cloud peak Newsletter

Summer Update-COVID19

Dear friends,
 
Happy May—I hope this note finds you and yours staying healthy and well, though I know these last few weeks have been fraught with challenges. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
 
Here in the Bighorns, the hills are slipping free of their winter coats as pasque flowers, buttercups, and shooting stars push up and new shoots of green grass emerge like so much laughter.  Snow drifts that have seemed unassailable are slowly giving way to the steady pull of sun.
 
With qualified optimism, I’m writing to let you know that Cloud Peak Expeditions 2020 programs will continue this summer—with a few adjustments to ensure the continued health and safety of our staff, faculty, and participants. You can learn more about our pandemic response plan here.
 
Our current moment brings an invitation to recalibrate—to pause, take stock, sow gratitude, and to consider what we will carry with us when we emerge from this chapter, and what we might leave behind. To do so, we might look towards the natural world for guidance—how can we channel the staying power of granite and embody the fluidity of streams? As Emerson reminds us, “for that guide to find us, we must be still, be quiet. Sit for a while by the river and take in and become its form.” How might we see with new eyes and take a stance that allows us to show up creatively to both the urgency and transformative possibility of this moment?

There is no better place to ground down in order to dream big than at the trunk of a tree alongside a meadow of grazing horses–who remind us to move with intention, to listen carefully, and perhaps most enduringly, that connection, empathy, and care always serve us. Together, we will rebuild and reimagine what our world and worlds look like as we reconnect following this chapter of grief and isolation.
 
I’ve always found that diving head-first into an alpine lake allows me to swim back to shore with a lighter spirit and a clearer vision.  While on the trail, something fundamental shifts; the rhythms of heart and mind begin to mirror the rhythms of the natural world, which tend to be kinder, gentler, and slower.
 
So offered by Isabel O., a participant on a 2019 expedition:
 
“During my week with Cloud Peak Expeditions, the lessons with the most staying power were those of spirit–perhaps intangible but certainly transformative. Having struggled with my mental health over the past few years, the notion of a week removed from technology and distractions initially appeared daunting; what is left of me when the rest is stripped away? My time in the Big Horns affirmed that what is left of me, of any of us, is a breathing, feeling human, hoping we might be defined by the humility with which we pass through mountains, ride those horses, and learn from each other. Cloud Peak not only taught me countless lessons but transformed the very way I learn; to foreground gratitude, to bring open arms, and to treasure curiosity.”
 
The earth is pulling back its blanket of snow to reveal a whole new world—one full of wildflowers and the watery notes of birdsong. As we attend to the messy, the raw, the tender, the difficult and the joyful elements of this shared moment, it may be helpful to remember that the word wild exists at the heart of bewilderment. May we turn to the invitation that wilderness extends—and may we learn from and listen to the lessons it offers.
 
If you have been particularly affected by COVID-19, you may be particularly in need of a joyful experience in the mountains–reach out to discuss your needs and how we can help support them. Both financial assistance and scholarship opportunities are available.
 
Much remains uncertain, though many things remain true. We still need wild places; Wild places still need us. Of this we remain sure.
 
We would be thrilled for you to join us as we recalibrate, rebuild, and reconnect—newly appreciative of the awe and wonder offered to us by sharing in joyful experiences in the mountains together. You can find a complete list of our (updated!) course offerings here.
 
Sending hope, strength, and love in equal measure,
 
Robin Walter
Founder, Cloud Peak Expeditions

Summertime Dreamin’ (2020 Programming)

Dear friends,
 
Feeling that last-of-winter chill? Gazing with longing at mountain meadows blanketed beneath belly-deep snow? Finding yourself lost in thoughts about rambunctious white mules?
 
We are, too—and are here to help beckon in the changing season. With great enthusiasm and excitement, we are delighted to announce Cloud Peak Expeditions Summer 2020 programming. But first, a taste of life on the trail:

More take-aways from time spent in the BigHorns? A participant on last year’s Advanced Horsepacking & Wilderness Skills expedition offers hers:
 
“Being able to participate in a Cloud Peak Expedition is something I would wish upon everyone. There are a million humble lessons that stem from the seemingly simple undertaking of exploring wild lands with others and a herd of mules and horses. The quiet the mind finds in those expansive Big Horns unleashes inspiration and reflection. Experiencing wild lands with horses taught me the importance of extending tenderness to all entities around me. It gave me room to reflect in ways I can't seem to access in daily life. But a lot of the joy came from being in a group of several loosely linked people who worked together to accomplish what needed to be done each day, and to provide one another with lots of stories, laughs, and cheese plates. Perhaps most important, though-- is there any joy that compares to swimming in high-elevation ponds and creeks, or trotting through an alpine meadow on a sweet and sassy mule?” -Maren

It so happens we agree--there’s no greater joy. Experience it with us during an upcoming expedition.

As ever, please connect us with friends and family who would be eager to learn more, and feel free to get in touch with any questions. Happy New Year, New Spring, and New Trails—Here’s to a joyful 2020 (may yours be filled with ample laughter and mules).

