Posts Tagged ‘High Trails’
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
The Iconic Aspen Grove
The last days of February brought two really good snowstorms, and we are really happy to have the moisture. The longer days and increased activities of our wild animal friends remind us that Spring is just around the corner, and this makes us even more excited about the coming camp season.
We have many projects underway in preparation for camp next summer. One of the most exciting is that we are building a new health center at High Trails. This new state-of-the art facility will be light and airy and will be convenient and comfortable both for our nurses and campers/students. It will be open by the time our First Term campers arrive this summer. You can follow the progress on our Facebook page.
Our maintenance crew is working on a variety of projects to improve and update our facilities in both camps. These include new roofs on cabins at High Trails, new tent frames at Big Spring, new Gaga pits for both camps, and many others.
Mike, Ian, Ariella, and Elizabeth have been hiring some outstanding staff members for next summer. We have some great returning staff as well as some super new staff signed up for the summer of 2013. We are working on many areas of the program, too, which will provide some exciting new activities and trips this summer.
Ian, Kelly, Ariella and others are keeping our Facebook site fresh and active with new posts every day. You can also check out our blog which has valuable information for families, alums, and youth development professionals.
Camp is only three months away and we can’t wait. Already we have campers and staff from 41 states and 10 countries—and we’re adding more every day. The fun and friendship which occurs when all of these great people get together is what makes camp so special! We are happy to send our brochure and DVD to anyone interested in learning more about the exciting programs at Big Spring, High Trails, and Sanborn Junior.
Tags: Big Spring, Colorado snowstorms, Colorado Summer Camps, High Trails, new health center, news, Sanborn Junior, Sanborn Western Camps
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Friday, February 17th, 2012
A few stories to send you into what is hopefully a good weekend for you…
Hi, I’m Daniela and I want to tell you about a great horseback riding experience! Here at Sanborn, they teach you everything about the horses and give you time to love them. There is time to appreciate and learn about them. The wranglers help you understand the horses and how horses understand your feelings. Horses teach you how that everything is possible! They give you a feeling of comfort, even though the horses are bigger than you. The horseback riding experience at Sanborn is unforgettable and you shouldn’t miss it!
I love horses! I ride English at home and compete in lots of horse shows. I really love to come to camp and ride Western. It is fun and relaxed and I still learn a lot. The wranglers are all really nice! I am able to sign up for lessons on Saturdays, go on a horse overnight, and different rides in the morning and afternoon. Even though it is a different type of riding, the wranglers help me improve my riding skills so I will be a better rider when I go home. I like going on trail rides because we get to play games on horseback and talk to our friends. I definitely recommend riding while at Sanborn!
We are getting ready for our last overnight this week. I am really excited to go on the Pirate overnight. I heard we get to build a pirate ship, go on a scavenger hunt, and play fun games! I loved all of my trips and activities this summer. I can’t decide which is my favorite! I am going to be really sad to go home soon. I have made such great friends this session – I’ve made some new friends and spent time with some people who were here last year. This has been such a fun summer and I can’t wait to come back next year!
Tags: Benefits of Summer Camp, camping, Colorado Camps, Friendship, fun activities, High Trails, Horseback riding, Sanborn Western Camps, summer camp
Posted in Children and Nature, Colorado Front Range Summer Camps, From the Campers' Mouths, Horses, Sanborn Western Camps, Summer Camp for Kids | No Comments »
Friday, September 16th, 2011
We just finished a great week with the 6th graders from Challenger Middle School. The students arrived Tuesday morning and jumped right into their outdoor ed experience with their first discovery group that afternoon – Setting the Mood. Led by trained facilitators, the students learned about using their 5 senses more, as well as about the High Trails sixth sense – Wonder. The students were split in half Tuesday evening – one group going to the hoedown (a fun and silly set of dances led by the High Trails staff) and the other went to the Interbarn our hands-on science center.
