The outdoor adventures at All Points North Lodge help build community and make rehab feel less isolating.
Whether you love hiking, flyfishing, or horseback riding, doing so in the fresh mountain air is inspiring and therapeutic. Our mountainous surroundings deliver the healing balm of nature—something clients wouldn’t experience in other locations or even major cities like, say, Dallas.
APN Lodge’s outdoor activities help clients to step into the real world without the pressure of doing it alone. When these outdoor adventures are undertaken as experiential therapy, clients can safely face the triggers of real-life and then process them with a therapist.
For example, perhaps the adrenaline of skiing stirs up fear and anxiety that a client might typically seek to self-medicate. Maybe a client has never been to a mountain lodge to ski or snowboard without drinking on the slopes. Perhaps, in the past, the “fun” of skiing always revolved around drugs and alcohol. At All Points North Lodge, clients can flip the script on past experiences and learn to enjoy them in a new way – one that leads to well-being and connection. We don’t pretend that leaving rehab means entering a perfect, trigger-free life. Instead, therapists and other clients help equip you for your real-life through education, processing, and practice. Sometimes, in Colorado, that happens on the slopes.
Other outdoor adventures also lend themselves to experiential therapy. Feeling out of control on horseback may trigger some clients’ desire to over-control the situation. As hooves slip a bit on the ground, clients have to practice trust, acceptance, and gentle guidance. These are difficult skills, especially when they are linked in some way to a wound in the past. Our therapists utilize outdoor activities to help walk clients through these experiences and put therapy into practice by dealing with life in real-time.
Here is a partial list of the outdoor adventures clients can participate in:
Hiking
Hiking brings clients closer to nature. All Points North Lodge features several miles of trails winding throughout our mountain setting.
Guided and group hikes allow for physical exercise at the same time a client may be undergoing addiction treatment, trauma treatment, or personal development.
During some seasons, we even take clients out on trips to make the trails beautiful. Good stewardship and volunteering allow us to remind ourselves that we are part of a bigger picture and purposeful existence.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is the perfect outdoor adventure for all levels of athleticism. It enables clients to track through the gorgeous Rocky Mountains at their own pace.
Snowshoeing can be a workout, but it suits clients who prefer moderately paced lower-risk activities. It is also conducive to experiential therapy: Challenges along the trail allow clients to process thoughts and emotions with their therapist, without the rush of high speed.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Skiing and snowboarding remind clients of the largeness and the beauty of life, even amidst struggle.
Colorado features some of the world’s most beautiful ski resorts. APN Lodge is located just an hour away from Beaver Creek and Vail. On some winter weekends, we take trips to the slopes.
Lessons are offered for beginner clients expanding their horizons or those perfecting their technique.
Flyfishing
Colorado is known for its beautiful landscapes and amazing rivers. Our clients are encouraged to use fishing as a sublime way to connect with their surroundings.
Flyfishing is a passion in the state. It features frequent movements drawing the line in and casting it back out. In the winter, ice fishing may be an option.
Flyfishing reminds clients of the profound peace to be found in nature’s stillness.
Horseback Riding
APN offers trail riding through nearby mountain trails surrounded by Aspen trees and tall grasses.
Joining with such majestic creatures teaches clients to cooperate with and trust and another being. APN therapists use trail riding as a way to help clients form healthy new habits.
Just as wonderfully, riding horseback imbues clients with a sense of freedom.
Art Therapy
Art therapy can help clients to express emotions that may be beyond words.
Our classes are led by artists who help clients find the artistic outlet most suitable to their skills and temperament.
APN Lodge offers luxury rehab in a stunning mountainous setting and outdoor adventures to stir and soothe the soul.
