Students Enjoyed the Thrills of Sledding in Addition to Perfecting their Fire-Building Skills on their Winter Overnight Trip. Written by CI Field Instructor Caroline Paul.
Another Community Adventure Program (CAP) overnight is in the books for the 8th graders at Aurora Expeditionary Learning Academy (AXL Academy). AXL Academy uses trimesters, so their CAP students are some of the only ones who get to experience a winter overnight trip! Instead of camping in tents, students get to experience the glamour of Cal-Wood’s cabins, main lodge, and kitchen.
Though the weather was warm and sunny, a fresh layer of snow had fallen a few days earlier. This enabled the CAP teens to get the best of both worlds – a warm day in the snow! This was just the beginning of a trip that would be filled with learning new skills and enjoying outdoor thrills. Upon arrival, students immediately jumped in the snow, threw snowballs, and generally frolicked in a way that makes us all relive our childhood a bit. The rest of the day was spent engaging in team-building games, playing in the snow, and learning the essential skills of campfire building. This was a chance for students to challenge themselves, practice trial and error with different kinds of tinder, and use different forms of fire-starters.
Once it was free time, most teens made their way to the sledding hill. Still untouched from the previous snow, students and instructors created their own track and learned what worked best to make the trip down the hill more enjoyable. By the next day, students were flying! For most of the students, sledding was the highlight of the trip. However, two dedicated students decided to go on a night hike in the evening, and they were rewarded for their efforts. It was a new moon so the stars were spectacular! Once they returned, they joined the group in playing board games and sipping hot chocolate. Logan, a veteran CAP student, laughed at his buddies battling it out over a game of Connect Four, and commented that “This is better than TikTok!”.
The next morning was a whirlwind of packing up our gear, but we did get to spend a couple more hours on the sledding hill! What a treat for our AXL group. This trip was a perfect mix of adventure, teamwork, and relaxation – giving the 8th graders a much-needed break from their busy school routines.
A big thanks to the funders and supporters that make the CAP class possible, including: Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, Patagonia, Thorne Nature Experience, Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program and the Xcel Energy Foundation.
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