Activity note: Hotel check-in available from 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration. After you have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Our Group Leader will lead all lectures, hikes and field trips, unless otherwise noted. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: At the hotel, we’ll have a catered buffet meal with lemonade, iced tea, water included; other beverages not available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Activity note: Driving approximately 80 miles total; about 1.5 hours roundtrip. Hiking approximately 6.5 miles roundtrip; about 6 hours total; no trail, mountaineering above treeline with steep rocky inclines. Trailhead elevation at approximately 11,885 feet; elevation gain/loss of about 2,150 feet; maximum elevation of roughly 14,036 feet.

Breakfast: At the hotel, we’ll choose plated meals from the menu with freshly brewed coffee, tea, milk, juice and water. We’ll then assemble our own lunches from the variety of lunch items available.

Morning: Arriving at the trailhead by van for the climb up Mt. Sherman, we’ll begin our ascent with appropriate gear and precautions. As with all high peaks, weather surprises like thunderstorms or high winds are distinct possibilities, but we will be prepared. Mt. Sherman is the round-topped centerpiece of the Mosquito Range that runs north to south in central Colorado and offers breathtaking views from the summit.

Lunch: Along the trail, we will enjoy our packed lunches that we assembled this morning.

Afternoon: Upon reaching our turn-around point, whether you are catching your breath on the rocky summit of the mountain or enjoying the view from a saddle below, we will turn around and start tracing our steps back to the trailhead. We will have the great luxury of being with experienced hiking leaders on the trail who will show us the most beautiful parts of Colorado, and work with us to stay safe in this challenging environment.

Dinner: At a local restaurant, we will order plated meals from the choices on the menu, with soft drinks, coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: We will have a short meeting to discuss tomorrow's itinerary and enjoy and exciting educational presentation by an expert guest lecturer.

Activity note: Driving approximately 60 miles total; about 1 hour roundtrip. Hiking approximately 5 miles; about 4 hours; established gravel trail, some rocks.

Breakfast: Hotel plated meal.

Morning: Setting out in our vans, we’ll transfer to the trailhead for a recovery hike, which is a type of "active rest" through which our goal will be to get outside and hike at elevation, but with a casual pace gentle terrain.

Lunch: Along the trail, we will enjoy our packed lunches that we assembled this morning.

Afternoon: We will complete the hike we began in the morning and then return to the hotel freshen up.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like in nearby downtown Frisco. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Driving approximately 80 miles total; about 1.5 hours roundtrip. Hiking approximately 7 miles roundtrip; about 8 hours; no trail, mountaineering above treeline with steep rocky inclines. Trailhead is about 11,600 feet; elevation gain of roughly 2,850 feet; maximum elevation of approximately 14,060 feet.

Breakfast: Hotel plated meal.

Morning: Traveling by van from the hotel, we’ll make our way to the trailhead to hike Mt. Bierstadt, named after Albert Bierstadt, a famous painter of western landscapes. Mount Bierstadt has long been a favorite hike of outdoor enthusiasts and has a reputation as a good 14,000 footer to start on. In the late summer there may even be wildflowers on the valley floor to give the beauty of the area an even greater boost.

Lunch: Along the trail, we will enjoy our packed lunches that we assembled this morning.

Afternoon: Once reaching our turn-around point, we’ll begin making our way back to the trailhead and return to the hotel.

Dinner: At a local restaurant we will order plated meals from the choices on the menu, with soft drinks, coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Driving approximately 80 miles total; about 1.5 hours roundtrip. Minimal walking throughout the day. Getting in/out of rafts; raft trip is approximately 20 miles; about 3 hours. Class II & III rapids; some splashing and excitement.

Breakfast: Hotel plated meal.

Morning: Arriving at the rafting trip put-in by van, we’ll meet our professional rafting leaders who will provide equipment, a safety and technique briefing, and educational narration of the local area and history. Resting our legs today, we’ll enjoy an exciting raft trip, which offers some of the most exciting whitewater on the Arkansas River and beautiful mountain scenery. Our wet 'n wild ride through Browns Canyon will provide lots of thrills and laughter as we weave through Pinball, tumble down Zoomflume, squeak by the Devil's Punchbowl and barrel through the rest, leaving us with memories that will last a lifetime.

Lunch: At a picnic area near the rafting adventure headquarters, we’ll have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will take the vans back to Frisco by mid-afternoon.

Dinner: On your own to explore the local fare in Frisco.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Driving approximately 80 miles total; about 1.5 hours roundtrip. Hiking approximately 9 miles total; about 8 hours; no trail, mountaineering above treeline with steep, rocky inclines. Trailhead elevation at approximately 10,620 feet; elevation gain of about 3,650 feet; summit elevation of roughly 14,270 feet.

Breakfast: Hotel plated meal.

Morning: Continuing to tackle more of the range of 14’ers, today we’ll transfer to hike Grays Peak, which is, along with its neighboring Torreys Peak, one of the Continental Divide’s highest summits. It is named after the 19th century botanist, Asa Gray, who researched plant species development and concluded support for the Theory of Evolution proposed by Charles Darwin. We’ll approach the peak by way of a lovely glacial valley between Kelso Mountain and Mount Edwards. Depending on the weather and pacing after reaching Grays Peak, we may have the opportunity to summit Torreys during this hike as well, which is named after John Torrey, another 19th century botanist, who accumulated valuable work in categorizing plant species of North America.

Lunch: Along the trail, we will enjoy our packed lunches that we assembled this morning.

Afternoon: Once reaching our turn-around point, we’ll begin making our way back to the trailhead where we’ll board the van and transfer back to the hotel, arriving with time to freshen up before dinner.

Dinner: At a local restaurant, we will order plated meals from the choices on the menu, with soft drinks, coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: After a delicious dinner, we will get together for one last group meeting to share our highlights of the week and to share some of our favorite experiences from the program with new Road Scholar friends. The remainder of the evening will be at leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and departures in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check-out by 10:00 a.m.

Breakfast: Hotel plated meal. This concludes our program.

Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!