The Outdoor Adventure Club is hosting a trip to the national parks in Colorado and Utah. A brief itinerary is listed below. If this is something you would be interested in, please contact Keith Leiting at keith.leiting@lr.edu.

May 26-June 16, 2024

• Day 1 - Leave Hickory - camp just west of Memphis
• Day 2 - Camp just west of Oklahoma City
• Day 3 - Arrive in Alamos, Colorado. Rest and relax
• Day 4 - Great Sand Dunes National Park
• Day 5 - Travel to Gunnison National Forest (Crested Butte, Colorado) (three-hour drive). Need your campground suggestions.
• Day 6 - Hike (need your suggestions on what trails to hike) 
• Day 7 - Hike (need your suggestions on what trails to hike) 
• Day 8 - Travel to Arches National Park (Moab, Utah), a six-hour drive. Need campground suggestions.
• Day 9 - Arches and Canyonlands National Park  (need your suggestions on what trails to hike) 
• Day 10 - Whitewater Rafting (full day trip) $140 
• Day 11 - Arches and Canyonlands National Park  (need your suggestions on what trails to hike) 
• Day 12 - Travel to Uncompahgre National Forest (Ouray, Colorado) (three-hour drive)
• Day 13 - Hike or Via Ferrata (waiting for a price quote)
• Day 14 - Travel to the Rio Grande or San Juan National Forest (Durango, Colorado), two hours on the Million Dollar Highway. Need your campground suggestions.
• Day 15 - Hike (need your suggestions on what trails to hike) 
• Day 16 - Travel to Alamosa, Colorado (three-hour drive)
• Day 17 - Hike to the lake at the base of a 14er.
• Day 18 - Summit 14er (Kit Carson or Blanca Peak)
• Day 19 - Leave Alamosa to the east of Oklahoma City
• Day 20 - Travel to east of Memphis
• Day 21 - Arrive in Hickory

Anticipated Trip Costs

• Fuel/gas - $3,200 for both vehicles
• Campground reservations - $100 per night (overestimating) x 21 nights = $2,100
• Whitewater rafting - $150 per person x 8 = $1,200
• Via Ferrata - estimating $80 per person x 8 = $640
• Food and firewood - almost all meals will be prepared over a campfire. This is hard to estimate (four meals per day x eight people x 21 days = 672 meals x $10 per meal = $6,720
• Souvenirs and additional snacks/drinks are at your own expense. 
• Estimated total cost = $13,860 = round to $14,000 for simplicity. I think I am overestimating the cost, but I would rather have more funds than run out in the middle of our trip. 
• Cost per person = $14,000 / 8 people = $1,750

Fitness Assessments for Participants

There will be two fitness assessments conducted in the spring for students who want to attend this trip. More fit individuals are less likely to get altitude sickness. These fitness assessments are designed to test you physically and mentally to reduce your likelihood of experiencing a medical event in Colorado.  

• Linville Gorge Daffodil Flatts Loop - Five-mile hike with 1,800 feet in elevation gain in one mile. 
• Mt Mitchel Loop - Six-mile loop above 5,500 feet in elevation. This is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River, but less than half the height of the mountains in Colorado.