March 4

Saturday began with AMX at 7:25. Sam facilitated our own "Skijoring" (referred to later). This involved using the sleds (used on the winter trip) as "horse drawn buggies." The "horse" (i.e. one student) has a sled connected to their waist and in that sled is another student. The objective was to maneuver the buggy through an obstacle course, involving tight turns, a jump, and slippery terrain while the person in the sled gathered cones that were scattered throughout the course. There were a few minor crashes into trees, snowbanks, and the other horse drawn carriages. The horses got exhausted quickly and often walked through the finish line. With the beginning of Saturday classes, we lowered our competitive energy just a bit. After classes and lunch, we split into groups to chop wood, do laundry, or hang out in downtown Leadville, where a ski event called Skijoring was taking place. They closed the main street of town and brought in truckloads of snow to make a long, flat ski course. Local riders were seen zipping by, being towed through the course by horses at a full gallop. Their objective was to finish the course with the lowest time and also collect as many rings as possible on their arm. Many riders had spectacular crashes, and as a result, this event drew what seemed like all of Leadville to watch. Once we returned to campus and hung up our not-entirely-dry laundry by the wood stoves in our cabin, everyone prepared for the theme dinner night: 70s, 80s, and retro. Groups dressed in hippy-garb, bright colors, and large collars all breezed to dinner, ready to enjoy the food. The costumes brought a feeling of happiness, and soon there was dance music bumping, and everyone gathered under the disco ball to have the first of RMS XX's dances. The dance lasted about an hour, and afterwards, students spread around campus to watch movies or get a bit of homework done.

On Sunday we took a break from our rigorous schedule of classes and went on a local adventure. We slept in until 10am and enjoyed a brunch of pancakes and sausages. After this hearty meal, we separated in to our expedition groups to go on a telemark ski tour. We headed out from the HMI parking lot, through the playing fields, and into the wilderness to experiment and get comfortable traveling on our skis, which had climbing skins on the bottom for increased traction. We hiked through the woods and up a big hill to the top where we learned we were skiing down. The "dust on crust" wasn't the ideal conditions, but it made for some epic and awesome wipeouts. In between all of this excitement, we discussed techniques and tips for winter camping while we ate our packed lunches with no civilization in site. After practicing basic skills like leading the group and breaking trail we headed back to campus. We debriefed the day in front of the main building, discussing what worked well, and we need to do better; now we will be pros on the expedition (or at least much better prepared). After a hearty dinner and relaxing during free time, we all enjoyed a mellow study hall, probably because we were all wiped out from our backcountry travel.

Monday started with a brisk, refreshing morning walk for AMX. The day then continued to be a flurry of last-minute class assignments. AP US History students finished reading their chapter about Progressivism in the 1800s. Calculus students had their final tests, as did all of the students in Spanish and French. Everyone turned in their Science project - a poster illustrating the winter adaptations of an organism found in Colorado or another winter environment. Almost instantaneously, the science classroom became a great source of information, whether you are looking for the habitat of a chickadee, the tracks of an elk, or the winter habits of a polar bear. The posters were extremely colorful and creative. Learning about how animals survive the winter helped to heighten the anticipation felt by everyone in the HMI community. The day was definitely characterized by a great sense of excitement as we prepared to go on the winter trip. Despite this excitement, last minute chores still needed to be done. During the activity period, some of us had a lot of fun shoveling snow off of the roofs of the cabins, so that they weren't an avalanche threat. Two others got to do their weekly chore of recycling at the local dump. Ryer and the cook crew were in full swing, offering up a delicious dinner consisting of a peanut chicken stir-fry. Instead of having study hall, we had our own Sheri Cherise come in to talk to us about the ethics of hunting and the family history and tradition that surround this activity. We then discussed our own opinions about hunting, touching on subjects such as vegetarianism, the American perception of hunters, and many other controversial and interesting topics. Before bed, we got some quality time to hang out and chat, catch up on email, pack whatever we needed for the winter expedition and in general just relax. The day ended on a good note, listening to Raiye play the guitar in the cabin.

Tuesday was preparation day to get us ready before leaving on our winter expedition. Although it was a pretty hectic day, everyone finally started feeling ready to spend 10 days playing in the snow and mountains. The busy morning began with a 4 mile run to the railroad tracks and back for AMX. The scenery outside was beautiful with the mountains touching the sky so it made the run all the better. After a delicious breakfast of toast and bagels, we finished our chores and broke into our expedition groups to organize what we are taking for the trip. Groups rationed their meals - cutting cheese and bacon as well as organizing a spice kit and other various foods. There are going to be so many good meals and desserts for the trip, I can hardly wait! We gathered all the necessary gear and had a checklist to make sure all their essentials were accounted for. We made sure we had the right kind and enough warm layers of clothing, all the equipment we will be traveling on (skis, boots, poles, and sleds), and all the other little things that make life in the outdoors so exciting, even comfortable. Once we had all the gear together, we packed our packs and sleds and loaded them in the vans. Later, we came back to meet with our groups to discuss everything we should be looking forward to. Our leaders explained how to build our snow shelters, how to stay warm (even in the coldest of climates), and what makes this trip so different and awesome from the rest. It's so exciting leaving for the second expedition - it's another chance to get out into the mountains and make the most of the semester!

By: Matt Hogan, Casey Lillis, Alex Huber-Weiss, and Emma Katz

Upper Photo: RMS XX students show off their best retro fashion at an impromptu dance in Who's Hall.

Lower Photo: Lauren, Andres, and Beckett take a break from shoveling snow off the yurt during afternoon activities.