Students Arrival at High Trails
Wednesday morning was adventure-filled with the first themed discovery groups. Students learned about Homesteaders, Prospectors, Mountaineers, Innovators, and Woodsmen to name a few. After a delicious lunch, students headed back out for their second themed discovery group. Unfortunately, a little rain cancelled the cookouts, but everyone enjoyed burgers in the lodge followed by an entertaining skit night.
The groups made it out for all-days yesterday and lots of fun was had by all. The HTOEC staff expanded on the activities done during the shorter discovery groups – Cowboys see our working ranch, Innovators tried some solar cooking, Woodsmen go to the working sawmill, Explorers go to the Bat Caves, and Mountaineers rock scramble on several of the bluffs around the main property. To finish off the day, the students that went to the hoedown on Tuesday headed to the Interbarn, and the students from the Interbarn went to the hoedown.
After a great rock session this morning, students went for their last discovery group – Putting It All Together. The students seemed to enjoy their week and learn a lot of interesting facts about nature, themselves, and Colorado history. We had a lot of fun this week and hope the students enjoy the rest of the school year. We look forward to Mountain Ridge Middle School coming next week!
Tags: Challenger Middle School, Children in Nature, High Trails, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, nature awareness, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Fun, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Colorado Outdoor Education Center, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education | No Comments »
Monday, August 22nd, 2011
Camp has sadly come to an end for the summer of 2011. Things are very quiet at Big Spring and High Trails! While we are already looking forward to next summer, we want to share a few more stories from this summer…
Today we went horseback riding. We all put on our jeans and boots and walked to the barn. First we talked to our wrangler about how to saddle our horses before our ride. The sun was blazing hot, but luckily we all finished saddling quickly. My horse was named Popcorn. She is dark brown and pretty tall. We walked through all the pretty trees and mountains. At about noon we stopped for lunch. YUM! We tied our horses to trees and enjoyed a delicious meal. Turkey sandwiches and fruit. After we ate, we got back on our horses and started to head back to camp. On the way back we took a different trail and saw colorful flowers and lots of trees. After an all-day ride, we got back to the barn and untacked our horses. This was probably the best horseback riding trip ever all because of SANBORN!!
Abby G.
One day early in the morning we got up and dressed to go on our all-day horse ride. It was really fun! When we got to the barn I looked on the sheet and I got Rafter. Rafter was a tall horse. He was really sweet and listened to everything I told him to do, and he loved to trot fast. I loved him so much. When we got back, we put the horses in the pen. Rafter dropped on the ground and started to roll in the dirt. I said “Rafter I just brushed you” and he just looked up at me, stood up, and came up to the fence and licked my hands.
Alexandra D.
There are lots of fun things to do at Sanborn. The fun thing I just did was the Artsy Overnight. It is a hike to Tie Cabin and we make art. It took us about twenty minutes to get ready with our backpacks full of food and tents. And then we were ready to go. It took about two hours to get there and set up our tents. Then we started to draw, make key chains, rock necklaces, and so much more. The day went by so fast. It was time to go to bed. I was sad to leave the fun things that we were doing, but I knew that a bunch more fun things await me and my campmates!
Addie T.
We just got back from our very fun overnight, the Artsy Overnight. When we got back, we went to outcamp to wash dishes and put away the food. We had a delicious lunch of hamburgers, french fries, and root beer floats. We met at the lodge for our afternoon activities – I chose blogging. I know we are going to be very sad to leave our new friends we made at Sanborn. But most of us are coming back for another summer of fun!
Taylor L.
