This week the mighty Rock Climber crew worked in a beautiful location on the South Platte River called Lone Rock campground. Each morning we hopped in the van and got ready for the winding drive to the site which put most everybody to sleep…luckily the drivers were able to drink enough coffee to stay awake.
The crew worked on a variety of tasks which included placement of new fire pits, site signs, and construction of new picnic tables. The group really came together and were able to work so efficiently that at the end of the week we threw a very nice potluck / BBQ. We got our hands dirty and made some real changes to the site which I think all of us are proud of and look forward to learning more and spending as much time as we can in these amazing locations. It’s gonna be a great summer!
- Ben Watson
Rosebushes, earthworms and junipers, OH MY! The sweet little suburb of Wheatridge, CO might not seem that wild, but it’s a jungle out there! The “Rock climbers” summer crew has finished their first week of work just west of Denver where kids were starting off their summer vacations with early morning bike rides through the Richards-Hart Estate and dogs were jumping fences to briefly steal our attention from the work before us.
We had great sponsors who supplied us with a huge bin full of snacks to get us through our long, ten-hour days and had infinite knowledge on the plants and projects at hand. We spent the week pulling weeds, planting flowers and removing shrubs but our biggest and most demanding task was building a path around the perimeter of the main flower-filled area of the Richard-Hart Estate. We started by removing sod and digging the path out about four inches. After lining the path with metal to ensure the separation from the grass and the path, a crushed granite mixture was added to spread evenly along the walkway. While all this might not seem that demanding, it took all eleven of us focusing and working as a team to complete the project by Friday.
It was our first week getting to know each other and we seem to have a good thing going, encouraging each other, teaching each other and even sharing some corny jokes over lunch.
- Vanessa Notman
Some of us forgot water bottles. Sleeping bags. Mess kits. Some of us didn’t know what a mess kit was. Some of us had never been to the mountains. Never been camping. Never gone five days without a shower. We are the seventeen AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation (ACLC) 2009 corpsmembers, working for Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) since February. Shockingly enough, we survived and — gasp — some might even say enjoyed our Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) camping trip.
On Monday morning we loaded up our backpacks, jammed coolers full of food and headed up the winding roads toward Golden Gate State Park. On the drive up, some of us slept, some of us daydreamed about building the perfect fire, and some of us watched the tall buildings of Denver and the noise of Federal Boulevard fade into the rear view mirror. We said goodbye to cell phone service and flush toilets and said hello to tall pine trees and marshmallows browned on sticks.
We spent the week learning how to properly build trails and rock walls, how to become successful leaders, and we embedded ourselves deeper into the culture of youth corps, learning the importance and magnitude of being a part of something bigger than ourselves. Each day, we woke with the sun after freezing nights bundled in sleeping bags, packed our bags with PB and J’s, water bottles and rain gear and headed out to workshops. 
