On Saturday, I had my first field day for Wilderness Trekking school. Wilderness Trekking School is a basic level course run through the Colorado Mountain Club. We learn a variety of skills: preparedness, map & compass, basic and snow survival skills, first aid, knot tying, etc. This day we started our hike at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.
Our group leader, Margaret, led us out on the trail at 9 in the morning. We did not hike too far, but we were out until 2 in the afternoon learning various skills. The hike was still challenging for me because I had my large day pack with my 10 essentials, water, and lunch. I'm sure I over-packed, but in Colorado you never know what the day/weather will bring. Luckily for us, this was a gorgeous day.
There are 13 of us in my group, with a wide variety of ages and experience levels. Most of the group members are recent transplants from different parts of the country. Actually, I seem to be the person who has lived in Colorado the longest. For one gentleman, from Chicago, this was his very first hike. We all seemed to bond quite nicely, especially those of us who had not signed up with a friend/family member.
After our hike, we met at the Dark Horse, a dive bar, college-kid hangout in Boulder. We had drinks, an early dinner, and further discussed what was necessary to keep in our day packs. A few of us ladies even decided to hike together outside of the school and plan to meet up again before our next field day in two weeks.
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