Rocky Mountain Adventure #2
July 13-20, 2024

Note: We'd love for HC students and volunteers to join us but this trip is open to anyone.  

This is a 6-day backpacking adventure (8 days with travel) and an excellent opportunity to experience the wonder of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, challenging yourself to a week-long backpacking adventure that is sure to be a life-long memory!

Wild Hearts will provide all necessary equipment, food for the week and guides.  We will also provide transportation out there and back, some training before the trip. Participants will be responsible for bringing appropriate clothing and food/money for food on the way there and back.

This backpacking trip will be done as a complete group, moving at the pace necessary for the whole group. We will be tenting in group tents, we will be cooking together and we will have the opportunity to summit a 14,000'+ peak if conditions permit.

This trip is for anyone looking for a mountain adventure! This promises to be an amazing adventure for those who are up for some mountain fun!

Additional info:

  • We generally leave very early Saturday morning from the Twin Cities area. Usually, we want to depart no later than 5am. This allows us to arrive in the Denver area somewhere around 6:30pm Mountain time that same day.
  • We stay in a hotel in the Denver area Saturday night. We will have 2-4 people stay in each room.
  • We will get all the gear ready for backpacking in the hotel parking lot early Sunday morning and then head out towards Buena Vista, CO.
  • Currently, our destination is Mount Huron but is subject to change. There is considerable opportunities for dispersed camping less than a few miles from the trailhead.
  • Our plan is to camp 3 nights on the trail around the Mount Huron area.
  • We will attempt to summit Mount Harvard with those that desire to do so.
  • We will do some additional backpacking if the group desires to do so.
  • On Friday, we will head out of the mountains, travel beyond Denver and spend the night in a hotel near Sterling, CO.
  • We will arrive home Saturday evening.

Documents

Important stuff will show up here when needed and when available! Check back often if you are going on an adventure with us because there could be some really, super-important stuff here. No, really, it could be the kind of stuff that decides whether you have a great trip or not like... oh, a list of things to pack, for example. That could be crucial. Actually, there's no "could" in that... it's definitely crucial.

Participant Waiver of Liability and Expectations Agreement
This is a required document to be signed by the participant or guardian before your upcoming trip. (.pdf download)
Participant Agreement & Liability Agreement
You agree to these expectations on our adventure and must sign this liability agreement.

Meet Your Guides

Jay Larson

Lead Guide

Jay came onboard as a guide with Wild Hearts in 2017 and quickly became an invaluable member of the team!  He is an experienced outdoorsman (especially in the art of hammock camping) and a wonderful outdoor cook!  

Jay has tremendous leadership skills which he has used to help shape Wild Hearts Adventures as an organization and his desire to serve people and walk beside them no matter their struggle quickly becomes apparent during our adventures.

Paul Lanhart

Guide

I started Wild Hearts because of a longing to reach out to those who have struggled with substance abuse and other destructive life choices to help them rebuild relationships with their families and with God. My desire to do this through wilderness experiences comes from a life-long love of the outdoors nurtured by my parents’ many family camping and canoeing trips. I now share this passion with my wife of 40 years, Pam and our four children, Diana, Andy, Jake and Nikki. I am also blessed with 10 grandchildren that I can share the beauty of God’s creation with!

I am an experienced outdoorsman and have led numerous trips to the Rocky Mountains, the BWCA, St. Croix River, the Appalachian Trail and many of our state parks and forests. Along with wilderness adventures, I love kayaking, backpacking, hiking, mountain biking, CrossFit workouts, watching movies and playing the occasional video game.  I am also a commissioned pastor with The River Fellowship.