Rock wall climbing, building campfires and zip lining fit the typical scene of the great outdoors in Colorado.
Not exactly a backdrop that comes to mind when thinking of gang intervention.
For Metro Area YouthServices, or MAYS, it's the ideal place to bring at-risk youth where they're not in an environment riddled with shootings, drugs and gang-activity.
The summer week-long trip is appropriately called, From the 'Hood to the Woods.
"Kids are totally off the grid," said Rodney Evans, CEO of MAYS. "They're not allowed to take cell phones. Their bags are searched. No drug paraphernalia."
The kids are asked to put away their beef and get to know each other through team building exercises and activities like horseback riding and whitewater rafting. For a week, those who identify as either being a Crip or Blood are asked to go colorblind.
The for-profit group held its second annual outing over the summer.
Months later, Evans believes this form of gang intervention does work and points to the follow-up MAYS conducted after its first trip in 2017.
"Out of the ten kids after a six month period, seven of the kids were detained again as a probation violation but not because of gang involvement," he said. "So, we felt pretty positive about that."
But not every teenage boy who goes is in a gang, he said.
However, Pedro Johnson, 17, does live in an area considered to be a hotbed of gang activity near 24th and Lake streets. He says residents often refer to the surrounding area at "The Bottoms."
"This dude [mistook] me for somebody else," said the junior student at Blackburn High School. "He pulled up with a rifle and started chasing me down."
Johnson claims the area is constantly bombarded with rival gangs shooting for "fun" and randomly drive up to people to ask them which neighborhood they represent.
When asked if he ever gets scared, the teenager silently shook his head.
To Evans, the yearly trip to the Centennial State does more than take kids like Johnson surrounded by the lifestyle, but also invites those in it. Some teens participated, knowing there could be consequences waiting back at home for doing so by other gang members.
If kids successfully complete the excursion, MAYS does pay the teens.
For Evans, the trip outdoors is meant to show them a life beyond a zipcode demanding allegiance.
To Pedro, he says he recognized that opportunity and is making sure his younger brothers follow his path.
