We returned from expedition in the afternoon on Thursday, February 9th. Friday was spent de-issuing and hanging out with everyone else on campus. De-issue was a fun and confusing process for everyone. There were many groups that finished early that got funneled into helping with other jobs, like sorting spices and cleaning the vans. Dylan took a group of 10 students to the gas station to vacuum one of the busses and we all had a lot of fun racing to vacuum the bus. When we got back everyone was getting ready for our first full afternoon back on campus. We had a packed afternoon of orientation to wood chopping and the kitchen. As well as getting books for our first day of class on Saturday and doing laundry from our expedition. On Friday night we had our first activity since we got back: Andrew lead trivia which got very competitive! There were multiple rounds including flags, music, general knowledge, and celebrities when they were young.
Saturday kicked off classes and our first AMX (Morning Exercise) run. We woke up and were tasked with running a mile around the cabin loop. After class we were split into 4 groups to go to town. Everyone enjoyed going to City on a Hill for coffee, Mule Kick to get clothes for the cross country ski race on Sunday, and Melanzana to pick up comfy fleeces. Saturday night brought another slew of activities. We had a fun round of get-to-know-you “speed dating.” After lots of awkward conversations a big group of people went to make signs to cheer on all of the students participating in the upcpoming ski race. Overall the first weekend on campus was fun and busy but it definitely made everyone more comfortable with each other!
Sunday morning, 28 students embarked on a 10K cross country ski race: The Leadville Loppet. People who didn’t race
were volunteers at the aid station handing out water. During town time on Saturday, everyone spent time at Mule Kick (a local thrift shop) choosing costumes to wear during the race, as is customary. We arrived at the course and prefaced the race with a pump up chant, and were off promptly. After all of the skiing, racers were met by aid station workers and given water and food. Participating was an excellent bonding experience for all of us and a fun way to compete with each other and Leadville locals. After every racer finished the 10K, we went to the awards ceremony/potluck lunch where we were all awarded Melanzana Loppet hats. In the group of 28, we had two first place winners, one second, and one third place. The highlight of the day was seeing all of the racers’ wacky costumes ranging from an 80s ski outfit to a denim suit consisting of a vest and cutoff shorts. Our first Sunday activity was a success across the board!