New Mexico Adventures
Due to the recent wildfires in New Mexico, this summers adventures have been canceled.
If you’ve been telling your family or partner for years about hiking in the Pecos Wilderness or eating real New Mexico green chilis, now’s your chance to do more than just talk about it. We are offering, for the first time, two opportunities for alumni and their families or friends to engage with the Southwest we all know and love.
Turn your reunion into an adventure. Stay on after your reunion (for classes celebrating the first weekend) or come a few days early to experience New Mexico! UWC-USA is offering New Mexico Adventures from August 1-5 for alumni, their families and friends between the two reunion weekends. Two adventure tracks are offered — a wilderness adventure or a culinary adventure.
With campus as your basecamp, enjoy three days of day hikes for all levels into the beautiful surrounding wilderness. The hikes will be guided by experienced and trained UWC-USA staff. Trips are dependent on weather and fitness of participants, but possible destinations include Hermit’s Peak, Sebastian Canyon, and other locations in the nearby mountains. Upon return from your hikes, re-energize in the hot springs and plan the next day’s expedition.
The experiences in the mountains around Montezuma are central to so many UWC-USA alumni stories – now you can relive them or share them with your loved ones. Alumni have so many stories about summiting peaks, crossing rivers, or eating lunch in a mountain meadow. If it’s been a few years since you’ve strapped on a daypack or if you have small children, we have options for less strenuous day hikes and activities. If you’ve been very active since you graduated, then Hermit’s Peak or Serpent Lake may be options for you. Challenge yourself as you see fit – just make sure you plan for a soak in the Hot Springs at the end of the day before happy hour, dinner, and conversations with old friends.
While the exact hikes will be determined by interest and weather closer to the day of departure, you can select from a variety of activity levels to match your (or your family’s) readiness for outdoor activity at elevation.
Sample Daily Schedule:
8:00 Delicious hot breakfast in the dining hall
8:30 Depart for Hermit’s Peak (or other destination) for hike guided by UWC-USA staff
12:30 Lunch at the summit enjoying the sprawling views of the Pecos Wilderness
4:30 Return to van and campus
5:00 Soak in the Hot Springs looking up at the Castle while debriefing the day and planning the next!
6:30 Happy hour and dinner in the Castle
Activity Levels and Possible Destinations:
Easy Participants should enjoy hiking and feel comfortable hiking 2-4 miles with elevation gains/losses of up to 500′ . To maximize your enjoyment of the trip and to avoid sore muscles, we suggest beginning a regular exercise regimen at least 2–3 months prior to departure. Recommended exercises include hiking, jogging, cycling, and/or swimming. These options are very kid friendly.
Possible Destinations:
- Blue Hole – learn more about Blue Hole and Lake Park
- Beaver Creek Trail : hike ~2 miles along the creek, crossing bridges and walking through the water, to a beautiful rock slab along the water. We’ll enjoy lunch there and play in the water before hiking 2 miles back to the van.
- Wildlife Refuge in Las Vegas, NM (35 minute drive) – Gallinas Nature Trail
- Villanueva State Park (~1.25 hour drive)- Mesa Trail and river/playground
Moderate Trip members should have previous hiking experience and be in good physical condition. Upon arrival, you should be able to hike up to 6 miles with a 5–10 pound daypack, over terrain with elevation gain and loss up to 1,500′, for consecutive days in a row without major discomfort.
Possible Destinations:
Atalaya Trail in Santa Fe
Round Mountain Meadow: Round Mountain is along the way to East Pecos Baldy Lake here is a map for reference
Gallinas Creek (Burro Basin) – hike along the river, multiple river crossings (wet feet), beautiful meadows with wildflowers
Cave Creek from the Panchuela Trailhead
Strenuous Participants will be carrying backpacks of 10-15 lbs over steep and rocky terrain for up to 11 miles per day. Participants should be prepared to hike over steep, rocky and sometimes exposed terrain, with constant and dramatic elevation gains and/or losses of up to 2,000’–4,000′ per day on most days.
Possible Destinations:
Hermit’s Peak
With campus as your basecamp, enjoy three days of culinary delights with an epicurean immersion into New Mexico.
