Colorado 14er Challenge

Overview

On Colorado 14er Challenge we’ll backpack in Rocky Mountain National Park, volunteer on a trail crew, raft the Arkansas River and hike to the top of some of Colorado’s most beautiful 14ers—mountains over 14,000 feet.

We’ll start in Rocky Mountain National Park where we’ll spend three days on the trail, hiking through aspen-filled meadows, along cold, clear rivers, and over high elevation ridges. Next we’ll move on to our trail building project, spending four days in the backcountry with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, a group that works to improve and extend the trail systems on the state’s high peaks. We’ll then head to the mountain town of Buena Vista, where we’ll raft the Arkansas River—the perfect change of pace from the demands of backcountry hiking and trailwork. During the last week of the trip we’ll make summit bids on a number of 14ers, challenging ourselves as we experience the Rockies at their finest.

After three weeks of hiking, service, rafting and climbing, we’ll head out for a final celebratory dinner in Denver as we look back on all that we accomplished during our time in the Rockies.

Highlights

• Backpack Rocky Mountain National Park
• Perform trail work on one of Colorado’s 14ers
• Raft the Arkansas River
• Make summit bids on some of Colorado’s highest peaks

Grade

For students who will finish grades 10-12 in June 2012.

Call us (413-458-9672) to check on current availability.

Challenge Level

9 (1-10, 1 is easiest)

Start and End Location

Starts and ends in Denver, Colorado.

Accommodations

All nights spent camping in tents.

• 10 nights of backcountry camping. 8 are at non-established backcountry sites during our time in Rocky Mountain National Park and with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. 2 nights are along the Arkansas River with professional guides.
• 9 nights of frontcountry camping. At least two nights are spent at an established campground near Leadville at least one night is spent at a campground in Buena Vista with flush toilets, hot showers, and laundry. The last night of the program is at a campground outside of Denver with flush toilets, showers, and laundry available.

Dates and Fees

3 Weeks

Sunday, July 15 to Friday, August 3

$4295 (airfare not included)

Itinerary

Trip Start

Once everyone has arrived in Denver, we’ll head to our campground and spend time checking over our gear, preparing for our backcountry and getting to know one another before heading out to explore the best of the Rockies.

Backcountry Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

We'll immediately head west, where we will begin our first three day backcountry in Rocky Mountain National Park. We'll spend these first four days getting acclimated to high altitude travel, averaging about eight miles a day. We'll pass under snow-covered peaks and past beautiful alpine lakes, enhancing our backcountry skills and learning Leave No Trace principles along the way. We'll reach the Continental Divide before heading out to continue our exploration of Colorado's Rockies.

Trail Work with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative

We'll then head south to Leadville, where we'll prep for our four day backcountry in the Collegiate Range with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. We'll work with two CFI staff members on improving and expanding one of the state's popular "14er" trails, learning what it takes to create and maintain these routes. We'll begin early each day (hitting the trail by 6:30 am), hiking to our worksite. We'll work until early afternoon and then return to our backcountry basecamp in order to avoid Colorado's afternoon storms.

White Water Rafting

We’ll take a break from hiking to raft the Arkansas River with Wilderness Aware. Wilderness Aware has been guiding rafting trips for many years and rafting is often a highlight for Overland groups. Our experienced guides will take us down the river as we paddle in rafts through calm flat water and exciting Class II and III rapids. We’ll spend the night on the river, waking up to breakfast prepared by our guides as we get ready for our second day of paddling.

Climbing Colorado's 14ers

Our backcountry and trailwork has prepared us for our final week:  five days of climbing some of Colorado's highest peaks, many over 14,000 feet. Rising early each day - in some cases starting at dawn, we'll plan on summitting by late morning. We'll enjoy some time on each summit, soaking in incredible views of high alpine environments before returning to basecamp by early afternoon. We'll recharge and prepare for our next day's climb. At the end of these five days we will have climbed many of the highest mountains in the Rockies and in the Continental U.S.