Robin Walter
Founder, Cloud Peak Expeditions

Fall Tidings, 2019

Dear all,

It is hard to believe it, but fall is upon us - bringing with it fuzzy mules and a fresh fall buck here and there to beckon in the changing season and to keep dozing riders on their toes. We at Cloud Peak Expeditions have welcomed the change of pace from a full-tilt galloping summer into a more leisurely autumnal trot and are taking the opportunity to take stock of the many gifts this summer brought.

First, it is with a wild mountain yip that I express my deep and sincere gratitude to all those who took a giant leap of faith into the saddle and rode into the hills with us this summer. What a joy to have come to know each of you and to witness the magic of the mountains together. Each river dip, lake plunge, meadow trot, or mosquito musing left tracks all over my heart and will inform the ways in which this mule-loving and mountain-minding dream will continue to unfold in the years to come. Your presence, spirit, curiosity, and love for wild things have impacted me in profound and abiding ways.

We ran five successful trips this summer, each of which was my favorite. Though the themes were varied - Creative Writing, Women’s Empowerment, Backcountry Baking (and burning), and Advanced Wilderness Skills - Pearl the mule’s shameless trail-lunch-thievery was a constant in each—as were the earnest conversations about how to do good by this wild world.

The gifts of the mountains, and the brightness of being they inspire, is perhaps best articulated by the intrepid souls who were brave enough to show up with such inspiring authenticity and grace:

“I could not have ever imagined how the trip would truly turn my life around. Having to trust myself and my body, learning how to care for my mule, the outrageous beauty of the Big Horns, and the bravery and tenderness of the other women all collided into an experience I'll never forget. I laughed until I cried, I shared pieces of my heart I couldn't even articulate before, and I learned to appreciate the natural world and take responsibility for my role in it. I returned home with a much needed perspective shift and some new lifelong friends. It's not an exaggeration when I say, every day I'm reminded of lessons I learned loping through the meadow, tacking my horse, jumping into ice cold water, or sitting around the fire swapping secrets.” –Sammi L., Womxn in the Wilderness Expedition, 2019

"Learning how to cinch a saddle and hitch a pack onto a mule in a grove of pines, or piercing through a creative essay in a meadow of swaying grasses surrounded by grazing horses made the lessons of this trip some of the most meaningful learning experiences of my lifetime. Getting to live, wake, work, travel, problem-solve, and sleep amongst horses in wild spaces makes it possible to gain rapid literacy in complex skillsets that are otherwise inaccessible. Cloud Peak Expeditions is not only a capable, well-established and high-quality outfitter, an incredible experiential outdoor classroom, and an environmental stewardship program, it is also a once in a lifetime opportunity to live in unique harmony amongst powerful animals in stunning wilderness spaces with the insightful and open guidance of a trusted leadership team. As a participant, you will be challenged, you will be seen, you will grow. You will learn more than you could ever anticipate. You will have incomprehensibly beautiful moments that you will cherish for a lifetime. And. You. Will. Have. So. Much. Fun.” -Hannah B., Writing in the Wilderness Expedition, 2019

A founding goal behind Cloud Peak is to ground both our thinking and our actions in an ethic of reciprocity. The lessons in humility, awe, and wonder the mountains offer us are incalculable. How are we giving back to these wild places and beings that give us so much? Once we begin to foster a sense of belonging in wild places, how are we taking care of the home it offers us?

As part of our effort to honor these questions, we are pleased to donate a portion of our profits to local conservation efforts. In addition, the Cloud Peak family answered our call and bolstered our efforts—one of our trip participants went so far as to fundraise for local conservation organizations for her birthday. What’s more, a generous donor and lover-of-all-things-wild has matched our efforts and doubled our impact. A powerful reminder that our individual actions can result in a substantial collective impact. This year, we are excited to make a donation in the amount of $1,262.00 to Sheridan Lands Trust, an outstanding nonprofit that works tirelessly to protect and restore the wilds of the Big Horns. Our contribution will help support current initiatives to complete conservation easements, build multi-use trails, and fund research about the Northern Big Horn Mule Deer Migration. Pearl is very excited about the forthcoming certificate that will welcome Cloud Peak Expeditions as the newest member of Sheridan Land Trust's Visionary Circle. She told me to hang it on the gate.

And, finally, we are beyond excited (like really and truly giddy) to welcome the following mares into our now all-female-herd: Belle, B, and a little four-year-old sun-loving mustang filly. We think we’ll name her Parsnip. Or maybe Lobster. Time will tell.

As I write, flocks of sandhill cranes are making their strange haunting call as they stitch together gathering storm clouds on their long journey South. The aspens are putting on their brightest displays, beckoning us to bask in the last broth of sun before the season turns in earnest. I am looking forward to coming days spent by the fire dreaming and plotting for next season’s mountain encounters full of equal parts reverie and revelry.

It took 40 hooves, 11 tails, 48 hands, and countless more hearts to make Cloud Peak Expedition’s first official season meaningful, joyous, hilarious, and fun. An enormous and heartfelt thanks to each.

Happy fall and happy trails,

Robin Walter
Founder, Cloud Peak Expeditions