Raft the San Juan River
Service Leadership is rooted in the powerful combination of heartfelt community service, leadership dynamics and wilderness travel. The journey begins with a leadership and team building orientation on the San Juan River. For three full days, you raft and inflatable kayak a 27-mile stretch of calm meanders and lively currents. You'll learn the history of this ancient breathtaking landscape while you enjoy fresh foods on sandy beaches, and sleep under the stars.
Service with the Navajo
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, and weaving. Deer Hill has been developing friendships on the Navajo Nation for 20 years. It is because we have so honored our relationships with these exceptional people that we are able to offer such in-depth and unique experiences for Service Leadership.
Interact with the Zuni People
South of the Navajo Nation is the Zuni Pueblo. Since 1992, Deer Hill has built, mudded, and repaired beautiful round traditional bread ovens under the guidance of Zuni elders. We hoe gardens, help the elderly, maintain irrigation ditches, and tutor summer school children while in service to the Zuni Pueblo. We visit the pueblo’s eagle aviary, a Zuni project that humanely gathers feathers from injured eagles for ceremonial purposes. We may be fortunate to witness an unscheduled Zuni ceremony as these special people celebrate their gratitude.
Day Hikes and Peak Ascent in the San Juan Mountains
As your Deer Hill experience comes to a close, you’ll spend 3 nights base-camped in a beautiful high mountain meadow. From this spectacular vantage point, you will have an opportunity to ascend a 13,000’ peak and learn to take care of yourself and the needs of your backcountry community. Leaders help you prepare for an organized solo experience. This is a special time to reflect, read, write, and draw while being “alone” in nature. Your expedition culminates with a ceremonial sweat lodge and banquet at Deer Hill.
It was hot and the wind was blowing hard. Dark clouds swirled around us. Children played in puddles of water left from making adobe bricks that morning. I could hear faint chanting in the distance. I love the smell of rain when the first drops hit the dust"
Jody Kemmerer
Morristown, New Jersey
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