The Sacred Headwaters

In March, Deer Hill field staff member Trevor Cobb will undertake an expedition to the far northern reaches of British Columbia, in an expedition to raise awareness about the plight of the Sacred Headwaters, a million-acre wilderness under threat of development for energy and mineral extraction. Trevor joined Deer Hill last year as a field leader on several trips in the spring and summer. His passion for exploring the backcountry in all seasons goes along with  a desire to protect the continent’s wildest places. Read the information about the project below, and find out more about the campaign to save the Sacred Headwaters at: www.sacredheadwaters.com The expedition is presented by National Geographic, and supported by Patagonia, Black Diamond and MSR.

“The Sacred Headwaters, located in the remote northwestern corner of British Columbia, gives birth to three of Canada’s most important salmon rivers: the Skeena, Nass, and Stikine, and has shaped the livelihood of many of Canada’s First Nations, especially Tahltan communities. Currently the Headwaters face the possibility of a fragmented future–claims for anthracite coal, coalbed methane, copper, and gold threaten this beautiful landscape and put the people and animals that rely on this valuable resource at risk.

The Skiing the Sacred Headwaters expedition will take five young skiers to the front door of local leaders and social entrepreneurs fighting to save their home. In our inquiry into the complex dynamic between economic feasibility, spiritual and natural capital, and sustainability, we hope to make insights into the way local people relate to wilderness in a perpetually modernizing world. Supported by local dogsled operators and traveling exclusively on skis, we will immerse ourselves in this rugged environment, documenting the splendor of the winter landscape, while highlighting potential alternatives to resource extraction for the region.”

Trevor Cobb, on the San Juan River with Colorado Plateau Challenge in summer 2011.

This is a guest post from Emily Capelin, daughter of Doug and Beverly, the Founders and owners of Deer Hill. Now 24, Emily grew up at Deer Hill, and has been a well-loved member of our field staff for several years now. Here she describes a trip she made to Alaska in a truck fueled by recycled vegetable oil, with her partner Zak Randell.

Upon our graduation from Colorado College in May 2009 Zak and I drove our Ford F-250 all the way from Colorado into the wilds of Canada and Alaska, fueled by recycled vegetable oil.

Our first destination was the Northwest Territories in the Arctic Circle, where we would raft the remote Nahanni River with other friends from school. On the summer solstice, bush planes dropped us off near the mountainous headwaters of the river, in the wilderness of Nahanni National Park and Preserve, where for 100 miles around us not a trace of civilization existed. For 22 days, the six of us rafted down between massive glacial mountains, through Canada’s deepest canyons, past endless forests, and at one point carried all our river gear in a portage around a 300 ft. waterfall! We never once saw another human being. We did, however, see wolves, rare wood bison, black bears, and many bald eagles.

After this adventure, Zak and I continued onwards. We drove on through Canada into Alaska. Along the way we stopped to fill up our fuel tank behind restaurants, using our hand-cranked pump to suck out used vegetable oil from big waste drums. You know, what your french fries, chips, burgers, wings, and whatever are fried in. We filtered out the charred food chunks and water in the oil, and away we drove. This was now mid-July and we were heading towards the southeastern corner of Alaska, for a backpacking trip in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, our nation’s largest National Park and one of its most remote.

Unfortunately, the summer of 2009 was one of the driest on record in Alaska. July saw record low rainfall, and thus the state experienced some fairly serious fire activity, with over 700 burns ongoing while we were there. Unfortunately, one of the largest fires burned very near to our planned backpacking route. So after the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of finally making it to Alaska, we had to flee the fires and drive back once again down into Canada. We headed for Kluane National Park, which when combined with the adjacent Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, is one of the largest expanses of protected wilderness in the world. We completed an alternative backpacking route in Kluane N.P. Hello bogs and bushes and grizzly bears!

This summer of far northern aspirations and roughly 9,000 miles in a smelly, sticky, but lovable – and emissions-free – truck was largely made possible by the Ritt Kellogg Memorial Fund through Colorado College. This is a rightly revered institution that accepts applications from students to help fund extended wilderness trips across the United States and Canada.

