sorts. We had a competition to see who could find the most trash. Tessa and Aaron won, by finding the most and going at it the longest, but Ian and Becca collected a massive steal beam and were lucky enough to find the the entire skeleton of a havolina! They brought the skull back for all to see.
Our group then packed up and traveled cross-country to Salamanca, where the architecture es increible!, muy bonito. The walls of the old cathedral were covered in intricate carvings and walking inside was just as breathtaking. We had lunch in the middle of the Plaza Mayor, a donde aprendimos sobre ´La Ciudad Dorada´, and about how the city gets its golden color from the ´Villamayor´ stone. This sandstone is unique to Salamanca because it comes from a quarry right outside of the city.
The next day we visited a traditional Spanish farm where we saw many ´caballos y toros´ and learned about the breeding of the fighting bulls and their calm nature in open fields, vs, their aggressive nature in rings and pens. After, we got to be ´matadores´ o ´toreros´ and participated in a bullfight with a baby bull! (Which was more like an agressive little teenager). The bull was very fast and it caused a huge rush of adrenaline to perform the ´capea´ with it, and dance, as it charged on through. Juliana was a natural! We can’t wait to see you all and share our pictures, adventures and new Spanish skills!
Espana Clasica
Volcanoes and Green Sand Beaches - Ultimate Hawaii 3A
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Aloha Bold Earth friends and family,
After our awesome final day of surfing, we made our way across the island to Hilo to do laundry and stock up for the rest of our trip. Laundry was a particular highlight for John, who had the pinball game of his life while waiting for his clothes to dry and got to put his initials in the High Score list. We also called home from the parking lot, and I know everyone loved getting to check in with family and friends!
That night, we camped at Namakanipaio on the edge of Volcanoes National Park, where Pier, Yousif, Ricardo and Carlos put in a good bid for the Top Chef: Ultimate Hawaii crown with their steak, salad and pasta dinner. The next morning, we drove into the park to meet our guides from Orchid Isle Bicycle Tours. We spent the morning biking around the park, stopping to look at steam vents and hardened lava flows while our guides—and Chris—taught us about the natural and cultural history of the park
Next, we explored the eerie landscape of the Kilauea-iki crater, formed by an eruption in 1952 but too hot to walk on until 1984! In places, steam from superheated underground rivers escapes through cracks in the lava; we poked around these fumaroles and climbed on the lava formations. We also explored the Thurston Lava Tube, leaving the tourists behind in the well-lit section and walking deeper into the cave with our headlamps. Here, we got in touch with our inner cave monsters.
The next morning, we left Volcanoes and drove to the southernmost point in the United States. From there, we hiked three miles to an unusual beach where all the sand was green! The hike was pretty hot and dusty, but the strange scenery and gorgeous waves at Green Sands were worth it. Anna, Alexis, Ken, Park, and Ahmed spent a good hour running up the glittering sand dune next to the beach and rolling, jumping, and somersaulting down it, and once we saw how much fun they were having, we all had to try it too!
Today, we went sea kayaking with Hawaii Pack and Paddle. Our guides, Dana and Barry, guided spear fishing (we’ll eat some fresh catches at dinner tonight!) while the other campers went snorkeling. By the end of the day, Laura and Taylor had perfected their paddling form and lead the group back to shore. We will be sure to make the most of our final days together in Hawaii before sharing a heartfelt goodbye and heading back to our friends and families!
Aloha from Jenny, John, the UH3A Crew!
The Final Days - Africa 2
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Hello Abbott, friends and family,
Since we last talked we we completed our final service project building a soccer field for a local primary school and creating a field day for them. They loved it. We then had a full day of driving towards Johannesburg and stayed at a game lodge in the mountains. It was the coldest day of the trip, but absolutely worth it!
Tons of wild life surrounding us, hot running showers with pressure (always a plus), good food, a fire and of course the best company anyone could ever ask for. Alex finished the night off as leader of the day, ending our night with a great meeting and good company. We are now back in Johannesburg, the city where gold was first found in South Africa. Yesterday, we took a tour to Cradle of Humankind, a cave where some of the earliest fossils of mankind have been found. Today we are going to an amusement park, then to the Apartied museum and celebrating our last night together with a great African meal. Kaylee will lead our final meeting. We are all so sad to depart, but so thankful for this amazing experience.