No matter where they come from originally, most UWC-USA alumni develop a fondness for the cuisine that embodies the culture of the American Southwest. Fresh tortillas, green chili stew, carne adovada, and delicious tamales are deeply embedded in the memories of many alumni. Our culinary-focused New Mexico Adventure features opportunities to experience the food of New Mexico along with a chance to attend a culinary class in Santa Fe and a day learning about the farm and picking produce for a special harvest meal.
Las Vegas is currently enjoying a Renaissance and is becoming a food destination in its own right. We’ll visit traditional restaurants for tastings and also some exciting new restaurants to explore how creative local chefs have become.
Sample Daily Schedule:
Tuesday:
8:00 Delicious hot breakfast in the dining hall
8:45 Depart for Las Vegas – Walk around town
10:00 Start walking Taste of Las Vegas Tour – Explore The Skillet, Bar Castaneda, Pedro’s Bakery, and other foodie destinations in Las Vegas.
3:30 Return to shuttle and head back to campus
5:00 Soak in the Hot Springs looking up at the Castle while debriefing the day and planning the next!
6:30 Happy hour and dinner in the Castle
Wednesday:
8:00 Delicious hot breakfast in the dining hall
8:30 Depart for Santa Fe
10:00 Cooking class, visit Kakawa House (owned by Bonnie Bennet ‘85), and time to explore Old Town Santa Fe.
4:00 Return to van and campus
5:30 Soak in the Hot Springs looking up at the Castle while debriefing the day and planning the next!
6:30 Happy hour and dinner in the Castle
Thursday:
8:00 Delicious hot breakfast in the dining hall
8:30 Walk to Farm
9:00 Farm program begins. Learn about how the farm helps feed the UWC-USA (and Las Vegas!) communities. We’ll bake bread in a traditional “horno” built by local artisans and harvest vegetables for the evening’s banquet.
3:30 Walk back to campus
4:00 Soak in the Hot Springs looking up at the Castle while debriefing the day!
6:30 Happy hour and dinner at the Farm (Both Wilderness and Culinary will be attending dinner at the farm for a specially prepared meal)
Turn your reunion into an adventure. Stay on after your reunion (for classes celebrating the first weekend) or come a few days early to experience New Mexico! UWC-USA is offering New Mexico Adventures from August 1-5 for alumni, their families and friends between the two reunion weekends. Two adventure tracks are offered — a wilderness adventure or a culinary adventure.
Wilderness Adventure
With campus as your basecamp, enjoy three days of day hikes for all levels into the beautiful surrounding wilderness. The hikes will be guided by experienced and trained UWC-USA staff. Trips are dependent on weather and fitness of participants, but possible destinations include Hermit’s Peak, Sebastian Canyon, and other locations in the nearby mountains. Upon return from your hikes, re-energize in the hot springs and plan the next day’s expedition.
Culinary Adventure
With campus as your basecamp, enjoy three days of culinary delights with an epicurean immersion into New Mexico. Experience a tasting tour of Las Vegas, a cooking class at the Santa Fe Cooking School, and a day at the UWC-USA farm learning about cultivation, baking bread in a traditional horno and harvesting ingredients for dinner.
Monday, August 1
4pm – 9:30 pm – Registration at Welcome Center. (Please note that those who attend the reunion July 29 – August 1 will remain in the room you stayed during the reunion. For those attending the reunion on August 5 – August 8 will remain in their rooms through the reunion.)
5:00 pm – 10:30 pm – Hors d’oeuvres and bar open in Castle Lobby.
Tuesday, August 2
Wilderness Adventure – Day of Hiking
Culinary Adventure – Tasting tour of Las Vegas, NM
Wednesday August 3
Wilderness Adventure – Day of Hiking
Culinary Adventure – Day in Santa Fe: Cooking class at Santa Fe Cooking School and explore the old town.
Thursday, August 4
Wilderness Adventure – Day of Hiking
Culinary Adventure – Day at UWC-USA Agroecology Research Center (The Farm)
Fiesta Dinner at the Farm – Wilderness and Culinary Adventure groups
Friday, August 5
8:00 – 11 am – Brunch in the Dining Hall.
6:45 am – noon Check out in the Castle Lobby.
* A minimum of 20 participants is required for each adventure. Due to space limitations the two adventures may not be combined.
** Registration deadline is June 1st, 2022.
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