Trip End

At trip's end, we'll head back to Denver for a final dinner as we celebrate all that we've accomplished on our three weeks together on Colorado 14er Challenge. 

Photos

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Before You Go

• Enrollment Forms
• Expectations, Cell Phones & Electronics
• Prepare & Pack
• Travel Information
• Mail Stops
• Helpful Reminders

Apply Now

Thank You for Choosing Overland!

HOW TO APPLY

You have two choices. You can apply online with a credit card by clicking the link below.

Apply Online

Or you can download the 2012 Overland Application as a PDF (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Then mail your completed one-page application and $795 deposit check to:

Overland
P.O. Box 31
Williamstown, MA 01267

For overnight mail via UPS or FedEx, please use our street address:

Overland
63 Spring Street
Williamstown, MA 01267

Applications are reviewed in the order in which they arrive at our office and we cannot hold spots over the phone.

WHEN TO APPLY

We receive our first applications in September; there is a steady flow all fall and then most programs fill in January and February. Some programs fill earlier; and others may have space available until later in the spring. Please call our office (413-458-9672) to check on availability.

WHEN WE RECEIVE YOUR APPLICATION

If your first choice is available, you will receive a phone call and an email containing our Enrollment Forms. If your first choice is not available, we will call you to confirm that your second choice is acceptable. If neither your first choice nor your second choices are available, we will call you to discuss options.

PAYMENTS & REFUNDS

A deposit of $795 is due with your application. Full payment is due on March 1st. For applications received after March 1st, full payment is due within 30 days of receipt of our confirmation email. Please note:

• If your child’s program choices are not available, your deposit will be returned in full.
• We do not accept credit cards for the final balance, only for the deposit of $795.
• If, upon our review of your child’s Enrollment Forms, the offer of a spot is withdrawn by Overland, a full refund of all payments to Overland will be made.
• If, at any point in the admissions process we determine that you have provided incomplete, misleading or false statements, we will withdraw the offer of admission and no refund of any payments to Overland will be made.
• If you withdraw your child before March 1st (notice of the withdrawal must be made in writing), $295 of the deposit is refundable.
• If you withdraw your child after March 1st, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever (including, but not limited to: voluntary withdrawal, illness or injury, summer school, security concerns or any other reason).
• If your child leaves a program after it starts, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever, including, but not limited to: voluntary withdrawal, illness or injury, dismissal by Overland (due to discipline, behavior, lack of fitness or motivation, etc.), security concerns or any other reason. Any costs incurred by Overland related to an early departure are the sole responsibility of the parents.

WAITING LISTS

We will notify all waitlisted applicants of their status in April.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

ADMISSIONS

No other organization is more committed to putting together great groups of good students—students who are positive, enthusiastic, motivated, eager and considerate. To do this, over the course of the spring we ask the parents of every enrolled student to provide us with important information about their child including a detailed school reference and information from a physician on the student’s physical condition and medical history. In addition, every student completes a personal statement and our expectations and rules form. If, as a result of this process, we have concerns about one of our enrolled students, we will contact the parents and make an appropriate decision about the student’s participation. If the offer of a spot on a trip or program is withdrawn by Overland a full refund of all payments to Overland will be made.

EXPECTATIONS

Our programs are wholesome, structured experiences with strong leadership and high expectations of students’ behavior. Overland students are expected to be enthusiastic, positive, motivated, helpful and supportive of each other. Overland students understand that smoking, using any tobacco product, drinking alcohol or using any drugs (other than prescribed medications) is strictly prohibited. In addition, our students are expected to adhere to our no phone calls and no electronics policies.

COMMUNICATIONS

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU: We are committed to providing extraordinary support to the parents our students; to that end; the Overland office is staffed from 8am to 10pm seven days a week during the summer (after office hours our answering service provides emergency coverage). Our leaders in the field are in touch with our office regularly; they carry cell phones and/or satellite phones.

