Greetings, All, We just finished a very successful 4 day all female Wounded Warrior Mountain Camp at 1800 acre Humble Ranch near Steamboat. We were graciously hosted by Owner/RanchWrangler Cheri Trousil from September 3 through September 6.. STARS of Steamboat furnished all of the wonderful support and activities. We have learned from our all woman whitewater trip last summer that, because many female Warriors are trauma victims of assault and rape in the Military, staging adventures for only females is much more effective in healing, and in fact many women will not participate if male soldiers are part of the manifest. Here they can freely share their stories, bond up, and form their own support network that goes beyond the outdoor adventure. Thus, this all woman trip. A VA RecTherapist told me that these soldiers are very good healers among themselves, and so such group expeditions are big medicine and greatly augment the efforts of the VA in healing and reintegration.. The Ranch extends up to a high mountain meadow, where Humble Ranch has established Camp Nanama with 4 large hardfloor tents and a large teepee that has been consecrated by a Ute Medicine Man. On the first day we groomed the llama pack animals, strapped on pack saddles, loaded panniers, and then hiked up to make camp and dine, then campfire time. Olympian and Steamboat Director of Skiing Billy Kidd helped with the outfitting. The next morning we hiked back down and went to Stagecoach Reservoir to canoe, kayak, paddle board for a good part of the day. Then back to Humble Ranch to groom horses and lead them through paces in an arena. In the late afternoon we hiked back to camp Nanama for dinner and more campfire time. Nights were cool with some frost and occasional rain showers. On the third day we hiked back down from camp to Humble Ranch, drove to Steamboat, and rented bikes for touring bike paths around downtown Steamboat with lunch and some shopping. Then off to Strawberry Park Hot Springs for a soak. The day concluded with a hike back to Camp Nanama and dinner and campfire time. On the fourth day we broke camp and hiked down to travel to the Steamboat Ski Area where we rode the Gondola up Mt. Werner and had a guided tour by Billy Kidd. Lunch was on the deck overlooking a vast area of this part of Colorado. Then sadly we had to pack up for the trip home. Much was gained by the Warriors as is evidenced in the attached comments written on the last evening. Healing is our main objective. Bonding and continuing contact and mutual support are part of this objective. The next Warriors activity is the late January 3 day ski camp, also hosted by STARS. They treat us royally, accommodations at the base of the ski area, individual instructors/guides, great meals. They will accommodate most any level of disability including multiple amputations and blindness. Thank you all for all of your support. We are doing a good thing together. Best of regards, Fred Solheim.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 20:46:39 +0000
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