Wilderness Group (F-Trek)
By Sofie Pedemonti
When you think of disconnecting, what do you think of? Putting your phone on airplane mode? Leaving your phone in your room while you eat dinner with your family? Though these actions may provide temporary relief from our perpetually plugged-in society, true disconnection can only be achieved in certain circumstances. While exploring the Sawatch Mountain Range, HMI’s F-Trek was able to learn the ins-and-outs of a true backcountry lifestyle, dabble in rock climbing, and bond as a community, all while experiencing the profound effects of grade A disconnection.
Day one: we hike out to our first campsite, get a cheesy-mac cooking lesson, and settle into our mids (mega mid tents that have now become our homes for these next three months). At this point, we are practically strangers to each other out in the middle of nowhere. One thing we can all bond over is the excitement for what the next 14 days will offer. As days progressed, our bonds grew stronger and so did our bodies. Summiting Mt. Massive, the third tallest peak in the lower forty-eight (14,429 ft), was a true testament to our team’s rapid growth. While navigating off-trail, cautiously negotiating loose boulder fields, and facing harsh winds may have been difficult, reaching the summit proved that any adversity was simply temporary.