AXL 8th Grade Students Spent their Final CAP Overnight Making Lasting Memories Through Fishing, Games, and Plenty of Sweet Treats
Written by AXL Academy CAP Instructor & Social Media Coordinator Harmony Esqueda. For our last CAP camping trip before AXL Academy 8th graders continued onto high school, we anticipated a bittersweet and exciting camping adventure full of fishing, nature scavenger hunts and celebratory brownies and popsicles. Students definitely made some lasting memories they will carry with them into the future.
The first stop on our spring overnight trip was The Nature Center at Barr Lake State Park. Everyone was challenged with the task to learn and report back one fun fact they learned to earn popsicles.
Some students shared fun facts about local flora, including native grasses, and local fauna, including raptors, prairie rattlesnakes, deer, coyote, snapping turtles, and so much more. Other students shared about the history of Barr Lake and the Wildlife Refuge.
Students soaked in the warm sun rays as we casted our rods and waited for fish to chomp on our bait. As the sun beat down on us, students grew increasingly excited to enjoy some popsicles, so with all hands on deck we got to making sandwiches. After lunch, we broke out the cooler and everyone hunkered down in the shade to cool down with popsicles.
Then, we made our way over to Boulder for the rest of our camping trip at Camp Patiya. While unloading the U-haul with all of our gear, we proved that team work really does make the dream work. Everyone made an assembly line to quickly offload and begin setting up our campsite.
Right away, students were eager to play round after round of Capture the Flag, which became quite competitive. Eventually, we switched gears to playing gaga ball and built up an appetite for dinner. Students helped make chicken quesadillas with guacamole, beans, and sauteed bell peppers. This meal was unanimously voted to be the best meal of any AXL CAP trip!
Once the sun set, we ate s’mores and played several rounds of Bat and Moth, which also proved to be one of the highlights of the entire trip, and students even requested to play this game again in the morning.
The next morning students took the lead making some delicious french toast. Afterwards, we played several rounds of Imposter, which proved to be a bonding experience for everyone. We played blindfolded Predator Prey as well as Bat and Moth.
“I felt like a new person afterwards!”
– AXL student reflecting on two years of CAP programs
Then, we did a nature scavenger hunt which led to brownies hidden amongst the rocks and trees! Before packing up, everyone found a solo spot to sit and reflect on the past two years of CAP classes, and then we reflected together as a group afterwards. One student shared that he “felt like a new person afterwards!” Then it was time to head back to AXL Academy. We certainly made some lasting memories on this trip!
Thanks to the funders and supporters that make the CAP class possible, including: Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, Patagonia, PeyBack Foundation, Strear Family Foundation, Thorne Nature Experience, Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program and the Xcel Energy Foundation.
If you’re also passionate about getting students outside for memorable learning 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!
