Colorado residents see them every day: mountains and wilderness. Some hike them, ski them, or bike them and some just glance at them on the way to school or work.
People travel from around the world to see them. But how many teenage girls do you know who could survive for a weekend on them?
On Friday, September 14 th, more than 100 Girl Scouts assembled at Sky High Ranch to find out. The participants embarked on a weekend-long challenge with teams of Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts (girl ages 11-17) from across Colorado. Together, they showed off their outdoor survival skills and their Girl Scout knowledge.
Girls collaborated to set up outdoor camp sites and competed in a wide range of activities: cooking, lashing, fire building, emergency survival, first aid, knot tying, orienteering, nature identification, hiking awareness and tool craft.
Teams were judged on the camp site set up and maintenance, performance in each of the activities, their Girl Scout trivia knowledge, and creativity.
Some teams used themes to unify their efforts, from the clothes that they wore to the food that they cooked. 2007 teams included pirates, flappers, valley girls, timber wolves and rock royalty, among others.
After a day of grueling competition, Girl Scouts and leaders settled in on Saturday night for a campfire, complete with celebrations to honor their achievements during the day. Early on Sunday morning, the girls enjoyed a delicious breakfast and awards ceremony with past Reach for the Peak participants.
"Reach for the Peak has been successful because it encompasses the complete Girl Scout experience," said Marty Lockhart, Girl Scouts Program Specialist. "The girls love to use the skills and knowledge they've worked hard to attain over the years."
Every team took home an award to symbolize the months of preparation for the Reach for the Peak event, but only one team, Troop 621, took home "The Peak", the highest award of them all.