Tags: Benefits of Summer Camp, Children in Nature, colorado summer camp, Friendship, High Trails, impact of summer camp, Outdoor Activities, Outdoor Fun, Sanborn Western Camps, summer camp, summer camp in Colorado
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Colorado Front Range Summer Camps, From the Campers' Mouths, From the Horse's Mouth, Fun Activities, Sanborn Western Camps, Summer Camp for Kids, summer camp in Colorado | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
CORE (Community OutReach Experience) Horse was a very educational, growth encouraging, and fun-filled experience for me. A lot of people think riding a horse is very simple. But it takes a lot more work than just sitting in a saddle and pushing the horse forward. My group learned things from how to scoop manure to how to do Key Hole in gymkhana. You learn how to face your fears of riding bareback on a horse and how to communicate with your horse through your body, not just your actions. We learned how everyday wranglers, like Jessie, Will O., and Maren, wake up at 5am to feed and pull horses for us campers throughout the day. And then they don’t get to sleep until 10pm. CORE is a great experience and I will never forget it. Thank you Sanborn!
Mimi C.
Sanborn is the BEST camp ever! You meet lots of great people here and they are very nice to you. My favorite part of camp is the good. The chefs are amazing! And nice. 
The one thing that is great about this camp is that you get to choose almost everything you do here! I can’t wait to climb a 14er! The view is beautiful everywhere you go. There are trees everywhere! We follow a practice that is “Leave No Trace.” That basically means don’t litter, leave stuff behind, or carve your name into trees. I most certainly can’t wait for my 2nd year in 2012!
Lauryn G.
There are so many things to do at High Trails, and fishing is one of them! We went fishing and it was so much fun! We learned how to fish in 3 simple steps. Cast, reel, and viola! You probably have a fish. We used marshmallows as bait. There were a lot leftover, so we ate them. We heard that the boys caught a 19in fish in the pond, so we were hopeful! In the end, everybody had caught something – reed, sticks, themselves. Overall everybody enjoyed themselves and were full of marshmallows!
Mia M.
I am a junior at HIgh Trails, but I wish I were here for a month because it is so much fun here. One of my favorite things is the horseback riding, which I absolutely love, but everything at Sanborn is fantastic so I’m not picking favorites! Today we came back from our last overnight at Tie Cabin, which was awesome. It’s amazing that eleven days have done by because it feels like two days. I am definitely coming back to Sanborn!!!
Katherine S.
Tags: Benefits of Summer Camp, Children in Nature, Colorado Camps, colorado summer camp, Friendship, High Trails, impact of summer camp, Outdoor Fun, Sanborn Western Camps, summer camp for girls and boys, summer camp in Colorado, Youth Development
Posted in Colorado Outdoor Education Center, From the Campers' Mouths, Sanborn Western Camps, Summer Camp for Kids, summer camp in Colorado | No Comments »
Monday, August 1st, 2011
Working on our Adopted Peak: Mount Missouri
What a busy week we’ve had! Big Spring and High Trails had a wide variety of all-day and overnight trips both on and off the camp property. A number of campers chose overnight horse trips while others selected rock-climbing, canoeing, fishing or mountain climbing adventures. All-day trips included hikes to the Florissant Fossil Beds and to Pancake Rock, as well as tubing on the South Platte River and fishing. Some of our older campers signed up for the challenging SOLE (Sanborn Outdoor Learning Experience) and CORE (Community Outreach Experience) programs for the week. They were enthusiastic about their experiences and felt great about the service components of the trips.
Sanborn Junior campers also had a full week. High Trails Juniors were excited about their all-day hike to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. All the Juniors enjoyed a second camping trip and a wide variety of in-camp programming. We were sorry to see them leave on Friday.
We were happy to greet a new group of Sanborn Junior campers today and look forward to a campout, horseback riding, swimming, hiking, and many fun activities with them next week. The fourth term of Sanborn Junior living unit photos will be up on our website on Wednesday or Thursday this week.
Special events last week included the Sanborn Carnival for both camps on Saturday. This was followed by a theme dance. Big Spring spent Wednesday on a Unit All-Day where each living group selected an activity to do together—mountain biking, high ropes course, fishing, horseback riding, rock scrambling, etc. The boys also enjoyed a Kangaroo Court evening, and a “How Well Do You know Your Counselors” Game Show. A favorite evening program at both camps was the Counselor Hunt. High Trails also had fun with their “Minute to Win It” program on Friday.
