Canyonlands 2009

We had another great trip to Canyonlands National Park just before Thanksgiving. The group comprised 19 youth from at least 7 different schools and 10 adults including 8 BVICO volunteers and 2 Colorado Youth Program staff. The trip was a FULL 4 days with 1 night of car camping and 2 nights backpacking in smaller groups. The weather was cold but very sunny - at least for a precious few hours each day. The Needles District rocks and it's a wonderful place for kids to play in nature.

Here's a slideshow from one of the backpacking groups. CYP's photos are on facebook.

Night Hike

Our friends from I Have A Dream ... had a nightmare!

Re-Posting of Video from Mt. Zirkel Backpacking Trip!

Once again, Linda Muscatell knocks it out of the park with a great 4-day backpacking trip in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. Special thanks to Shawn Bratt and Andrea Villa for providing expert angling instruction. It was an amazing trip, one of the best Boulder Valley ICO has ever run.

NOTE: This re-posting includes the audio stripped from the earlier posting.

Fulford Cave & Hut Trip

Nobody has written an entry in a while. We must be busy here at Boulder Valley ICO!

We had a wonderful early October weekend exploring Fulford Cave and staying overnight at the Peter Estin hut. It was a beautiful weekend and, as the trip description predicted, there were great fall colors and a little bit of snow.

We had an adventurous 2.25 hours inside the cave and explored parts of the cave unseen by the ICO group last year.

Thanks to Linda and 10th Mountain for arranging our stay at the hut. Thanks to Debra and Luz Helena for doing the food and to Linda, Debra, and Mary for driving. And thanks to the great kids who put smiles on our faces (yeah, really!).

Permission Slips

Here are our current permission slips:

Efrain Castaneda

Boulder Valley ICO mourns the loss of Efrain Castaneda, a former program participant and student at Casey Middle School. An article on his death can be found here:

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/aug/03/boulder-boy-killed-mexico-car-efrain-castaneda/

The viewing will be held at Crist Mortuary, 3395 Penrose Place, Boulder, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, August 4th. The rosary will also be held at Crist, Tuesday, August 4th from 5 to 6 p.m. Funeral services will be held at Sacred Heart (Mapleton and 14th) on Wednesday (the 5th) at 10 a.m.

Photos of Efrain are included in this album from our Canyonlands trip from November of last year. Efrain is the one wearing the blue Casey sweatshirt or the red t-shirt.

Boulder Valley ICO Backpacking in Utah

Boulder Valley ICO led a 5-day backpacking trip in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah in late March. A group of 9 kids from Manhattan and Angevine middle school toured this amazing place. Thanks to Linda Muscatell (principal organizer) and volunteers Michael Le Desma and Kera Tafoya for making this far-flung adventure so much fun.