Bikes & Boats! June 18-22

This week our campers proved their abilities both on wheels and on water. On Monday and Tuesday, we honed our mountain biking skills on the La Tierra Trails learning the basics of terrain navigation. They were very impressive, piloting their bikes through the flow trail, the wee-whoops, and the terrain park with confidence.

On Wednesday we loaded up our kayaks and headed to Abiquiu Lake for our overnight camping trip, where we were very grateful to spend the day swimming, splashing, and paddling. Our kayaking instructor, Steve, taught us how to efficiently paddle and toured us along the shoreline. We ended the day soaked and satisfied, and returned to our camp for dinner, songs, and sleep. On Thursday we packed up camp and returned to the water spending most of the day relaxing on the beach, casually kayaking around, and jumping into Abiquiu’s cool water. It was a fun and full week of camp, just how we like it! Thank you, Mountain Kids! – Max

Roasting Marshmallows when there are fire restrictions is still fun and tasty!

The campfireless campfire – singing, acknowledgements and laughter!

Steve, getting everyone set up in the kayaks.

Mountain Biking Skills and Thrills! June 4-8

What a great way to kick off summer for the Eagles – our 9-12 year old campers! On Day one we rode at La Tierra where we tackled the Flow Trail, climbs to and from the trail, and then the pump track at Alto Park. We talked about specific skills for climbing, descending, braking and turning.

On our second day we rode Dale Ball, which was short and sweet! Day three took us up to the Rift Valley Trail south of Taos. It was a long drive, but we had fun playing games along the way, and the views and riding were worth it! We also had time for a dip in the Rio Grande, which was a treat!

On Day four we checked out the Oak Flats campground in the Tijeras District on the east side of the Sandias. It was perfect riding. At 7000ish feet, we rode through a ponderosa forest, which was a bit cooler than previous rides, and the trails were a combination of beautiful smoothness with a few technical spots to challenge our skills.

We are so proud of these campers for all the hard work they put into riding, and the fun they had! Apparently, hard work and fun go hand-in-hand and provide great learning and growth for kids exploring their limits.

Mountain Biking Camp! May 30-June 2, 2017

Wow! What an awesome week of riding! We had a mixture of experienced riders and some who had never been riding on trails before. It was amazing to see them all improve over the course of the week.

We spent two days at La Tierra riding the flow trail, the perimeter trail (a 14+ mile day!) the whoop-de-doos, and everything in between. We managed to dodge the threatening storms, which made for perfect riding weather – not too hot!

We also spent two days at Galisteo Basin which has a great combination of sweet, smooth trails for cruising and a rocky downhill (Derek’s Delight!) for practicing those downhill skills.

One of the girls was really challenging herself to tackle some challenging descents and climbs, telling me: “I am pushing myself this week.” She was so proud, it was inspiring and heartwarming to witness. Another boy commented in our closing circle: “It was so easy to make new friends at mountain biking camp.” Several others reported that the week was “just awesome” and they “loved everything!”

We even found some time to get off the bikes and play a few games: eagle eye, ninja, and capture the flag. On the last day we rewarded ourselves with a morning ride, lunch and then a swim at Bicentennial Pool. A perfect way to end a week of 33.7 miles of riding! Congratulations to an amazing crew of riders on a fantastic week!

We may have a Mountain Kids! Mountain Biking Team brewing: “Team Guacamole, anyone!?” (You’ll have to ask your kids about that one!:)

Click on any image below to see a larger image of these rad kids riding!