Semester 31: “The adventure was one that pushed many of our limits”

Just a few days ago, we were running five miles for AMX in what most of us would call a blizzard.  As we reached the final stretch, our hoods were pulled up tightly, and snow was building up in our leggings and sweatshirts.  All anyone could think about was that in just a few short days, we’d be lounging in the hot springs!

The day finally arrived, but we had to push through the PSATs first. We then followed our usual weekend routine of wood chopping and town time.  We made sure the stacks of wood around the cabins were full and then grabbed some hot drinks at City on A Hill—the local coffee shop—and costume pieces for Halloween at the Mule Kick—our favorite thrift store.  When we finally arrived at Mount Princeton Hot Spring Resort, the sky was dark and clear and the stars were out!  We jumped off the bus and headed for the hottest pool.  We had never felt so relaxed—our bones thawing out, our minds free from stress.  We’ve been suggesting weekly trips to the hot springs ever since, and some of us are definitely planning to bring our parents there during Parents’ Weekend.

On Sunday, following our hot springs adventure, we got right back to what HMI is all about—an
adventure climbing a fourteener called Mt. Sherman.  We split up into three hiking groups and set off.  The groups enjoyed route finding, and each took a different route up in order to reach the ridgeline to the summit.  Two hiking groups were able to reach the summit of Dyer Mountain on their way up to Sherman—the views were incredible looking down into the Arkansas Valley and out at Turquoise Lake.  The summit ridgeline was quite cold and very windy.  We often had to stop and anchor ourselves in place in order to avoid being blown around too much!  The first two groups met up on the summit of Sherman but had seen the third group turn back before scaling a scree slope.  Neither of the groups spent much time on the summit as people needed to keep moving in order to keep hands and feet warm.  After an incredibly windy and cold descent, we breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the buses in the distance.  Since we didn’t manage to meet up on the summit, we all ate our summit candy bars together after descending safely!  The adventure was one that pushed many of our limits, and we were glad that we had warm cabins and beds to sleep in that night!

While some of the students climbed Mt. Sherman, the rest of us were headed out on a hike to our cabins to collect blankets, comforters, and pillows.  We quickly transformed “The Classroom” into a giant comfy lounging space!  The popcorn was popped and the projector screen was pulled down so that we could begin our movie marathon.  Before what we knew would be a busy week leading up to Parents’ Weekend, we were glad to have a chance to cuddle up and hang out with one another for a bit.

Since our adventurous hike or laid-back movie marathon, we’ve had some exciting things going on in class.  Our science and P&P teachers have been working hard on an interdisciplinary project related to human ecology in Leadville.  We’ve been prompted to explore how the land in Leadville has shaped the people along with how the people have shaped the land.  We used Monday class time to get out and explore how mining has shaped the landscape of Leadville.  We then had the opportunity on Wednesday to go into Leadville and interview town residents!  It was an incredible experience and, since everyone has such different stories and opinions about what happens in Leadville, so interesting!

The rest of the week has passed by in an absolute blur as we’ve eagerly awaited the arrival of our parents!  We’ll update you on all the happenings in our next post.