For those of you who have been on a Deer Hill Expeditions (DHE) course before, are interested in facilitating similar experiences for others and are looking to gain the experience and education you need to work as an outdoor leader, we have an exciting new option for you. This summer, Deer Hill Expeditions will be offering a Field Apprentice Program exclusively to our alumni.

This program will provide an opportunity for our alumni to continue their development as outdoor leaders, build on what they learned during their DHE courses and gain experiences that are integral to working in the field. Apprentices will begin their experience by attending our annual 10-day Staff Training Trip. This trip combines leadership and technical skills education and evaluation with a thorough immersion in DHE’s philosophy. Apprentices will then be staffed on one of our summer courses and work as a member of the Instructor Team. They will be encouraged to contribute their skills and expertise to the adventure, while at the same time they will be coached and mentored by the instructors and learn alongside the participants. The apprenticeship will conclude with a performance evaluation, suggestions for next steps on the road towards working as an outdoor instructor and some professional guidance from our Staff Manager.

Interested? If so, please check out the formal position description here, review the qualifications and fill out an application. If you have further questions, please contact Eli Shostak at 970.533.7492. See you this summer!

View Field Apprentice Information and Application Form

Teen participants on our Southwest Journey 2010 adventure relax together as the sun goes down on the final campsite on their 87-mile Green River trip. Gray Canyon of the Green River, Utah.

This is a guest post from Cecil Goodman, a Deer Hill alum and long time leader. Enjoy her reflections on the river expedition and what it means to Deer Hill programs.

Over the past seven years as a field instructor with Deer Hill, I have boated close to 50 river trips with their participants. The Dolores, the Green, the Colorado, and the San Juan – the famous rivers of the Southwest desert and mountain country.  After all these miles, what does the river mean to me? I think I am most aware of the river as a mechanism of transport.  Most obviously, we use these wide, desert waterways as a means of moving students and copious amounts of gear (coolers of food, lanterns, tents, tables, buckets, dry bags and dry boxes, tons of cookies) somewhere between 30 and 90 miles through the arid swaths of sand and the bright, hot red rock canyons of Utah and Colorado.  We float, paddle, and we row through some rapids, for sure, but we also move slowly along these corridors observing the Desert Big Horn sheep, the native Datura, the invasive tamarisk, yucca, past side canyons of clear pools and water bugs.  Geologically too we move across millions of years, passing through several layers of smooth sandstone to the limestone: striking evidence of the inland sea that draped itself over the Colorado Plateau millions of years ago.

On a smaller scale, we pass through more recent human history: the remains of kivas, dwellings, and rock art of the Ancestral Puebloans, the complex civilization that populated the canyons and mesas of the Colorado Plateau from 500 to 1350 A.D. including the great houses of Chaco Canyon and the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde. We see the hard-earned inscriptions of the Mormon settlers in the canyon walls, remains of their trading posts, and even the steps they carved for their horses as they dragged wagons over and across the steep sandstone walls.

Even more important than the actual transportation of bodies through the desert environment or the virtual transportation across millions of years, is the transformation we undergo as a group.  The river portion that begins many Deer Hill courses is our first section working as group in the wilderness.  It is the beginning of facing challenges together, of cooking for each other, of playing together, the development of roles within the group, and the start of sharing feelings and ideas with new people who will eventually become like a second family.  I have been lucky enough to watch scores of Deer Hill groups go through this same process, and it is one of my favorite times on any program.  The new friends that people make as they cook the whole group dinner or the new talents discovered in a game of “ammo can tug of war.”  Or the courage and strength found canoeing through a rapid or jumping off a (safe I promise) cliff into the pool of a side canyon.

The river is a slower, easier place to start than the mountains.  There are beaches to lie and play on, and it rarely rains.  It is warm, there is water, and your boats carry your gear. The river gives us all the opportunity to make new friends and to learn new skills, but most importantly, the river is an accessible metaphor for all of us.  It teaches us to be humble, when to speed up or slow down, how to navigate obstacles, and to go with the flow.  It is the perfect place to begin a journey of challenge and inspiration. That’s what we try to create for each participant on their Deer Hill course.

