When the clock strikes noon on the fourth Wednesday of the Block, a collective sigh echoes across Colorado College. Textbooks snap shut, final papers are submitted and the mass exodus begins.
At CC, the Block Plan’s relentless pace of cramming a semester’s worth of organic chemistry, literature or sociology into three and a half weeks demands a clear boundary between work and rest. For many, Block Break means packing up a car and heading into the wilderness. You’ll see classmates loading up paddleboards, stowing skis or setting out for road trips to Moab, Utah, Crested Butte, Colo. or even the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Alamosa, Colo. Some of my friends are even driving to Mexico this Block Break. I think this is a crazy choice, but it showcases the range of travel possibilities.
Not having your own vehicle to travel in complicates the situation and certainly limits your options.
While a four-and-a-half-day window often tempts students toward ambitious travel itineraries, not being able to leave offers a different kind of adventure: one centered on radical rest, local exploration and quiet time.
During the block, CC is running at full speed. Come Wednesday afternoon of fourth week, it’s dead quiet. The usual rush vanishes, leaving behind wide-open spaces. Staying on campus during this downtime gives you back the luxury of uninterrupted space. You can claim a hammock between the trees on Tava Quad without competing for a spot. You can have a slow Rastall’s brunch without crazy lines or simply sleep in until noon in your dorm.
When classes are in session, the “CC Bubble” can feel hard to break. Many of the events you attend are directly connected to the students; if you want to go downtown, chances are you are going to run into a bunch of CC students again. This Halloween I spotted a CC professor in a costume at Gaia Masala Burger at 2 a.m. The community is tight but can feel small. Block Break offers the perfect opportunity to step beyond the campus perimeter and explore Colorado Springs as a local rather than just a busy student.
Your options are large, but here are some basics:
- Downtown: Take a slow morning walk down Tejon Street. Get a book at Poor Richard’s and spend hours reading it for pleasure at a local coffee shop. For my first Block Break this semester, I visited a numismatic museum right off campus, then headed to the Hallenbeck Coin Gallery just two streets over to add some coins to my collection. Peek around different shops downtown with intention and you will find something that matches your interests.
- Local Trails: While your peers might be driving four hours to a national park, you can take a quick trip to North Cheyenne Canon, jog along the Monument Creek Trail adjacent to campus or spend an afternoon exploring the red rock formations at Garden of the Gods. A lot of these locations are accessible through Pike Bike and apps like AllTrails can help you peruse the endless trails available around town.
- Get creative: With four days of unstructured time, students staying on campus often explore different ways to reset. Cook an elaborate meal in your dorm kitchen, start a new project in Arts & Crafts, splash around in Schlessman Natatorium or play video games in the ESports Lab in Palmer Hall. Campus might seem quiet, but it still offers a wide range of entertainment.
The Block Plan teaches us how to work with intense focus, but learning how to truly let go in the middle of the rush is just as important. While long trips bring their own form of joy, they can also bring fatigue, organizational stress and long hours on I-70.
Staying on campus strips away the logistics. It invites you to embrace unstructured time — to cook slow meals, sleep in, connect with fellow stay-behind classmates and take a deep breath before another marathon of a Block. By the time Monday morning rolls around and a brand-new Block begins, those who stayed often find themselves restored, clear-headed and ready to tackle the next academic sprint.