Deer Hill
Deer hill
Age Range:
15-17 year olds
Location:
Mancos, Colorado
Trip Duration:
2 weeks
Dates:
July 21st- August 7th
ID Needed:
NY REAL ID
Application must haves
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Prospective Deer Hill participants will complete the bulk of the application, but parents/guardians of minors are required to complete some sections.
When submitting the written application, please select the course labeled “Scholarship: [Program Name],” then select that you are applying to come with Summer Search and fill out your mentor’s name. After this is submitted successfully, Deer Hill staff will reach out to set up an appointment with your parent/guardian and reach out to your provided reference.
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Once you are approved to go on an expedition, there is a series of paperwork that a parent/guardian will need to complete. Among these is an updated Immunization Record and a physical that has been completed within two years of the expedition start date.
All paperwork can be uploaded in PDF form to this Google Drive Folder.
A reference is also required for this program. You can ask a teacher, a supervisor, a coach, or you mentor!
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There are no required orientations or workshops prior to attending this Summer Experience.
About the Programs
Expeditions with Deer Hill are truly unique for their blend of awe-inspiring wilderness adventures and meaningful cross-cultural service projects in the American Southwest. Today’s programs are the result of 35 years’ investment in relationships with service host families in the Navajo Nation and Hopi and Zuni pueblos, and a familiarity with the mountains and canyons of the region that goes even further back than that.
Mountains and Mesas
Spend 6 days backpacking through the aspen and spruce forests to the alpine tundra of the San Juan National Forest. You’ll learn to navigate some of the most coveted mountain terrain in Colorado while making new friends and connecting with the land. Afterwards, head to the Navajo Nation for an enriching service and cultural learning experience with one of our host families.
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Start at Basecamp then take the Durango Single Gauge Railroad to get dropped off deep in the Colorado Backcountry. Participate in mountain backpacking, mountaineering, and complete peak ascents before you meet up with the Forest Service to engage in a conservation service project (gain 12 service hours with this Deer Hill program).
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July 21st - July 7th
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The main accommodations available in this summer experience are tents. Since this is a backpacking experience, you and the other participants will carry all materials to set up camp, including your shelters and cooking supplies.
At the beginning and end of this trip, you will stay at Deer Hill’s Basecamp, where you will get to indulge in hot showers and home-cooked meals.
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You will need to travel by plane to Colorado. A NY REAL ID is required to fly. You will also travel by private van and train at various points throughout this summer experience.
While our sophomores are chaperoned at every point of their journeys, juniors are not accompanied by Summer Search to the airport. Program staff typically meet students at the Durango airport and travel with you to Basecamp. Program staff will remain with you until you return to the Durango airport.
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This is an open enrollment program, which means non-Summer Searchers will be able to join your group and you’ll meet folks from diverse backgrounds. There may be a couple of other Summer Searchers attending the same program, but most people will probably not know each other!
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You will not be able to use your phones or any electronic device that connects to the internet once you arrive at Basecamp with program leaders. However, limited communication with family/friends back home is available.
Parents and Guardians are always able and welcome to call the program if necessary — leaders always have working cell phones and service.
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We recommend bringing $100 for personal spending. You may want to buy snacks and souvenirs along the way!
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Southwest Journey
Southwest Journey takes you deep into the heart of the Southwest. You’ll fly in a chartered plane, navigate rapids, exploring the canyons, backpack in the San Juan Mountains, and participate in a cross-cultural service project at Hopi Pueblo.
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Start at Basecamp then take the chartered plane to get dropped off the river launch, where you’ll navigate over 60 rapids while rafting through the “Deso-Gray” stretch of the Green River. Explore the canyons while hiking to meet up at the Hopi Pueblo where you will live and work with the “oldest continually inhabited city” in the United States (gain 32 service hours with this Deer Hill program). Wrap up with mountain backpacking and by completing peak ascents while you return to Basecamp.
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TBD
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The main accommodations available in this summer experience are tents. Since this is a backpacking experience, you and the other participants will carry all materials to set up camp, including your shelters and cooking supplies.
At the beginning and end of this trip, you will stay at Deer Hill’s Basecamp, where you will get to indulge in hot showers and home-cooked meals.
-
You will need to travel by plane to Colorado. A NY REAL ID is required to fly. You will also travel by charter plane and private van at various points throughout this summer experience.
While our sophomores are chaperoned at every point of their journeys, juniors are not accompanied by Summer Search to the airport. Program staff typically meet students at the Durango airport and travel with you to Basecamp. Program staff will remain with you until you return to the Durango airport.
-
This is an open enrollment program, which means non-Summer Searchers will be able to join your group and you’ll meet folks from diverse backgrounds. There may be a couple of other Summer Searchers attending the same program, but most people will probably not know each other!
-
You will not be able to use your phones or any electronic device that connects to the internet once you arrive at Basecamp with program leaders. However, limited communication with family/friends back home is available.