CORE Horse Ambassadors clearing trees on SWC property
Next week the girls will leave camp for three-, four-, and five-day trips. Some will head out on horse pack trips; others have chosen 4 or 5-day high mountain backpacks into some of Colorado’s most pristine wilderness. Other trips will be based in spectacular alpine areas such as Leavick Valley at the base of Mt. Sherman and Kite Lake at the foot of Mt. Democrat. Many groups will have the opportunity to climb mountains.
Big Spring has planned an exciting program of overnights including mountain climbing trips to Mt. Princeton, Mt. Huron, La Plata Peak, and Mts. Oxford and Belford. The boys will also be tubing on the river, mountain biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, canoeing, and enjoying some overnights on the ranch. BS long trips will take place the week of August 8.
Until next week….
Tags: Big Spring, CORE program, High Trails, july 31, news update, SOLE program, summer camp fun for kids
Posted in Colorado Front Range Summer Camps, Sanborn Western Camps, Summer Camp for Kids, summer camp in Colorado | No Comments »
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
Camp is like a home away from home. Every year is full of fun, adventure, and excitement. I have been with the same group of girls that now feel like family; I can be as crazy as I want to around them. Camps is also the only time I really get out into nature and no amount of technology can compensate for living with nature.
The Warrior Dash
The warrior dash was such a blast! We had all these different teams and challenges that we had to complete. These are just some of the things we got to do. First we went to the warrior sing and had to make up a song for our team. Next I went to the 4-story treehouse and had to save “King Arthur” by choosing the right silver cup. We tossed shrunken heads (water balloons) back and forth in front of the lodge.
Hope Pohlman
Sanborn Camp is not about sitting around. Sanborn is about determination, courage, and responsibility. Sanborn is about getting in touch with nature, hiking the tallest mountains, riding a horse as fast as you can, and pushing yourself to the extreme! Sanborn is a new beginning and it never has an end. Sanborn camp is happiness, pure happiness.
Victoria Mak
In the world,
we get lost in the commonality
we forget to look for the beauty
we miss the glow of life
Then we come to nature and
we are afraid to look, love, listen
we are afraid that something might be perfect and true
we are terrified that something is real
That’s why together we can accept that
this might be what we’ve been searching for
this might open up our eyes to it all
Then we go back to the world
never to be the same.
S.S.
Swimming
Grab your towel, grab your goggles, bring your smile, and run to the pool. Cruise down the slide, and splash in the water. There’s so much to do at the POOL! Paddle around in the blow-up tubes! Use the noodles as any sea creatures. Adventure through the whole pool, there’s so much to do! You can play in the pool or out of the slide. I love the swimming pool! My favorite thing is to hang out in the sun and talk to my friends! Mis loves to go down the slide on a sleeping pad because it goes so fast! Addie loves to go down on a tube! I love the pool! There’s so much to do!
Emily Driscoll
Tags: Benefits of Summer Camp, Camper Post, Colorado Camps, colorado summer camp, Friendship, High Trails, impact of summer camp, nature awareness, Outdoor Fun, Outdoor Play, Sanborn Western Camps, summer camp in Colorado
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature, From the Campers' Mouths, Fun Activities, Kids and Technology, Sanborn Western Camps, Summer Camp for Kids, summer camp in Colorado | No Comments »
Monday, May 30th, 2011
Senior Staff Leadership Scenarios
June is the most exciting month at camp and everyone here is excited for the arrival of campers in less than two weeks. We had some great moisture in May, (mainly in the form of snow!) and the grass is green, the Aspen are leafing out, and the wildflowers are beginning to appear. We see deer every day in the immediate camp area, the Mountain Bluebirds are settled in for the summer, the hummingbirds are back, and the Abert’s squirrels are exceptionally fat and sassy.
