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Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions

Knowledge through Wilderness Adventure

2008 Mountain Desert Trek

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Co-ed, ages 15-18
10-14 members
June 28 - August 10
Tuition $3,975
Highlights: 30 days traveling the southwest’s most rugged and wild places, week-long wilderness backpacks, 10 days at Base Camp developing individual projects, exploring ancient ruins, and a canoe trip through a canyon.

The Mountain Desert Trek will explore deep into the spectacular landscape of the Southwest, seeking adventures and knowledge in the pristine wilderness and unique cultures of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. Along the way, the group will test their physical and mental limits on extended backpacking trips, a canyon canoe trip, and group and individual projects based on their own developing interests. Seeking to know more about the science behind the scenery and the history behind the people they will encounter throughout the Southwest, the members of the Mountain Desert Challenge will amaze themselves with all they accomplish by the end of this 44-day group adventure.

The MDT will head west to the Blue Range Primitive Area in Arizona for their first 10-day wilderness expedition. Using Leave No Trace principles to minimize their impact on the land, the MDT will travel through ruggedly beautiful terrain deep in the Arizona backcountry, stopping along the way to rejuvenate their minds and muscles in hot springs and cool streams. The Blue Range is the site of the reintroduction of the Mexican Grey Wolf, and the MDT will have the opportunity to meet with a wolf biologist in the field.

On July 8, the MDT will return to Base Camp to replenish their supplies and to share stories of their adventures with other expeditions. After this brief rest at base camp, the MDT will head deep into the heart of Utah’s canyon country to begin a 20-day wilderness loop that will bring them closer together than they probably thought possible. From hiking on the slick rock of Escalante to walking through perfectly preserved cliff dwellings on Cedar Mesa, the MDT will experience the thrill of discovering backcountry sites seemingly forgotten for hundreds of years. Each night is spent camping in rugged canyons and enjoying incredible vistas as both intermediate and experienced Trekkers face new challenges. The group will learn to trust each other completely as they tackle a 3-day river trip down the San Juan River in hard-shell canoes.

Next, the MDT will venture high into the alpine wilderness of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado — a stark contrast to the red rock of Utah. Here the challenges are immediate and require each Trekker to lead and to support their fellow group members. Depending on the interests and skills of the group, the MDT will take several trips into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, where they may live out of their backpacks for 6 days at high elevation or camp on Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes before hiking up to the 13,000-foot peaks above. By the end of this long wilderness loop, the Trekkers will have taken turns leading a backpack, taken part in spirited debates about philosophical and scientific issues — land use versus conservation, for example — and discovered confidence, humor, loyalty and strength they probably did not know they had.

On August 1, the MDT will return to Cottonwood Gulch to share their stories at the final rendezvous day. For their final 10 days, the MDT will make their home in the cabins and woods of Base Camp. Cottonwood Gulch’s 540 acres are ideal for personal exploration and further examination of our relationship with nature. Each day at Base Camp Trekkers will be able to pursue their personal projects in addition to choosing from Base Camp activities such as rock climbing, archaeology, and making silver jewelry. Trekkers are encouraged to use all the resources of Cottonwood Gulch, which include the Native Arts Workshop, a natural history lab and museum, audio recording and mixing equipment, and the Gulch archaeological lab and artifact collection. Many Trekkers find themselves surprised at how much they care about their chosen projects and often discover interests in music, the natural sciences, American history, anthropology, and even politics that stay with them their entire lives.

The group will finish their base camp stay with the Gulch traditions of a group sweat ceremony and a final banquet to celebrate the summer’s accomplishments. On August 8, the Mountain Desert Trek will spend their last night around the campfire singing and reminiscing before falling asleep under the desert’s starry night sky.

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