Submitted by Judy Moisey Asay, Troop Leader 548
Members of Troop 548 (Mountain View Unit) participated in a mini-backpacking trip to the Pike/Arapahoe National Forests in July. It was a first for three of the four girls. The trip was girl-planned and organized. That was a challenge because they had to figure out equipment and food, as all but one girl had never backpacked. We leaders were digging through all of our equipment to make sure all had what they needed for the trip.
While on the trip, the girls and leaders peaked Mt. Bierstadt, which is 14,060 feet in elevation and the 38th highest of 53 peaks over 14,000 feet high. The troop left on a Thursday and packed in approximately 1.5 to 2 miles to cut down on climbing time the next day. The girls did great carrying packs weighing roughly 26-29 pounds of food and gear. (We leaders had more for contingencies.) We were lucky and the weather was great that afternoon. We found a nice, somewhat sheltered area, to camp in and the girls set up tents and unpacked for the next two days. They also experimented with two types of water filters, a Steri-Pen and pump filter. The conclusion was that the filter got all the “floaties” out and the Steri-Pen tasted better so they used both. Cooking was done over a backpacking stove, something new for the girls. The menus were great with pita pizzas and top Ramon stew for the dinners.
Leaving at 5:55am the next morning, the girls made the peak shortly before 10am with the leaders following behind at a slower pace, but getting up there. (Our legs aren’t 14 years old anymore!) It was a great challenge and we leaders especially enjoyed backpacking and hiking again. The girls are planning to do more hikes and peaks next summer.
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