The Spring Break Hike was Full of Friendship, Snow Surprises, and Reconnecting with Inspiring Changemakers Alumni
Written by Erin Angel, CI Senior Instructor, Changemakers & Alumni Coordinator. Our Changemakers Alumni are such cool people. We kicked off our spring break kickoff (see those double kicks?) by going from person to person and getting 2-minute updates on their lives. Everyone is doing such interesting things! One is coaching a girls’ high school ski team and renovating a dollhouse. Another is working in a research lab and crocheting tiny, tiny creatures. I could go on, but it’s clear that the rest of us should put down our phones and live up to these young people’s examples. On to the spring break hike!
We spent an hour or so hiking and playing games on Flagstaff above Boulder, before we cleared some picnic tables of snow and ate some brunch. Yes, I said, “snow.” Although it was 78 degrees the day before and 65 the day after, we got virtually the only cold day of the year so far for our hike. We warmed up with some hot cocoa and then scurried off to Patagonia Boulder to do some outreach.
We spent the afternoon telling people about our upcoming Ancestral Skills Gathering while we made cordage out of natural fibers. So addictive! (You want to know how to do that? Well, come to our skills gathering and our Alumni will teach you!) We got plenty of time to catch up and make informal plans with each other for the rest of Spring Break. We discussed our summer trip and decided that it will feature a trailside cookoff along a scenic, highcountry backpacking trail.
Time flies with good friends and sooner than we knew it, it was time to head back home. Nevermind, we’ll all be seeing each other soon either at the Base Camp Bash or at the Cottonwood Ancestral Skills Gathering on April 25th at Ollin Farms in Longmont. We hope to see you, too! Sign up here!
A sincere thank you to everyone who attended the 2025 Base Camp Bash, which helped raise the critical funding for our Alumni Engagement programs.
If you are also passionate about getting students outside to connect with each other and the natural world, please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor! You’ll help invest in our students, programs, and long-term sustainability and success!
