At Watershed, education goes far beyond the classroom walls. Each year, as the new school year begins, our students embark on immersive backpacking orientation trips that set the tone for a year of growth, challenge, and adventure. These trips are not just about hiking through stunning natural landscapes—they are vital experiences that inspire confidence, build character, and foster a deep connection with the natural world.
Upper School: Building Confidence Through Challenge and Leadership
For our upper school students, the year kicks off with a weeklong backcountry trip alongside their advisory group. During this time, students don’t just learn outdoor skills like navigation, camping, and wilderness safety—they also take turns leading the group, making decisions, and supporting their peers.
Regarding those practical skills, though - throughout these trips, students do gain knowledge like how to safely filter and sanitize water from natural sources using gravity water filters, how to pitch tarps and organize living spaces, and how to prepare meals in the backcountry. Additionally, hiking safety protocols, including trail etiquette and environmental stewardship, are emphasized to instill respect for the land and for fellow adventurers. Every step of the way, our educators and outside field guides—each certified in Wilderness First Aid—support students with expert guidance and ensure safety. This hands-on leadership experience empowers students to realize what they are truly capable of accomplishing when they work together and trust themselves.
A standout feature of the upper school orientation is the solo experience, a period of quiet reflection where each student spends time alone in nature. This moment of solitude helps cultivate resilience, self-awareness, and character—qualities that ripple through every aspect of their academic and personal lives. It is these moments - and the backpacking experiences as a whole - that are brought up time and time again when seniors reflect on their “Watershed moment” prior to graduation.
Safety and Risk Management
While we encourage students to lean into risk and embrace challenges, safety remains the highest priority and comes with a set of rigorous risk management practices. These include thorough program safety reviews, stringent hiring standards, comprehensive emergency response plans, and staff certification in Wilderness Medicine.
We recognize that outdoor education carries inherent risks, and every student plays an active role in their own safety by adhering to established rules and guidelines. Our faculty’s commitment to safety ensures that students can take healthy risks with confidence, knowing they are supported every step of the way.
Middle School: Connections and Community
Our middle school students begin the year with a four-day car camping trip that focuses on connection—connecting with advisors, classmates, and the broader Watershed community. In the days leading up to this adventure, students engage in a series of on-campus orientation activities designed to break the ice. This year, students swung into the year at the Fly Mile High Trapeze & Aerial Fitness Center, lended a hand to local residents through yard work, explored museums in Golden, and spent a day playing team building games with future classmates at Friends School.
These shared experiences help students step into the school year with a sense of belonging and purpose, so by the time they return from the camping trip, middle schoolers are not only more confident outdoors but also more grounded in what it means to be a person of character—one who demonstrates grit, empathy, optimism, and collaboration.
Alternate Orientation: Inclusive Adventures and Meaningful Service
We recognize that traditional backpacking orientation trips may not be physically or logistically feasible for every student. To ensure everyone can start the year with a meaningful experience, alternate orientation allows students to participate in car camping combined with on-campus service projects, which this year included repairing our hand-built pergolas, enhancing outdoor play spaces, and constructing lockboxes for a local women’s shelter. Through these activities, students engage in collaborative hands-on work that contributes to the common good.
Regardless of the orientation path taken, the ultimate goal is to immerse students in adventure and wonder, reminding them that learning happens through experience. These moments of awe and discovery inspire curiosity, a lifelong love of learning, and a commitment to environmental stewardship. These journeys are much more than outdoor excursions—they are transformational experiences that shape students into confident leaders, compassionate peers, and resilient individuals ready to face the challenges ahead.
