Cottonwood Gulch: Prairie Trek Expedition Recently Updated

As the longest running trek at the Gulch (since 1926!), Prairie Trek has an extensive history of bringing young, male-identifying 14-16 year olds into challenging and beautiful spaces. PT focuses on further developing identities as members of a greater community, with an emphasis on accountability and mindfulness. This trek links young people with intersecting identities and challenges them to recognize their roles and responsibilitiesto each other and themselves.

Prairie Trek spends 5 weeks connecting with the Southwest, driven by a focus to establish healthy, harmonious relationships between trekkers and who/what they encounter. Trekkers will spend their time between our Basecamp in the Zuni Mountains of Northwestern New Mexico and on the road. PT's road loops; one in Southern Utah  which includes visiting the Moki Dugway and Escalante National Monument and another in Northeastern New Mexico, visiting the Taos area which includes Wheeler Peak and Gold Hill, will also include at least 2 backpacking trips. 

PT will focus on taking action in the communities they visit, which may include traditional ecological knowledge-driven restoration projects such as building one rock dams for watershed restoration, mapping and plotting sections of land, and removing invasive species from a particular area. PT trekkers will expand on their technical skills, gaining comfort in front country camping (tents, tarps, road kitchens and groovers) and in the backcountry (packing backpacks, using Whisperlite stoves, and navigating with a map/compass). At the end of the summer, these young men walk away with confidence, community, and a deep respect for eachother and themselves.