Articles in the ‘Group Programs’ Category

A Gluten-Free Summer Adventure?

Delicious, freshly prepared lasagna on the river. One with regular pasta, one gluten-free. Parents sometimes inquire whether our programs are suitable for those on a gluten-free diet. The answer is a qualified yes. Although we can’t guarantee a completely gluten-free environment for the most severely afflicted celiac patients, we do provide gluten-free pastas and bread …

We're Reading: Laughing Boy

Oliver LaFarge, a non-native anthropologist from the East Coast, pursued an interest in native cultures through his years at Harvard and in his post-graduate field work. He eventually became president of the National Association on Indian Affairs thanks to his efforts to raise awareness of these changing cultures. LaFarge possessed a realistic and unsentimental, yet …

Solar Update

Solar panels installed on our straw bale Meeting Place, at Deer Hill Basecamp in the Mancos, SW Colorado Although grey skies have descended upon Southwest Colorado this week, we are still creating plenty of energy with our solar system, which has been in place throughout the summer. It feels magical to us that we are …

Staff Gallery 2011

We looked through thousands of pictures from this summer to come up with this gallery of our 2011 field staff in action. From canyon floor, to mountain top, from ice-cold lakes to parched reservation land, they provided memorable, meaningful, and above all, fun, experiences for our participants. We miss every individual, and wish we could …

We're Reading: Geography of Childhood

Authors Stephen Trimble and Gary Nabhan collaborated on this revolutionary book that examines today’s children and their relationship with nature and wild places. They begin with the premise that children’s experience with wild places has become a luxury, and that our children are no longer playing outside like previous generations. They argue that a connection …

Our Sweat Lodge Ceremony

A Tradition of Closure and Sharing In our meadow there sits a simple domed structure of willow branches that we cover with fabric to shut out the light and hold in the heat. We sit in a Circle in the lodge, steam rising off rocks that were heated outside in a wood fire. The heat …

In Grand Gulch

“Down in the canyon I grew a little, understood a little more, perceived even more, and in doing split the carapace of time and place I commonly wear. Split it, wriggled out of it, left it there, a stiff and empty shell to be blown away by a canyon wind. The new skin was extra …

Helping, Fixing, or Serving? How to think about Community Service

It is a warm Arizona day at the sheep ranch, which is located on a hillside outside the tiny settlement of Low Mountain, about three hours drive from the nearest town. Next to a sheep pen, in the slanting shadows of the late afternoon sun, a group of Deer Hill students are working with their …

Gallery: Deer Hill Details

In the last gallery post, we gathered together some of our favorite landscape photographs taken on Deer Hill adventure summer camp programs. This time, we thought we would “zoom in” a little, and focus on some of the smaller things we notice as we travel through the wilderness areas of the Southwest and Costa Rica, …

Deer Hill landscapes

From desert mesas to mountains, from majestic red rock canyons to gushing mountain streams, and from expansive sheep ranches on the Navajo Nation to the ancient pueblos of Hopi and Zuni, here are just a few of the landscapes you can experience on a Deer Hill program.