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Site Descriptions

All descriptions fall far short of the beauty and magnificence of these areas. Each is stunning in its own ways. Earth, air, fire, and water weave themselves together in infinite varieties of landscape. What is temporal or eternal, personal or transcendent is revealed in differing features, textures, and balances. We hope these few words are helpful and speak to your heart and imagination as much as your reason.

Death Valley

Southeastern California

(March) Immense, grand vistas, Gold Rush stories, geological oddities. Graveled washes in rocky canyons, sand dunes, vast sky, stillness, sparse vegetation. Time stretching into the distance, brilliant stars, silence punctuated by coyote or raven.

Death Valley

New Mexico Quests

Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness, Southwestern New Mexico

(April and October) A rich and diverse intermingling of mountain, desert, and river ecologies. An area of stunning diversity, grand cottonwoods, oaks, and other deciduous trees thrive alongside ponderosa pine forests and the pinion-juniper cactus zone characteristic of high desert. Rugged mountains descend through dry grass and wildflower meadows to lush river-bottom land. Rich in animal life: deer, mule deer and elk are common.

New Mexico Quests - Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness

Pecos Wilderness, Northern New Mexico

Mix of lush alpine meadows, stands of aspen, ponderosa pine, and spruce. Summer wildflowers, grand views with high peaks all around. Deep cut valleys with mountain streams. Deer and occasional elk. Deep blue skies as towering cumulus build throughout the day. High country quest.... elevations ranging from 8500 to 10,000 ft.

New Mexico Quests - Pecos Wilderness

Chama Wilderness, Northern New Mexico

Stunning mesa-canyon country. Red-rock cliffs striped in Georgia O'Keefe palette. Bright sunshine, brilliant stars, cicadas singing, summer thunderstorms. Pinion, cedar, mule deer, canyon wrens, coyote. Wildflowers, sage fields, prickly pear and cholla cactus in bloom. Pre- and post quest time camped next to river.

New Mexico Quests - Chama Wilderness

Vermont Quests

(May, late August, September) Rolling hills and mountains, lush, fertile woodlands, streams, and lakes. Loons calling at dusk, owls hooting, morning mist rising from the water. Moose, moss-covered boulders, beaver ponds, mirrored lake reflecting mountain and sky. Islands emerging from fog, spring wildflowers, gold and crimson leaves in fall. Honking geese, quacking ducks, eagle and osprey diving for fish.

Vermont Quests