Mountain Biking Adventures

Today we went on a great mountain bike trip! We were riding the usual route we take in Durango when we got to a turn off for a trail called Telegraph. The trail runs alongside a hill and climbs up between the top of two large hills. It's one of the hardest trails that we ever ride in Durango and only ride it several times a summer. I put out a challenge for anyone who wanted to ride it since we had a few extra staff and could split up the group. There were three guys in the group who rose to the task and climbed 500 vertical feet to get to the top. It was a challenge to say the least but everyone made it! I'm glad Will, Ryan, and Ryan aren't afraid to push themselves and earn the reward of a long long downhill ride after.

Here's the incredible view from the top!

Fun Photos from Sunday!

Girls night...girls night...girls night!

Tonight was another successful girls night!!! We watched Lady and the Tramp, ate lots of sweets, and danced the night away to High School Musical "Breaking Free!" Nothing is better than some sweet chocolate with salty popcorn, and time to relax with your girlfriends. Here is some pics from the night!!

Bonding In The Wildrness

Backpacking looked a little different this week. Our guides had a group of 4 campers and the camp doctor on the trip. Unlike some of our more recent trips, they had phenomenal weather and got to do some exploring around the Colorado Weminuche Wilderness. Although the trip was small in size, it gave way for lots of great conversation. Each of the campers felt like they had the space to open up and be herd. Some of them had never been camping before, and said that having the chance to get out into the woods was exactly what they needed. They needed some space to simply practice being present in the moment, and the backpacking trip provided them with the opportunity to do so. The four campers, doctor, and guides all came back feeling like they had bonded. We are exited to see how these relationships continue to grow stronger over the course of the next week. 

How well do we actually climb?

Hi Guys,

So. Didn't do so good with photo's today so looks like you'll be reading a thousand words instead. We are now into our second day of trips at camp and today we had rafting, lake, treetops, sundeck and rock climbing.

I went on the rock climbing trip today and for the first time at camp I wasn't driving the van to the activity so I got to see the benefit of the conversation on the way to X-rock today. Here at Kivu we have a rather awesome tradition of doing a name game on every trip. Kind of funny since we know most names by the second day but what is most fun about it is the questions that follow the name. Prime examples would be "If there was a condiment that described your character, what would it be and why?" or "What are the top three characteristics you would like in your future husband or wife?" All great starters for quality conversation because despite how random those questions sound its gives a window into peoples character and almost always leads to other conversation.

The next part of the journey is the actual climbing. Today we had really competent climbers! The crew was made up of Bradley Poos, Ryan Geiseking, Ryan Clark, Camren Offerman, Jude Marji, Caroline Decker, Caroline Fairly, Allie Anthony, Liz Young, Ellie Braud, Bryson Fletcher and Melanie Hancock. All of them climbed hard and beat their expectations. We had one wall where we were timing everyone as they climbed it and everyone was beating their times as we gave them more than one turn. Some standout performances were from Camren and Bradley. Both of them started at around 45 seconds and ended up getting to around 10 seconds. Bear in mind that this is up a thirty foot rock wall with inch wide ledges that they had to hold onto and stand on. Pretty impressive I think!

I was super proud of the guys for achieving that but also so excited with the way they joined in. I had both Ryan Geiseking and Bradley belaying with me at different parts of the afternoon, we had Caroline Decker giving explanations of climbing movements to her friend Ellie while she was on the wall and everyone was helping everyone put their harnesses on the right way round (Super important!). Made for a fun day with achievements and conversation being the true highlights of what we experienced as a group today.

Thanks for reading and thank you to all the parents who have sent their children here. It would not be the same without the character each camper brings with them and we appreciate that so much. Talk soon.

Jock barr

A Blast to the Past at The 1974 Prom

Last night was the first party of camp, PROM! Throughout high school I went to both of my proms, but Prom Kivu style was way more fun than I ever had in high school. There was funky dresses, colorful blazers, crazy hairdos, outrageous getups, and funky dance moves that fueled lasts nights fun. At the beginning of the day the guys sent out invitations to all of the girls inviting them to dinner and to be their "date" for the the night. After escorting them to dinner, the couples teamed up for an epic carnival throughout camp which included an egg toss, a three legged race, a chance to hit me on a bike, a blind maze, and a variety of snacks that ranged from a chocolate fountain to a delicious cup of sherbet punch. Following the carnival was the actual Prom dance that consisted of some classic 70's hits mixed in with some of today's best music. Towards the end of the night the Prom king and queen, George, Hunter, and Virginia were crowned and the balloons were dropped capping off a great night at camp!