Joshua Profir – Loveland, Colorado … Students at Campion Academy (CA) in Loveland, Colorado, geared up and trekked through the mountains for Campion’s annual backpacking trip, August 28-30. Twenty-seven CA students split into two groups, one hiking to Finch Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and the other to American Lakes in State Forest State Park (SFSP).

The group at RMNP was able to complete the weekend, however, the group at SFSP had to hike out Saturday night due to a major storm that soaked their equipment.

On Friday afternoon, both groups set out to their respective trailheads to begin hiking about four miles to their campsites. After setting up camp, cooking meals, and surviving the night, students continued further up the mountains on Saturday. The RMNP group hiked up to higher alpine lakes while the SFSP group climbed to the top of Lulu Mountain. Both groups hiked around 16-20 miles over the weekend.

While the weather was favorable for most of the trip, for the students in the SFSP group, the weather took a turn on Saturday evening. At about 5:00 p.m., rain started pouring, flooding tents and forcing the group to pack up and hike down the mountain in the dark all while enduring the rain. They safely arrived back to campus at about 1:00 a.m.

Teagan P., senior student, commented, “It was very tiring, but definitely an adventure.”

Backpacking provided students with unique challenges and opportunities to bond together. Students had to pack light while also packing everything they needed, including food, clothes, a stove, and a tent, all carried in their backpacks up the mountain. Once at the campsites, students cooked meals on portable stoves and filtered water from the lakes for use.

The trip offered many students a new opportunity to explore nature and experience the outdoors in a new way. Clayton R., a freshman student in the SFSP group, said, “I’ve never been backpacking before, but it was really fun. At some point, we hiked up to this glacier lake in between two mountain peaks, which was epic.”

Bernardo O., sophomore student, said, “It was really awesome because, even though it was exhausting having to carry big heavy backpacks, the hikes were amazing and the views were even better. For me, it was one of the craziest experiences of my life, especially with so many great people around me.”

—Joshua Profir, Campion Academy Student News Team. Photos supplied.