Hiking trips take youth into Rocky Mountain National Park

photo by Nevin Dulabaum

Suncreen is distributed to youth while in line 

for hiking trips and service projects

The sweat was real, the views were spectacular, and the heat wasn’t nearly as bad as it was back in Fort Collins, as youth took part in the hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The process began with sorting the youth into easy, intermediate, and difficult hikes. In addition, others took a bus tour up to the Alpine Visitor’s Center, nearly 12,000 feet in elevation.

As they disembarked at the Park and Ride center, some Hoosiers pronounced themselves ready to go. Upon their return, they were both surprised at how difficult the hike turned out to be, and also pleased that they had accomplished their goal.

Another hiking group combined Brethren from Ohio and Nigeria, many of whom had already bonded, taking selfies of each other as they began an arduous climb.

The group that went to the RMNP Alpine Visitor’s Center did not go on a hike, but they did their share of walking. Having travelled above the tree line, they read the signs that warned them to stay off the delicate tundra, and stared into the vast expanse of rugged mountain peaks and spectacular vistas. They learned valuable information about preserving the delicate ecological balance of the region, and saw several elk as well.

Hikes were scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, with busloads of youth and advisors traveling together with folks from their districts as well as others from beyond district borders.

-- Frank Ramirez is a member of the NYC News Team.

Source: 7/30/2014 Newsline