Cecil

Deer Hill successfully passed the review, once again meeting hundreds of standards, taking in Ethical and Educational Concerns; Program Governance, Program Management, Operations, and Oversight; Service Projects; Technical Skills; Staff Selection, Hiring, Training and Supervision; Transportation; Equipment, Nutrition and Hygiene; Environment and Culture; International Concerns, and other areas.

We would like to thank the review team for their time, attention to detail and commitment to experiential education.

Quoted from the Association for Experiential Education Accreditation Site Visit Review Report:

A. Strengths of the Organization

• The overall quality, commitment and dedication of staff at all levels of the organization is exceptionally high. The hiring and training practices for field staff are sound, and the review team noted the high caliber of field staff – in particular, their dedication, passion for outdoor education and commitment level to the organization are outstanding.

• Deer Hill’s commitment to professional growth, maintaining a “learning-culture” where feedback and honesty are valued, belief in high standards and commitment to the accreditation process is evident at all levels of the organization.

• Deer Hill places a high level of attention on the individual development of the student.

• The service component at Deer Hill is truly exemplary, as is the organization’s reverence, respect and appreciation for Native American culture. The program’s practice of gifting tools to the recipients of service is compassionate and empowering.

• The sense of community is very strong at the Deer Hill base. This translates to excellent role modeling for their students and is transferable to their programs. The review team was impressed with such a genuine, warm, caring community of individuals. Trust and communication level is high.

• The work of the Deer Hill Foundation as a related entity allows for a diverse participant population.

• Location: access to premier recreational and educational opportunities.

• Website is great and materials are strong.

Learn more about the Association for Experiential Education at their  website.

]]> http://www.deerhillexpeditions.com/community-service/deer-hill-renews-accreditation/feed/ 0 http://www.deerhillexpeditions.com/group-programs/brain-nature/ http://www.deerhillexpeditions.com/group-programs/brain-nature/#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:35:10 +0000 richard http://www.deerhillexpeditions.com/?p=3031 ...]]>

Participants relax on our Ancient Pathways adventure summer camp 2010, rafting past “Tiger Wall” on the upper stretch of the San Juan River.

This is a guest post by Deer Hill Program Leader, Lexi Tuddenham.

When we arrive with our students at Deer Hill Basecamp, we pause for a moment at the end of the driveway, next to the swinging wooden sign, and explain that we will be turning off the radio here, and that it’s time for them to turn off their ipods and power down their cell phones, both of which will shortly be collected and put in a locker for safe-keeping until the end of their trip. Inevitably, the protests rise from the back of the van—surprise and disbelief on the faces of kids with one earplug still in and two thumbs mid-text. We listen implacably, and patiently explain why: It’s not that there is no music here, or no technology—there will be singing in the sweatlodge , guitars on the palapa, even CDs in the backcountry pantry. But at that moment, with the dirt road winding up and around the corner toward Flint Rock, we want them to focus on what’s around them.

The point is not just to cut them off from the outside world “for the sake of it”, but to allow them to be open and present. To listen to us, to each other, and to themselves. To notice, as we roll up the driveway, the bindweed creeping between the tire tracks, the tick-tick of water spraying on a neighboring alfalfa field, kestrels diving into the high grass, deer sneaking up on the vegetable garden, and Jake the horse standing next to the fence to greet new students with a disdainful “whuff.” To enjoy the sun on their faces, to scream at the cold when they jump into the light-filtered depths of the pond. To begin to form friendships that may last for years.

It’s the start of an experience, a leveling of the ground they stand on, and the opportunity to let the struggles they may be having in their outside lives lie dormant for a few weeks. Unplugging from their digital devices enables them to engage fully in the reality of a Deer Hill trip, to get the most they can from it. According to this New York Times article, however, there may be benefits even beyond the improved focus we are immediately aware of in our students.

The piece tells the story of a group of scientists who take a trip down the San Juan River in Utah, to investigate the effect of wilderness on the brain, specifically, the impact of eliminating the all-pervasive media and communications technology that makes such insistent demands on our powers of attention. David Strayer, a psychologist from the University of Utah, organized the trip, and invited  a number of other scientists from around the country to take part, to see how others from different disciplines would interpret and critique his thesis: “that heavy technology use can inhibit deep thought and cause anxiety, and that getting out into nature can help.”

