By Art Couture and JD Wilson
As we first arrived at HMI, feelings of being in an unfamiliar place arose in all of us. As our first days on campus went by, we began to learn some of the skills needed to have a comfortable time being outdoors for an extended time. Our first days on expedition (“exped”) were challenging. For most of us, the backpacks were heavier than what we were used to, and the tents had one less bottom than what we were used to. As time went on during our first exped, we laughed and we cried, quarreled and came together. We shared many new experiences and sick moments, several of which will stick with us for a lifetime.
The beginning of our physical journey consisted of us lugging our packs up to a large meadow where we made our first camp of the expedition. There we cooked our first meals on WhisperLite stoves, and made our first introduction to the wonderful world of the hackysack. We slept our first frosty night under a streak of glittering points in the sky, where there was no room for the harsh lights of cities and towns to overpower the stars. The next day we woke up to our tents and the meadow we were sleeping in covered in frost.
Speeding up the playback speed of our memories we arrived in the abandoned mining town of Douglass City. The next morning we found ourselves climbing giant boulders among the pine trees. We returned to our campsite to celebrate pizza night! After the pizza was done and our stomachs were full, a man emerged. His name? Henry. His genius and twisted mind had created a dessert like no other: The Fried Milky Way.
As we first met eyes with Heart Shaped Lake, the reflection of Mt. Massive glistened in its waters. This was our personal favorite campsite, and the place we camped the longest during the backpacking portion of exped. After setting up camp, we all went to inspect the lake. Panic ensued as we all spotted alien looking creatures darting across the waters. We soon found out that these otherworldly fish were actually just little axolotls who had found home in the lake. We stayed at Heart Shaped Lake for two nights, using the time we spent there as a chance to grow closer and to reflect on the journey we’d had thus far. Sleeping at over 12,000 feet was an experience some thought you could only dream of. It was our own private place among the giants we call mountains, a place to be closer to the stars. We spent those nights looking at the Milky Way and the lights of Leadville below us.
Nearing the end of our backpacking journey we engaged in our hardest challenge yet: climbing to the summit of Mount Massive. Our first challenge was simply getting up at 5:30 in the morning; we drowsily dragged ourselves out of the warm embrace of our sleeping bags and out into harsh reality. Our second challenge along the journey was the burning sun as it peaked its head over the rocky bastions and towers of massive. As it beat down upon us we donned our protection against the sun, sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats and sun shirts served to stop the harsh gaze of the sun. Though some of us were still left with burns from the sun’s glare. The third and final challenge we faced was the three thousand feet of elevation we had to overcome. But at a slow but steady pace, we gained elevation until finally we stood atop the rocky and jagged ramparts of Massive at 14,429 feet only 10 feet below its brother, Elbert.
As our journey came to an end, we found ourselves in the desert setting of Buena Vista. Here we would spend three nights base camping, top rope climbing 25-meter walls, and celebrating our dear friend Justin’s birthday. On the first night, a black widow found its way into our tent. On that same night, he met his maker. The next day we were introduced to top rope climbing at a sick spot below our campsite. There we pushed ourselves and each other to try new things. The day after we spent the night celebrating Justin’s birthday. We shared cake and stories of our favorite birthday memories. And the day after that, we packed up and hopped on the bus back to HMI. As we all sat down in the comfortable chairs, Leach by Cryogeyser played loudly on the speakers. It felt like the ending to a movie.
With the first expedition coming to a close, we reflected on the time we spent together in the Sawatch Range of Colorado. There were memories of silly moments, of the times we laughed and cried, of times we split apart and came back together. On this journey, we found ways to be comfortable in the unknown, ways to be okay with not feeling our best and choosing to keep going despite that. Through the next 80 days, we’ll remember the time we spent on our first expedition and use it as a benchmark to change and grow. Good luck to future us.