NO PHONE CALLS: Overland's programs offer the opportunity to strengthen independence and self-reliance. To maximize these benefits, we do not permit phone calls to or from our students (except in the case of an emergency). All students who fly to their Overland program will call home on arrival (using a leader's cell phone) to confirm that they have arrived safely. At trip end, students who fly home will call home (with their leaders' assistance) from the airport before departure.

EMERGENCIES: Parents can be assured that when it is important that a student talk with his or her parents, we will make sure that they are in touch as soon as possible.

CELL PHONES: Cell phones are not permitted on any Overland program. We understand why some parents would like their children to carry a cell phone with them on their flights to/from their Overland program. If you feel like it is necessary to send your son or daughter with a phone, we recommend that you purchase an inexpensive prepaid cell phone. Experience has shown us that despite taking precautions, a significant number of the cell phone we collect will be lost, damaged or stolen. Therefore, we take no responsibility whatsoever for phones brought by students and collected by our leaders at the start of a program.

NO PERSONAL ELECTRONICS

We do not permit personal electronics on our programs except for cameras. Students should not bring electronics with them on their flights. Electronics brought by students will be mailed home upon arrival at the student's expense.

MEALS

Each group buys, prepares and eats all of its meals together. The students, with their leaders' supervision, prepare all meals. While food is always plentiful and nutritious, meals reflect the limitations of group cooking and the students' preparation skills. While it is not possible for us to provide separate meals for vegetarians, vegetarians can expect to eat the same meals as the rest of the group but they can have the meat portion withheld. It is impossible for us to accommodate vegan or kosher diets.

FOOD ALLERGIES: If your child has a food allergy, please contact our office (413-458-9672) to discuss an appropriate placement as some of our programs are better equipped to handle food allergies than others.

REFERENCES

Please call or e-mail us at references@overlandsummers.com us for a list of references in your area or for a specific program.

OVERLAND GROUPS

We run multiple sections of most programs and take great care in putting together groups. Please see each program description for age and grade requirements. In the case of multiple groups, the groups will be further divided by adjacent grades.

TRAVELING WITH A FRIEND

We encourage students to come on their own. Traveling with one friend, however, is permitted (we do not accept groups of three). We will allow no more than two friend pairs per group, and these slots will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. We will not consider a request to travel with a friend until both applications and deposits are received. If you would like to travel with a friend, please write his or her name on the application.

PREPARING & PACKING

Comprehensive pre-program information and packing lists are available on our website. On each program page, click "Before You Go" and then "Prepare & Pack".

TRAVELING TO & FROM YOUR PROGRAM

Each program description provides start and end locations; families are responsible for making travel arrangements to and from these locations. Overland’s leaders will be on hand at the arrival and departure airports to provide supervision and assistance.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

Transportation to and from the start and end locations, spending money and personal gear are not included in the program fee. Overland provides group gear; students provide all personal equipment including bicycles, backpacks and sleeping bags. Students on bicycle touring trips in New England and Nova Scotia can rent bicycles and panniers from Overland.

ACCREDITATION & LICENSING

Overland is fully accredited by the nationally-recognized American Camp Association—a distinction earned by few of our peers. The ACA accreditation process reviews our overall program quality and our maintenance of over 300 safety standards. In addition, Overland is licensed by the Williamstown, Massachusetts, Board of Health and complies with 105 CMR 430.000 Chapter IV.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

We recommend that all Overland families opt in to our travel insurance program since after March 1 all payments to Overland are non-refundable for any reason whatsoever (prior to March 1, $295 of the $795 deposit is refundable). For complete information about the travel insurance please go to: www.tripmate.com/wpF434B.

FINANCIAL AID

In 2011, Overland awarded over $95,000 in financial aid (an increase of over 45% from 2010). Awards range from $500 to $2,500 and generally cover between 10% and 50% of the program fee (excluding equipment and transportation costs). Visit our financial aid page to learn more.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

Please don’t hesitate to contact us: 413-458-9672.