Thank you back home for making this to happen.
We miss you all and look forward to seeing you in a few days.
August 11, 2010
It Only Gets Better! - Rock & Roll 3
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Bold Earth Hello Hello Hello!
After climbing, we did not think that this trip could get any better, yet it totally did!
Our 5 days in kayaks was some of the most fun we have ever had! Our first day kayaking we went to a gorgeous mountain lake to become comfortable in our boats. Ben and Greg were fantastic instructors who taught us all about paddle strokes, balance and safety in our boats. After getting acquainted with the movements in the kayaks, we spent the entire afternoon playing games, racing and splashing each other! Matthew, Darren and Dylan were naturally comfortable and strong paddlers while the rest of us used the day to really improve our techniques. That afternoon we re-supplied our food and relocated our camp to a new riverside location. This ended up being our first clear night of the trip allowing us to roast marshmallows and gaze at the countless stars all night! We even slept outside to fully experience the beautiful Colorado night and spot a few shooting stars!
The next day we arose to a perfect morning and met up with our guides to hit the river for the first time! We spent the morning learning about eddy lines, ferrying, and river hydrology. After much practice and gaining more confidence in the boats, we spent the afternoon swimming and practicing our rolls before our first river run. Even though the run was short, we all had a great time and felt good applying what we learned to making it down the river for the first time!
After another great day on the river, we drove up to the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs to enjoy some warm soaks and fun of course! The first pool had a huge slide which we all made laps on until the pool closed. We then ate a delicious stir-fry before heading to the warmer soaking pools where we let both our muscles and minds relax after a long day.
Day three of kayaking was a long and fun one! We hit the river early and paddled nine miles before lunch. Along the river we encountered many bigger rapids and other challenging obstacles, yet we all successfully made it down and had a great time! Isaac and Ian had to swim the most, but even though their boats flipped three times each along the river, they always had smiles on their faces! While finishing up lunch, Heidi, Greg and Ben all got in their boats to play in the waves and show off their skills with their tricks and rolls that they had down which the boys enjoyed watching!
After eating lunch, we spent the afternoon both playing and relaxing at the Salida water play park. We all enjoyed swimming the rapids and playing in the water! The guides even brought out an inflatable kayak for us to surf in the play waves, and while we all gave it a try, no one charged the waves like Brandon and Raul, who got some great surfs in! While most of the group played, Jeff was the only one who wanted to keep trying to learn his rolls. Even though he never successfully got one on his own, the entire group was proud of his persistence and his drive to learn!
That night’s dinner was a delicious American classic which set our bellies right after another awesome day! Our overnight kayak trip, which we just completed, was the icing on the cake for sure! The first day was a long paddle with both some familiar and new challenges, and the group did a great job navigating through the 13 mile stretch before arriving to a sunny campground. Phil improved the most in our time kayaking and his skills really showed on this section of the Arkansas River! Last night we enjoyed each others company around the fire while Ben and Kate (our new guide for the overnight) cooked us a great meal!
Some of us were able to catch up on some reading while others played frisbee and other games. Today we arose to not a cloud in the sky and hit the river early from our campsite for the best day yet! We paddled through some of the largest rapids and most consistent white water and we all did fantastic! No one had to swim too much and we all hit some gnarly class-three rapids with serious style! We were bummed to see the take out because we wanted to keep paddling, but the five days were more than enough adrenaline and fun. After lunch, we said bye to our fantastic guides and headed back to town to bust out our laundry and showers.
It’s hard to believe the trip is ending this Sunday, but we still have some incredible things to look forward too! We will arrive in Breckenridge tomorrow for some time in town before we head to Quandary Peak for both our trail work and the big 14,000 ft summit! But before we can do any of that, we need to go reward ourselves for a great week of paddling by going to grub down on some pizza in this beautiful town of Buena Vista! Hope you all are well and we look forward to seeing you soon and sharing our many stories!
Lots of Love!
Bold Earth - RnR3 – Summer 2010
