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Colorado Trek
29 May - 7 June 2006
Day 1, Mon, May
29
It was 5:45 AM at SportsSpectrum in Shreveport
when the group gathered to embark on our trek. We listened to Ms. Tammie attentively as she outlined our agenda. After introducing
ourselves, our excitement increased. Onward to Colorado!
Undaunted by the frequent bathroom stops (every five minutes), we finally left Louisiana behind at about 7:00
AM. The fourteen-hour drive seemed to go on forever. After a quick
game of Twenty Questions, we settled down. Some read and some slept, but regardless
of our activity, we were jolted from our reverie by the dulcet tones coming from the backseat.
The guys in the back gave us their rendition of every song that came on the radio.
In the other vans the music was strictly from the radio. Lots of cards,
songs, and riddles cured our boredom. Quick stop at McD’s for lunch onward
and we drove, drove, drove! We arrived in Raton,
New Mexico at 8:00
PM Colorado-time
(7 PM LA-time). The long day of driving was OVER!
We ate a scrumptious dinner at Denny’s filled with laughter and fun. It
was good to just sit and talk. We had a lot of time to socialize and get to know
each other. After everyone had been fed most went to bed, but some of us had
a blast entertaining each other with jokes and other playful activities.
Day 2, Tues. May
30
We woke up at the crack of dawn
(6
AM) and ate a “nutritional” breakfast at McDonald’s, complete with fruit and coffee. We drove, and
drove, and drove, and, suddenly, there was Colorado! Aptly named the “land of colors” by the Spanish, Colorado is undeniably one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We all enjoyed the scenery, as well as each other’s company. We passed antelopes
and other diverse wildlife. We viewed the Arkansas River, which we
would be rafting in the next four days. We arrived in Salida at lunchtime and ate at a local Taco Bell and KFC. We arrived
at the Chalk Creek Campgrounds and set up camp in only one and a half hours! We chilled out and stuffed our faces with red beans and rice and delicious fruity angel cake. A couple
of laughs around the fire and then straight to bed.
Day 3 Wednesday May 31
The rafters (Group A) got up really early in order to get to their starting point by 9 AM. The climbers (Group B) slept in a little more and then got up to make their lunches. Group B left at nine to go to Castle Rock, the place where they were going to climb. We met our guides, Ashley and JP, and then hiked up to our climbing site.
Every single one of us tried the climbing, and some of us tried multiple times. The granite rock was tough on our hands,
but we took ample rests between each climb. There was some competition between friends and we all enjoyed the challenge. For the first time at Castle Rock, it did not storm.
After the climbing and rafting, we all hiked to Agnes Falls. As for Group A we had a wonderful day on the river. Our rafting
guides were Mike, Pad, and Lori. They were all wonderful and just a touch crazy!! We ate our lunch on the shore of the river
and had a blast for the rest of the afternoon. We had hamburgers for supper and hung out around the fire sharing our day with
each other.
Day 4, Thursday
June 1
Both groups left
at about the same time this morning, Group A to raft again and Group B to bike. The bikers had the choice between the hard
track and the easy track. The hard track was rift with hills and sand. We stopped for lunch at the top of the trail. There
we saw part of the railroad that used to be there. The ride back was downhill (most of the time), and we flew down the mountain. Group B reunited at the end of the afternoon and we all went on a hike to Waterdog
Lake.
It was a strenuous hike, but everyone completed it. We were rewarded with
snow at the top, and we all made snow angels and threw snowballs at each other. The
hike down was all downhill and we relaxed and basked in our achievement. Group A had yet another awesome day on the river,
this time on Brown’s Canyon. There were tons of exciting rapids we went through such as Zoom Floom, Twin
Falls, and the famous Siddel Suck hole. A yummy supper of chicken fajitas completed our exhausting
day.
Day 5, Friday, June 2
This was the first day of rafting for Group B, and the climbing experience for Group A. Some of us had never rafted before and we were very excited. We
met our guides Spencer, Jessie, and Levi. They were all very cool and fueled our anticipation.
The river was a blast and we enjoyed the rapids. Three Rocks was the most
difficult rapid and we passed it with flying colors. In the calmer sections we
rode on the front of the raft like cowboys and guided (with the assistance of our guide). Group A’s experience at the
climbing site was unforgettable. Almost everyone attempted to climb the rock face, but we were excited for those who did.
We ate our lunch at the site and then continued to climb with our newly gained energy! Afterwards we all went back to camp
and enjoyed an awesome dinner of gumbo made special by our own Mr. Benjie.
Day 6, Saturday, June 3
Group B had an awesome time rafting Brown’s Canyon. Right
before lunch Laura had the good fortune to fall out of the boat. She was soon joined by Lesley. After a few more
class III rapids we felt ready for Siddel’s Suck Hole. The first two rafts made it through and then came the third. The raft flipped and all the occupants were swept into the rapid. Due to the quick
thinking and skill of the guides and the leaders, no one was seriously hurt, but a few of us were shaken up. Group A did some
hardcore biking in the mountains overlooking Buena Vista.
After finishing our lunches and heading back to the vans, A took a hike to Water Dog Lake, 11,400 ft. up the side of the mountain.
It was amazing especially since it was our first year to finally be able to make it to the top and see the actual lake! We
then headed back to camp to eat an awesome dinner of chicken, mac & cheese, potato salad, and corn. Afterwards our
“business” meeting around the camp fire was suddenly interrupted by Group A pelting B with snow balls they had brought
back from Water
Dog Lake.
The event induced much hilarity.
Day 7, Sunday,
June 4
A select few of us ventured forth on a fishing
expedition at 5:30 AM this morning. Mallery and Tony caught the trout and the rest of us watched in awe. We left camp
at nine to journey to Lake
Ann for a long hike. We quickely separated in groups according to our prefered walking speed.
We emereged from the woods, tired but victorious. We ate lots of ice cream
and relaxed our aching joints. We had sprumtious shrimp fettuccini with alfredo
sauce and went to bed feeling sore but proud.
Day 8, June 5
This was a day
of travel and adventure. We spent the morning packing and then went to Cascade
Falls. After posing for
a party pic, we ate lunch at camp. We journeyed into Salida and shopped and ate
ice cream. We then ventured to Turkey Rock, and hiked to the top. We looked at the scenic platue before us and thought about the trip.
We had a great experience! Now all that lay ahead was the drive home. The travel seemed shorter with our companionship to occupy us. We arrived in Raton late, but ready for another day of travel.
Day 9, June 6
Travel, travel, travel!
This day of constant driving was rather uneventful. We were hit by the
heat wave as we entered Texas
and we stopped to change a flat tire. We were joyfully welcomed back to Shreveport, and went to rest.
Day 10, Wednesday June 7
We
gathered at the OGR office and cleaned and stored the equipment that we had used during the trip. This was a hard and arduous job, but we completed with celerity and efficiency. After the tents were washed and the packs hung up to dry, we ate lunch at Mr. Gatti’s.
One Great
River / Mothers Against Drugs of Louisiana, Inc., is a 501(C)(3) Non-Profit
Organization
PO Box 44349, Shreveport, LA 71134-4349
Phone (318) 798-0880
Email: Admin@onegreatriver.org
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