February 22

Last weekend started off with our first “normal” Friday schedule. Classes started off with a bang as we began writing our first paper in English. The assignment was a creative essay about taking a walk with Henry David Thoreau. On this “walk” we discussed his arguments and our own thoughts on how our experience in the wilderness affects our character and philosophy. On Saturday, we went into town and finally got to do our laundry from our first expedition. While the clothes were in the wash, we walked over to Safeway and bought snacks and laundry detergent. After our visit to the Laundromat, we all got to go into town and walk around for an hour. Most of us ended up at the thrift store and added some pretty cool clothes to our wardrobes! All of us ended up wearing our new outfits that night when we went ice skating for our evening activity. Even though there was an array of skill levels, most of us ended up playing soccer on the ice, in our skates. Then we got our first taste of a relaxed Sunday morning. We got to sleep until about 9:30, and then we ate a delicious brunch before we headed out for our day on the ski mountain. The weather was beautiful for skiing and was enjoyed by all despite the holiday weekend crowds.

Monday marked the beginning of our first full week of classes. In English we received our first set of vocabulary words. Chris and Em were “didactic” with their use of such words as “capricious,” “despotic,” and “torpor.” We also finished up our discussion of Henry David Thoreau’s “Walking.” As an activity that afternoon, some students built what was meant to be a snow arch at the front door. It turned out to be two snow tiki-towers decorated with food coloring. In science we studied meteorology and the variables that affect the weather, focusing on altitude, air masses, and the rain shadow effect. Intermediate Spanish had a jalapeno eating contest; Wiley won with 1 pepper and a bite. Amid the chaos of the tears, we also studied when you should use the preterit versus the imperfect. For activities that day, some went sledding, and some played board games. Others practiced yoga in the yurt while others learned proper axe maintenance quite a diversity of options to say the least.

As always, Thursday morning started with AMX. While most of us played snow soccer on the playing field, there was an intense game of ultimate Frisbee in cul-de-sac with the added challenge of snow on the ground. Breathing heavily, we entered Who’s Hall for a breakfast of the best oatmeal of my life (baked with milk, egg whites, and brown sugar) and of course the usual fruits and cereal bar options. During a free period in the morning, some of us climbed on the bouldering wall, pulling hard and setting some new routes. After lunch, we had a double block of science lab where we studied the Leadville snowpack. We headed out in small groups, dug snow pits, and analyzed the layers of the snow. This included measuring its depth, density, and crystal form. We kept a level of seriousness only for so long, and once we had finished, we couldn’t help but play in the snow. Wet from the snow (and starting to get a bit cold), we analyzed our data in the classroom. Later on, my advisory went to Chris’s (our English teacher and advisor) house for an enchilada dinner and some fun, social time before returning to campus for study hall. Incredibly stir crazy after study hall, our cabin had an impromptu dance party until it was time to turn out the lights. The next morning started out with our first three mile run. We were frozen and boiling at the same time and our eyelashes froze from our condensation. For lunch, we had a community meeting in the yurt involving candy and communication. We talked about communication and the concept of brother’s keeper. Activities that afternoon included tutoring at the middle school, cheese tasting, and dog-walking. For dinner, we made barbeque chicken (perfectly grilled by Casey), twice baked potatoes, peas, apple salad, and cookies for dessert. Yum.

By: Joe Ali, Logan Donovan, and Lulu Oakes