Colorado: West Elks Adventure

14 days
Ages 14 through 16

July 27-Aug. 9
Rendezvous: Denver International Airport
Tuition: $2965

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It is time to head to the heart of the mountains, Colorado Rockies style! What is it you live for? Is it rock climbing steep-sided valleys? Scrambling rocky ridgelines to spectacular summits? Or is it an action-packed day on Colorado's famous Arkansas River? The Colorado West Elks expedition is the perfect combination of these! This trip sends us into the remote town of Crested Butte, Colorado. It is here that we start to push the limits and meet the challenge of rock climbing and rappelling the canyon's walls. The following days we head to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to explore one of the deepest canyons in continental United States. If time permits we will give back to our community by helping out the National Park Service by maintaining some local trails. We then travel back to civilization (only briefly) to resupply our food and gear and prepare to head into the wilderness. The West Elks Mountains are the 5th largest wilderness in Colorado with 176,172 acres and over 200 miles of pristine trails. With everything you need on your back, you'll travel deep into the Rockies, camp under the stars, and (to quote Thoreau) "live deliberately"! With our backpacking expedition behind us we head over to the Collegiate Peaks to summit one of the gems of the Rocky Mountains! Once we drop back to a lower elevation we will prepare for our rafting trip down the Arkansas River. We will be running the III-IV class rapids including Silver Bullet and the Zoom Flume through the scenic Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area. We finish our trip traveling back to Denver traveling through Leadville, Colorado North America's highest city at 10,430 above sea level. This is the trip to see the world from a different perspective - above tree line. If you are looking for mountain adventure then we will see you in the Rockies!