About Our Programs

Living outdoors fosters a unique and enduring community, one which requires collective effort but results in a group stronger than the sum of its parts. We recognize that shared experiences - cooking a meal, singing a song, pitching a tent - forge lasting relationships built on joyful memories and equally shared values.

Through education and experience, we aim to instill an ethic of environmental stewardship that creates a healthier relationship with the natural world. We are committed to following environmentally conscious practices and stewarding our properties for ecological health and resilience.

We recognize that in New Mexico and elsewhere, safe access to public lands,
outdoor spaces, and the benefits of nature is distributed unequally by income and race. We are committed to providing resources, seeking funding, and partnering with other organizations and individuals to resolve these inequities and provide greater access to programs like ours.

We strive to be a diverse and inclusive organization, a value that is paramount to achieving our mission. We are committed to attracting and promoting participants, staff, and volunteer leaders who reflect the racial, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity of our region and our country as a whole. We are committed to transparency about the diversity of our staff, leaders, and participants, and aim to ensure an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who interact with Cottonwood Gulch.

The physical, mental, and interpersonal challenges that often accompany our Treks create highly transformative experiences. We believe that embracing challenges provides a gateway to personal growth, greater self-awareness, and lifelong introspection.

We promote the health and well-being of our participants and staff and adopt strategies to manage and mitigate the risks inherent in outdoor learning experiences, whether in remote areas, schoolyards, or at our Basecamp.

We integrate a spirit of adventure into our programs. We embrace serendipity and unexpected turns as important learning opportunities that, balanced with planned activities, create life altering experiences and long-lasting memories.

Since the 1920s, we have sought to build strong and enduring relationships with Native and Indigenous communities, most notably the extended Henio family. Our Basecamp is located on the ancestral lands of several Native American communities, who have stewarded that land, and all the lands we visit, for countless generations. We continue to honor Native and Indigenous cultures by incorporating diverse sources of knowledge into our programs and land stewardship, learning from past mistakes, and building authentic partnerships with individuals, families, and Native-led organizations.

We value experiences where participants are able to immerse themselves into a place or topic over extended periods of time. This means unplugging from digital distractions, and becoming curious about the people and places that surround us. As part of our immersion in place we educate trekkers about New Mexico and the Southwestern U.S., and create programs that focus on the unique history, ecology, culture, and art of this region.

We believe that programs and communities are strengthened through partnerships. We seek to collaborate with mission-aligned organizations and individuals who serve communities in New Mexico and the Southwestern U.S.

Each member of a team is essential to its well being, and individuals grow and prosper when they are valued as part of a thriving group. As Trekkers “see what needs to be done and do it” they learn the value of work, responsibility, and teamwork, building stronger groups in the process.