Mr. Strayer argues that nature can refresh the brain, and describes the tuning in that occurs as we tune out the background noise of urban life: “Our senses change. They kind of recalibrate — you notice sounds, like these crickets chirping; you hear the river, the sounds, the smells, you become more connected to the physical environment, the earth, rather than the artificial environment.”

I can speak to the powerful calming and focusing effects of “switching off”, whether on the river, in the desert, or the mountains. This is why our adventure summer camps, and our class trips, are designed to provide true experiences of immersion in the wilderness, because the benefits of unplugging from our various devices increase exponentially the more time we spend with nature.

Read the original article, which contains photos and video of the beautiful San Juan River, by clicking on this link:

“Studying The Brain off the Grid” by Matt Richtel

Our concept was to structure the journey like a standard DHE course. Beginning at Basecamp, the group was lead through a briefing process much like the one they would all take part in before their summer courses. (Each summer program begins with 2 days of staff orientation and planning time). Introductions were followed by an overview of course logistics and an in-depth talk about risk management from Aleph. From there it was off to pack food and gear for the entire expedition. Doug Capelin provided the evening’s keynote address, welcoming everyone and hosting a forum on the meaning and importance of “authentic community”. After building this solid foundation (and going through a rigorous driver-training program), the group headed out to the field.

The San Juan River in southeast Utah is a classic location for Deer Hill programs (Ancient Pathways and Canyon Country will run the river this summer). For our purposes, the upper stretch of the San Juan, from Bluff to Mexican Hat, provided an excellent classroom for leaders to practice their river skills, learn about desert and river-specific camping and LNT strategies and explore the cultural and natural history of the area. The group was fortunate to watch (from a safe distance) a black bear cub as it rambled along the ledges above Chinle wash, and later practice their storm-proofing skills as an intense low-pressure system pelted them with high winds and hail.

Following our take-out from the river, our next destination was Gravel Canyon, known for its technical terrain, beautiful slots and archaeological treasures. Instructors had to navigate cross-country over mesas and along canyon ledges to find a descent that was used by native people over 800 years ago. Called “Moki Steps” these shallow depressions carved out of the rock face provided passage into the bottom of Gravel Canyon in a place that would otherwise be impassible. From there, the group moved down canyon, passing packs over boulders, squeezing through narrows and exploring archaeological sites. Their exit route involved more technical canyon maneuvers and route finding.

As with any Deer Hill adventure, the course finished back at Basecamp. Gear was cleaned, repairs were made, and everything was put back in its place for next time. With all their responsibilities finished, instructors headed out for the first shower in 8 days, then sat down for a barbeque feast. As I enjoyed the smiles, story-telling and overall good vibes, I felt sure that this group knew how to deliver, and appreciate, the experiences full of fun, safety and learning that make Deer Hill so special for our teen participants on their summer adventures.

This photo, taken during Staff Training for our summer programs, shows some of the dramatic geology surrounding the San Juan River in Southeastern Utah. To begin the day’s leadership exercise, the group of new and returning field leaders hiked over this sandstone bulge and onto the rugged Mule’s Ear “diatreme” in the background. We were lucky to have a couple of geologists in the group who could decode the surrounding landscape for us. The diatreme is an area of vulcanic rock exposed as the softer sandstone around it erodes. Diatremes tend to bring up all kinds of interesting things from deep down in the earth, and standing on top we found tiny garnets scattered around. The Mule’s Ear for which the feature is named is the prominent “fin” of Navajo sandstone on the left of the shot. This was just the begin of a challenging 10-mile hike, during which we met a herd of feral donkeys, spotted some incredible Ancestral Puebloan ruins high up in the walls of Chinle Wash, and, deep in the canyon, saw a bear cub and its mother – an extremely rare (once in a lifetime) sight in this location.

A full report on a wonderful staff training is on the way, but suffice it to say that we are excited about this new generation of outdoor leaders that have joined Deer Hill.