Caroline Lewis

Review of Deer Hill Expeditions

I have participated in numerous adventure and wild...

I have participated in numerous adventure and wilderness programs, as both a student and a field instructor, and Deer Hill continues to stay with me more than any other. Like other outdoor programs, Deer Hill educates adolescents in the mountains and on the rivers while teaching leadership and confidence - building skills. However, Deer Hill goes a step further through its service component with Native Americans in the American Southwest. The magic and new awareness that happens during this time is difficult to articulate. I believe that working with and witnessing a people that still worships nature cultivates a profound appreciation for our Earth, and further with greater Self.
As a student I worked on the Navajo Reservation with my group, and our task was to build a wall around the community center, or Hogan. In the evenings we would participate in community meetings with elders or drumming and music. One of the elders, our host, would also tell Navajo stories and moral lessons with animal and Earth archetypes. Sitting there on the dry, bare Earth, in the Hogan, listening to this older man share his wisdom with us, a gift that is no longer appreciated in my own culture, simply changed me.
Adolescence for me was a time of confusion and fogginess, and Deer Hill provided me with a map and compass to find myself. One could call this a connection to my soul, my true self, or my true nature, but to fully define the beauty of my time as both student and teacher is challenging. What I do know is that my individual experiences with Deer Hill in community felt true, and I am grateful that this feeling has stuck with me.

~~Caroline Lewis