Parents and Guardians are always able and welcome to call the program if necessary — leaders always have working cell phones and service.
-
We recommend bringing $100 for personal spending. You may want to buy snacks and souvenirs along the way!
-
This will be updated in March 2024. Check back in then!
Canyon Country
Canyon Country participants experience the stunning beauty of the Colorado Plateau’s desert from three unique and distinct angles: rafting the San Juan River, hiking through Utah’s Canyons, and working on a service project with a host family on the Navajo Nation.
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Start at Basecamp then spend a few days rafting and kayaking class I and II+ rapids and hiking to overlook points high on the canyon walls. Participate in a cross-cultural service project and homestay in the Navajo Nation (gain 32 service hours with this Deer Hill program) before backpacking through Bears Ear’s canyon systems while returning to Basecamp.
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TBD
-
The main accommodations available in this summer experience are tents. Since this is a backpacking experience, you and the other participants will carry all materials to set up camp, including your shelters and cooking supplies.
At the beginning and end of this trip, you will stay at Deer Hill’s Basecamp, where you will get to indulge in hot showers and home-cooked meals.
-
You will need to travel by plane to Colorado. A NY REAL ID is required to fly. You will also travel by private van at various points throughout this summer experience.
While our sophomores are chaperoned at every point of their journeys, juniors are not accompanied by Summer Search to the airport. Program staff typically meet students at the Durango airport and travel with you to Basecamp. Program staff will remain with you until you return to the Durango airport.
-
This is an open enrollment program, which means non-Summer Searchers will be able to join your group and you’ll meet folks from diverse backgrounds. There may be a couple of other Summer Searchers attending the same program, but most people will probably not know each other!
-
You will not be able to use your phones or any electronic device that connects to the internet once you arrive at Basecamp with program leaders. However, limited communication with family/friends back home is available.
Parents and Guardians are always able and welcome to call the program if necessary — leaders always have working cell phones and service.
-
We recommend bringing $100 for personal spending. You may want to buy snacks and souvenirs along the way!
-
This will be updated in March 2024. Check back in then!
Wilderness Leadership
While all of Deer Hill’s summer expeditions blend fun, challenge, and beauty, Wilderness Leadership gives participants the opportunity to learn the hard skills to guide others through the backcountry. For those interested in learning orienteering in the rugged canyons and mountains of the southwest, this expedition is designed to give each participant the opportunity to develop their own style of leadership in wilderness conditions.
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Start at Basecamp then depart for the Gravel Canyon trailhead for canyoneering, where you will rappel, backpack, and rope as needed through the sinuous sandstone and cave like vaults. Next, you’ll get to participate in mountain backpacking and mountaineering as you traverse snowfields, summit 13- and 14,000 foot peaks and learn orienteering and Leave No Trace principles. Finally, you will head to Zuni Pueblo to live and work on a number of community service projects (gain 32 service hours with this Deer Hill program) before returning to Basecamp.
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TBD
-
The main accommodations available in this summer experience are tents. Since this is a backpacking experience, you and the other participants will carry all materials to set up camp, including your shelters and cooking supplies. Part of this trip will also include a homestay experience with your Zuni Pueblo hosts.
At the beginning and end of this trip, you will stay at Deer Hill’s Basecamp, where you will get to indulge in hot showers and home-cooked meals.
-
You will need to travel by plane to Colorado. A NY REAL ID is required to fly. You will also travel by private van at various points throughout this summer experience.
While our sophomores are chaperoned at every point of their journeys, juniors are not accompanied by Summer Search to the airport. Program staff typically meet students at the Durango airport and travel with you to Basecamp. Program staff will remain with you until you return to the Durango airport.
-
This is an open enrollment program, which means non-Summer Searchers will be able to join your group and you’ll meet folks from diverse backgrounds. There may be a couple of other Summer Searchers attending the same program, but most people will probably not know each other!
-
You will not be able to use your phones or any electronic device that connects to the internet once you arrive at Basecamp with program leaders. However, limited communication with family/friends back home is available.
Parents and Guardians are always able and welcome to call the program if necessary — leaders always have working cell phones and service.
-
We recommend bringing $100 for personal spending. You may want to buy snacks and souvenirs along the way!
-
This will be updated in March 2024. Check back in then!
“This trip taught me a lot, but the main thing it taught me was to be grateful for the land that we have. Before we were here, Native Americans were here, and they had their entire civilization...so it’s a new appreciation for our land; it’s sacred and there’s so much history behind everything. So, we need to appreciate that. ”
Summer Search provides a variety of resources to support you in preparing for your Summer Experience.
From travel tips to what to expect from outdoor activities to live events, we got you!
Remember that your mentor is always your best resource! Reach out if you have any questions or need help with your application.
Summer Experience Support Resources
