On November 1st, KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) CAP students headed out for an exciting fall field day full of snowball fights and primitive camping skills. Due to the cold weather, the group decided to forgo their original plans of camping out near Jamestown. They swiftly switched gears and decided to spend the day adventuring at Bear Creek Lake Park outside of Golden. It was a thrilling and memorable day filled with games, cooking, and friendship.

The group pulled up to Bear Creek Lake’s Sunshine Amphitheater and immediately launched into a full-fledged snowball fight. After a few minutes of laughter and flying snow, they reconvened to refresh their knowledge of Leave No Trace principles and play a game of LNT Volleyball. Once they had become LNT experts, they worked together to unpack the van and set up a home base at the amphitheater. They had worked up quite an appetite from all the volleyball and snowball throwing, so they decided to get started on cooking lunch. Lunch was a delicious burrito bowl spread stocked with rice, beans, carnitas, veggies, tortillas, and all the tasty toppings. The group worked together flawlessly to prepare the feast, and the effort paid off as they sat together and enjoyed their delicious meal. They all agreed that the flavors were perfect and the teamwork was impeccable.

After lunch, everyone had a blast dueling in another action packed snowball fight. Eventually, everyone ended up snow-covered and exhausted and ready to warm up by a cozy fire. The group headed back over to the amphitheater and learned how to start a fire with friction using flint and steel. Once they got the fire going, they warmed up with s’mores and stories during a game of hot seat. When they were done with the fire, they made sure it was completely out and explored the snow a bit more before wrapping up the day with a sit spot and a few rounds of Camouflage. After a long day of fun and games, the group circled up to share their favorite parts of the day (which consisted mainly of their many snowball fights). They packed up and made their way back to KSPA with a new set of wilderness skills and many great memories.

Written by CI Instructor Alex Simonian

See more photos from the day here!