Specifically designed for 7th and 8th graders, River and Mountain combines the power of the wilderness with the rewards of community service. On this expedition you learn basic backcountry skills amidst the diverse and dramatic landscapes of the Southwest. River and Mountain instructors gear their expertise towards fun and appropriate challenges while building positive team camaraderie. The creative energy and sensitivity of Deer Hill’s leaders builds binding friendships and life-changing experiences for our River and Mountain participants.

To begin the expedition, you navigate down the ancient San Juan River in Utah, passing through spectacular redrock canyons, and sleeping on clean, sandy beaches. As you paddle your inflatable kayak or raft as a team, you learn to read the river and maneuver through rapids. Every so often, you pull ashore to hike to thousand-year-old Ancestral Pueblo sites.

Service with Navajo Families

South of the San Juan River, on Arizona's vast mesas, you encounter the Navajo Nation. Living among the Navajo, you help build hogans (traditional Navajo homes), irrigate and hoe fields, build corrals and fences. Cooking and eating together, and living on their land, you experience the Navajo way of life. In addition to your service work, local artisans share their mastery of silversmithing, sandpainting, or weaving.

Backpack Alpine Meadows

The last segment of your adventure is backpacking through the aspen forests and alpine meadows of Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Instructors help you set up a backcountry mountain camp and cook meals you will be proud to have created. One morning you climb above timberline to reach the summit of Centennial Peak (13,062 feet) and see majestic mountainous terrain hundreds of miles in every direction. At dusk, you gather for Circle and enjoy the beauty of summer in the Colorado Rockies and the company of good friends.