From May 26th to August 14th of Summer 2023, I lived and worked in a tiny town about an hour west of Colorado Springs. I was a camp counselor at Big Spring Ranch for Boys, where I had the opportunity to lead campers up 14000+ ft. mountains, fly fish, backpack and just about any other outdoor recreation activity you can think of.
A highlight was SOLE (Sanborn Outdoor Leadership Experience). I planned and led a 5-day backpacking/service trip for a group of seven fourteen year-olds. We spent time doing trail work with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, and in the end hiked through a section of the Colorado Trail near Mt. Columbia. A key focus was teaching leadership to my campers through various exercises and assignments of responsibility. It was scary watching them light and cook on a backcountry stove, but rather satisfying at the end of the day to feel as though I had a positive impact.
It was difficult to spend every hour of the day responsible for children, especially with limited time off for R&R. But the relationships that I fostered during my time at Sanborn are far worth the comparatively small struggles. As time passes those challenges fade into distant memory while the fond memories are recalled easily in talk with friends like brothers.