Summer Expeditions

• Overview
• Outfit Expedition (Coed 10-13)
• Wild Country Trek (Coed 13-15)
• Prairie Trek (Boys 13-15)
• Turquoise Trail (Girls 13-15)
• Mountain Desert Trek (Coed 15-18)
• Trek Institute (Coed 14-18)
• Adult & Family Trek
• What to Expect
• Getting Ready
• Request Brochure

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P.O. 25106
Albuquerque, NM 87125

1-800-2-Go-Trek

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2008 Outfit Expedition

Co-ed, ages 10-13

10-20 members

2 Sessions: June 26 - July 9 and July 21 - August 3

Tuition $1,375

Highlights: Living and playing in the wilderness for 2 or 4 weeks, strong support for first-time campers, explore lava tube caves, climb a mountain, make new friends, learn about natural history and the environment in a fun, hands-on way.

An introduction to outdoor living and the wilderness experience, the Outfit Expedition is specifically designed for younger and first-time campers. Outfit members stay at their own outpost cabins located on Cottonwood Gulch’s nature preserve and Base Camp. The Gulch is an ideal place to explore the world around them in a safe and responsible way/

Each day, the Outfit Trekkers will choose activities designed to engage them with their surroundings. Our head naturalist will help the Outfitters dive deeper into the natural world with activities such as animal tracking, rattlesnake hikes, streamside ecology, forestry and stargazing. With the help of our resident arts instructor, the Outfitters will learn how to make traditional Southwestern Native American arts, including silver jewelry, wood-fired pottery, and Navajo-style rugs. Budding archaeologists can work with the Gulch archaeologist to handle, identify, and even excavate artifacts left by inhabitants of the Gulch property 1,000 years ago.

Living at Cottonwood Gulch is a true wilderness experience. With 540 acres of woods, streams, ruins and meadows to discover, the Outfit will have plenty to explore. The Outfit’s group leader and staff instructors will provide support and structure for them throughout their stay. Many Outfit Trekkers form bonds with their staff that last throughout the year.

Meals are prepared in our kitchen and eaten together in our Mess Hall or around our expedition kitchen. Each member of the Outfit will share in camp chores to develop responsible camping techniques, self-confidence and civic responsibility. The Outfit can cool off in the pool each afternoon and take a shower before dinner and evening games.

The Outfit will end each day by gathering around the campfire, something the group looks forward to each evening. The Outfit will learn many of the songs, games, and traditions that Trekkers at Cottonwood Gulch have loved for years. Some of thetraditions are pure goofy fun and others will cause the Outfit to ask mature questions about nature and our society. At campfire, the Outfit will have a chance to relive the day and talk about what the next day holds.

Once the Outfitters have learned the routines and responsibilities of being part of an expedition, the group will venture from Base Camp on short excursions. The group will explore some unique areas of the Zuni Mountains. They will crawl through the ice caves of El Malpais and climb to the top of Mount Sedgwick. They will take hiking trips into the Zuni Mountains or up Mount Taylor, one of the four sacred mountains of the Navajo. In each session, the itinerary and challenges will be matched to the individual Trekkers in the group to help them experience as much as possible.

Many Outfitters come to Cottonwood Gulch for one session their first summer and return home already planning for a longer stay the next summer.

The Outfit expedition is an eye-opening experience that can change how young people look at and interact with the world around them.

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