Injured Soldiers Challenge Aspen and Themselves

January 30, 2008

Six recently injured soldiers from across the U.S., will join Challenge Aspen and Aspen Alpine Guides in traveling some of the most beautiful back country in Colorado, while participating in the First Annual Wilderness Hut Experience on February 2-9. “This camp is a direct result of witnessing the powerful results of our summer overnight outdoor experiences and their remarkable therapeutic value,” explains Sarah W. Volf, REC Director, Challenge Aspen. “Most of these Soldiers received their injuries in 2003 or 2004 and have been working and living in their own communities for several years. This is a big commitment for Challenge Aspen and for each of the participants, as all have different disabilities, including amputations, 3rd degree burns, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), nerve damage and fragment wounds. Careful preparation in advance is just as important as the trip itself,” she adds.

The group will spend time skiing and snowboarding in Snowmass, enjoying lunches on the mountain, and special dinners, before expertly packing and traversing by snowshoe, ski and/or snowmobile, six miles up in typically severe back country conditions to 11,300 elevation. Once they reach their destination just below timberline, the men will stay for two nights in Margy’s Hut, one of the first huts in the 10th Mountain Division Huts (huts.org) constructed by former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The huts were named to honor the men of the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army, who trained in Colorado during World War II. The group will return to their homes on February 9.

Written by debbie · Filed Under Local News

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