We have been preparing the facility and are almost ready for everyone’s arrival. The Big Spring tents are up, the BS Lodge is getting a facelift, and fresh paint is being applied in many places. The flowers are planted, the horses have new shoes, and the swimming pools are filling. Although we are still finishing a few last minute facility projects, we are now turning our attention to staff training.
The leadership staff has already arrived and we completed a special training for our Senior staff team over the weekend. Several staff also completed a lifeguard training course over the weekend. Last Thursday and Friday, our rock climbing staff enjoyed a two-day training at our Wild Goat Mountain climbing site. On Monday and Tuesday, many of our trip leading staff completed a two-day Wilderness First Aid course taught by the Wilderness Medicine Institute. Today, we’re conducting an all-day driver training as well as CPR and First Aid classes. And that is just the beginning…on Thursday our entire staff will be here for a nine-day staff training period.
As always, we are excited about bringing together our wonderful summer community. We are looking forward to the mountains we will climb, the horseback trips we will take, the sunsets we will share and the friendships we will make. We especially anticipate opportunities we will have to learn more about ourselves, our companions and the natural world.
We again plan to post weekly updates and photos on the website and our blog once camp begins. Although we cannot promise to show every camper or every activity, we think these photos will help parents, friends, and family members to get a peek into life at Big Spring, High Trails, and Sanborn Junior. So visit us again on June 13!
Tags: Big Spring, CPR class, High Trails, lifeguard training, staff training, wilderness first aid, Wilderness Medicine Institute
Posted in Sanborn Western Camps, Summer Camp for Kids, summer camp in Colorado | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
We woke up to a great day here at High Trails. The students had fun on their hikes this morning – heading to B-Bluff, the Lost Treehouse, Top of the World, A-Bluff, Candy Cane, and Z-Bluff. The students were hungry when they came to breakfast. We enjoyed scrambled eggs, toast, milk, cereal, and juice this morning.
Everyone is out on their first themed discovery groups this morning. For 2.5 hours, the High Trails staff, teachers, and high school students teach the sixth graders about what it would have been like to be a Homesteader, Trapper, Prospector, Woodsmen, Indian, or Crafter. The discovery groups are always fun, the students get to take on the role of a person from their discovery group, complete challenges, be creative, learn their imagination, all while learning about Colorado history. The High Trails staff do a very good job of making learning fun and interactive!
After lunch the students will go on a second themed discovery group, followed by a cookout for dinner, and cabin night. It is a busy day, but we have good weather and everyone is very excited to be learning in the outdoors!
Tags: Children in Nature, Discovery Canyon Campus, High Trails, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Fun, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education | No Comments »
Thursday, September 16th, 2010
Today is going to be another great day at High Trails. The students seemed to have fun on their hikes this morning, going to A-Bluff, the Lost Treehouse, and more. Everyone enjoyed french toast, ham, apple juice, and cereal for breakfast. Many of the aspen trees are turning shades of yellow this week allowing students and teachers to enjoy fall in the mountains.
The all-day discovery groups headed out this morning. Groups will be out from 9:15-3:30 today. They will have a lunch out on the trail of bagel sandwiches, apples, granola bars, and cookies. Today is one of the highlights of the week. Students participate in the themed groups, but for an extended time with extra activities. The Mountaineers head to a couple of the higher points of camp, the Prospectors had to the copper mines, the Cowboys head to our working ranch, the Homesteaders make candles and biscuits, the Woodsmen go to the working sawmill, the Explorers head to the bat caves, and the Indians utilize the sweat lodge and make beef jerky. It is a busy day!
We are looking forward to hearing the adventures of the day later this afternoon. Students are able to further expand their knowledge of Colorado history, while enjoying and increasing their appreciation of nature. Cabins and discovery groups have bonded very well this week, and the students act as if they’ve been friends and classmates for years.
Tags: Children in Nature, Community building, Friendship, High Trails, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Mountain Ridge Middle School, nature awareness, Outdoor Education, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education | 1 Comment »
