Experiences in Labyrinth Canyon and with Regenerative Agriculture Provided Changemakers with Opportunities to Show Grit, Growth, and Share Plenty of Laughs. Written by Changemakers Senior Instructor Chelsea Tossing.

We spent our first day in Dinosaur National Monument trying to find fish scales and instead discovered a thousand similar lizards. We sat on warm rocks, crawled into little caves, and set the tone for a week of curiosity, courage, and wandering just slightly off the map. We camped and ate beans and watched the sun melt behind the rocks. Some of us admired the stars; all of us admired the unexpectedly luxurious bathrooms.

By day two, the adventure had already begun to shape us. We started at the Swelter Shelter, wandered among petroglyphs, and made our way to the visitor center where ancient history hit us hard: the dinosaurs came here in search of water—and died in a drought. That moment stuck with us as we stared up at the towering bone-filled walls of the quarry. We imagined the inland sea that once covered Colorado. We traced its edges across dusty maps and questioned how climate, scarcity, and survival ripple through time.

Everyone but Cooper earned a Junior Ranger badge (next time, Cooper). We spread the map out like a treasure, and Ranger Tiff pointed us toward the Labyrinth. Plans shifted, as they often do, and we embraced it. On our way to the trailhead, we claimed all the cows we passed and journeyed deep into the strange and beautiful terrain of Gen Z’s Spotify playlists.

Then came the canyon: breathtaking, ancient, alive with memory. We followed the whisper of an old stream, cooled off at the aptly named Butt Dam Falls, and wandered off-trail into the wild tangle of rose bushes and vines. We scouted, scrambled, and searched for a home for the night.

The Labyrinth lived up to its name—confusing, full of dead ends, and utterly magical. Somewhere in that mix of laughter, thorns, and sweat, we remembered why we came: to explore boldly, connect deeply, and learn from the land and each other.

Three days of bushwhacking was only the beginning, and on Thursday we hiked out of the canyon and on to our next adventure; that evening, we met with Deirde, a regenerative rancher who taught us about flood irrigation. We got our hands dirty building a beaver dam analog—an effort to help restore the water table in a long-parched valley. It was incredible to watch the water rise, gently swallowing the banks, and to realize how immediate the impact of our work could be. There was something deeply satisfying about it, and the only thing that stopped us was the setting sun and our not-yet-cooked pasta dinner.

Later in the week, we volunteered at High Water Farm, supporting local regenerative agriculture and reconnecting to the source of our food. That same day, we chased the green by exploring the lush trails of Rifle Falls State Park, crawling into every cave we could find in this improbable oasis tucked into the desert. Moss-draped rocks, cool shadows, and echoing laughter marked our last full day.
We capped it all off with a surprise piñata and one final chocolate cake to celebrate Kay’s birthday—a sweet ending to a week full of grit, growth, and just the right amount of chaos.

The next morning, we piled into the van, dusty and content, tired and happy. As we drove home, the desert fading in the rearview mirror, we carried with us the echoes of Labyrinth Canyon, the songs of streams, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing we left the places we visited better than we found them.

A big thanks to the funders and supporters that make the Changemaker Program possible, including: Larrk Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, Thorne Nature Experience, and Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program.

If you too are passionate about getting students outside to have life-changing experiences, please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor! You’ll help invest in our students, programs, and long-term sustainability and success!