In this shot from our 2010 Southwest Journey adventure summer camp, Evan and Edi hit the first wave in Joe Hutch Canyon rapid in their inflatable kayak. Probably the biggest test in the 85 or so miles of Desolation and Gray Canyons of the Green River, this class 3+ rapid …

Deer Hill’s staff development program is always a rewarding event. Usually the only moment when so many of our field staff are in the same place at the same time, this in-the-field training provides an opportunity for idea-sharing, skill-sharpening as well as the establishment of new friendships and the renewal …

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” …

John Heider’s adaptation of the Tao Te Ching adapts Lao Tzu’s writings relevant to the lives of anybody who finds themselves in the position of leader. Heider takes Tao ideas of “How Things Work” and finds lessons about issues central to leadership: ego, conflict, teaching, intervention, listening, creativity, success and …

Service Leadership teen summer camp. Mudding bread ovens in Zuni is dirty work but fun.
Activities: Inflatable Kayaking, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Campcraft, Leadership Workshops and Initiatives.
Community Service: Cross-cultural service projects in Navajo and Zuni; Conservation service project with the US Forest Service (80 total certified service hours)
Locations: Deer Hill Basecamp, …

Program Leader Emily Wilbert relaxes on the summit of Centennial Peak with her River and Mountain Adventure group in July 2009.
This is a guest post from Eli Shostak, Deer Hill’s Staff Manager:
As Staff Manager at Deer Hill, I spend a fair amount of time chatting with people who are …

This gallery of photos is a guest post from Michael Barton, a Deer Hill field staff member since 2002, who was Program Leader on our Heart of the Rockies adventure summer camp program last year. The Heart of the Rockies features the Weminuche Wilderness, the largest Wilderness area in Colorado. …

Part outdoor adventure story, part autobiographical opus, and part anthropological investigation, this popular book by Southwest Colorado resident Craig Childs creates a vivid picture of the people who inhabited the Four Corners region a thousand years before. Childs immerses himself in some inspiring but unforgiving areas of Colorado, New Mexico, …

This photograph, taken on our Wilderness Leadership program, shows the majestic height and length of the unusual geological formation known as Comb Ridge, Utah. Comb Ridge is a giant sandstone “monocline” that runs 80 miles north-south, in the center of the Colorado Plateau. Incredibly, the San Juan River actually cuts …

Christopher Hohman, of Santa Rosa, jumps into the Colorado River this summer
Something happened recently that gave all of us at Deer Hill a thrill of pride. Last week we received the results from the Summer Search Foundation’s survey of Deer Hill participants. Summer Search is a wonderful organization that seeks …

We were delighted to hear from AC 91 alum Alison Fast recently. She sent us a lovely email that reminded us why we do what we do.
Dear Deer Hill staff (Doug & Bev & family):
Almost 20 years after my experience with Deer Hill, it remains a shining light and inspiration …

Sunset over the famous Shiprock,  seen from the Chuska Mountains in the northern Navajo Nation, with Sleeping Ute Mountain in the background. Photo: Richard Malcolm/DHE.
My name is Wendy Manus McCreight. I am a South Jersey girl who first came out to Deer Hill in high school as a participant in …