Aspen Achievement Academy in Winter

The Utah desert is an almost magical place of healing and transformation. This "medicine of the wilderness" is even more enchanting in the wintertime.

When people think of Utah, they picture snow-covered mountains famous for their deep-powder skiing, and expansive red-rock wilderness that covers much of the southern half of the state. Aspen Achievement Academy's course area includes both higher elevation mountains with forested plateaus and sprawling red-rock desert. As the snow begins to fall in the high country, Aspen's groups begin the annual autumn migration to the lower elevations. The program remains in the milder desert climates until the winter snows melt in the mountains, revitalizing the meadows and aspen trees and signaling the time for the spring migration back to the cooler high country.

Even within the winter course area, located just east of Capital Reef National Park, we venture through a large elevation range. Groups can hike into the foothills of the Henry Mountains in the fall and early winter, and then descend several thousand feet to the warmer canyons and flats closer to the Fremont River.

Yes, it can get moderately cold with some snowfall, even in the more mild parts of the course area, but cold temperatures are not extreme, and snowfall is modest and usually melts away quickly under the Utah sun. If snowfall or temperatures cross a certain threshold, Aspen groups make their way to one of the many large wall tents spread strategically around the course area. These wall tents contain heating stoves to dry off wet gear and keep students warm, and are never more than a day's hike from where a group might be camping. Group leaders are promptly notified of changing weather conditions via radio at Aspen's home base.

High-quality winter gear is issued to all students, including layers of moisture-wicking clothing for hiking, wind-resistant outer layers, ponchos, multiple pairs of synthetic wool socks, warm hats, gloves, waterproof hiking boots, and lightweight overshoe-gaiter combinations for hiking in snow. Sleeping bags are rated at -20 below, with a thick fleece liner that can be inserted to increase warmth.

All field instructors are well-trained in teaching students how to take care of themselves in cold or wet conditions, and are vigilant in assessing weather-related risks. Each group has at least one staff member on duty at all times who is a certified Wilderness First Responder. These wilderness experts supervise foot checks multiple times per day to ensure students are keeping their feet dry and warm.

By mid-February temperatures begin to warm significantly in the desert, and in March the desert bunch grass turns green and the desert wildflowers begin to bloom, turning the desert into a beautiful panorama of colorful blossoms.

From a therapeutic perspective, the Aspen experience in the wintertime can be an even more powerful intervention than when conditions may be less physically taxing. Students and staff share a particularly profound bonding experience, completing the program with a supreme sense of pride in their accomplishments. It is a huge esteem, confidence, and empowerment builder for any graduate of Aspen Achievement Academy to be able to say at the end of seven weeks in the wilderness, "I did it!" Imagine the extra satisfaction of being able to say this during the wintertime.

As author Gary Ferguson expressed in his book about Aspen Achievement Academy, Shouting at the Sky, every teenager struggling to find healing for their pain needs a piece of sky to shout against. Watching a full moon rise over a silvery-white Mount Ellen or gazing into a boundless nighttime sky illuminated by millions of stars - no other landscape could provide a more peaceful setting for the natural course of introspection and healing.