Returning to the Great Outdoors

As St. Mark’s celebrates the 50th anniversary of its Wilderness Program, the School is preparing to send Marksmen back into the great outdoors. In August, the freshman class will finally embark on their Pecos Wilderness Trip, one year after the pandemic grounded all student travel. Like thousands of Marksmen before, the Class of 2024 will venture out into the mountains of New Mexico to discover inner strength, create lifelong bonds, and take a significant step on their path to manhood.

“I can think of no place more perfect than the backcountry of New Mexico for reminding us of the importance of relying on those around us and of supporting our peers,” said Cameron Hillier ’13, St. Mark's English teacher and Director of the Wilderness Program. “St. Mark’s brings people into a community together and bonds them, but the Pecos does that on a deeper level because of the shared discomfort, challenge, and growth that happens in the week.”

As part of the preparation, the School has been coordinating with a team of medical professionals and paramedics, many of whom have been partnering with the Wilderness Program for years. Later this month, students and parents will attend an orientation where trip leaders will share advice and recommendations to prepare for the 10-day excursion. 

The Pecos Wilderness Trip is the culmination of the Outdoor Education Program that begins in middle school. The Pecos is also a rite of passage for the students leaving Middle School and going into Upper School. While the Class of 2024 is taking its trip this year, the Classes of 2025 and 2026 will both take their trips next summer, getting the program back on schedule. The boys are led by faculty and staff members, as well as Upper School “sherpas,” who help guide the groups through the wilderness. Over the 10-day trip, Marksmen learn to set up camp, build shelters, start a campfire, cook and clean, and manage every other aspect of their survival. The trip also includes the Solo, a 24-hour period that boys spend totally alone in nature. 

In 1971, St. Mark’s first sent boys on a camping trip to Big Bend National Park. The following year, the School led the rising freshman class to the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico and has been going back ever since. Today, the Wilderness Program encompasses numerous camping trips, teaching boys the values of both self-reliance and cooperation.

Click below to watch a video produced to commemorate the Wilderness Program's 50th anniversary.