
For the past 13 years, we have had had the great privilege of guiding the Deep Wilderness Experience for the Wild Gift, a local non profit dedicated to supporting better world entrepreneurs through mentor-ship, project funding and instilling a deep ethic of the wild. Each year, a class of recipients (known as Gifters) is selected from an ever growing pool of inspirational applicants who have begun social and environmental ventures. The 2016 class included 5 Gifters with varied and amazing projects across the globe and all related to this year’s theme on Climate Change including:
Dr. Arun Gupta: Who is developing ground breaking solar panels with his company, Skyven Technologies designed to capture thermal energy used to heat, process foods and for industrial applications.
Bryce Andrews: Rancher, writer and deep thinker, Bryce is beginning a non-profit educational institution: Swallow Tail Foundation, dedicated to critical evaluation of how to better ranching and farming in the West.
Tsechu Dolma: Growing up in a Tibetan refugee camp in Nepal, Tsechu Dolma recognized the need for developing sustainable solutions for the mountain people of the Himalaya. Her venture, the Mountain Resiliency Project , is dedicated to creating viable communities in these rugged and remote landscapes.
Sam Teicher: Has founded a company: Coral Vita, dedicated toward restoring threatened coral reefs by growing and replanting local endangered corals on degraded reefs worldwide.
Alex Wankel: Has begun a new social enterprise, Pachukuti Foods, to create markets for rare Andean superfoods while supporting farmers and protecting agro-biodiversity. Alex strives to tap into the huge potential of rare and underutilized crops by creating innovative new products that are uniquely natural, delicious, healthy, and good for the world.
Enjoy these pictures of our 18 days trekking deep in the wilds of Idaho with SVT guide, Joe St.Onge, and Wild Gift Facilitator, Raj Vable, and click on the links above to find out more about the Wild Gift and these phenomenal ventures:
- Looking toward the peak ahead
- Climbing toward the last rays of sun
- Tsechu, feeling the air beneath her feet
- Tsechu, bargaining with the bars
- Sam, adrift in the wild
- presenting new ideas
- Entering the Chamberlain Basin
- Reflection on the day
- Climbing the final granite slabs toward the “Cheese Grater” pass
- Long shadow trek
- Wild, Sublime, Beauty
- Adrift in thought
- Alex, feeling the immensity of it.
- The magic of a secluded camp deep in the mountains
- Boulder hopping between the Boulder Chain Lakes
- The team, heading for the Peak!
- The team atop Cheese Grater
- Pass #3
- Climbing out of Little Boulder Basin
- Joe, employing a rope for the descent
- Loving the exposure high on the peak
- Alex, grazing on route
- Sam collapses under his book
- Unbridled Joy!
- Arun, psyched to to be high and exposed
- Castle Peak
- Straight from the source, Tsechu fills a bottle from the snout of a rock glacier
- Sharing humor
- 8 hours into an 11 hour trek on day 6
- mmm, a swim and then a some fish for dinner…
- The beauty of each camp was unique
- Lunch break siesta on a big day
- Focus on the final climb to the pass
- Foot wash mid day
- We began the trek at Coyote Yurt, deemed the “air lock”, serving as the acclimatization zone for the wild ahead
- Summit brain storm
- The “Board Room” at Sapphire Lake
- Stoked to make the pass, Castle Peak in the background
- Our 1st trail sign in 16 days was found at the very end of our trek, how fitting.
- Taking a break on the loose descent off the pass
- Heading over into Karma Basin on the dark side of the Boulder Mountains
- 2 legs and a pack among ancient sea beds and a living rock rock glacier at 11,000′
- Camp at sunset
- Pass #4
- the team, deep.
- The team, atop White Cloud Peak #9
- The rock glacier above Cirque Lake is one of the few living glaciers left in Idaho
- Bryce, in his element
- Summit Stoke!
- Each evening, ideas related to the wild, entrepeneurship and making of a better worls were shared, discussed and debated
- The 1st steps up into the Boulder Mountains
- The team after crossing the last of 7 passes on the route
- Serene beauty in it’s natural form
- morning beauty
- Arun, lunch contemplation
- Joe and Bryce discussing options for the day ahead
- a point in nature
- Sunset/moonrise
- Rugged country, no trail and lots of potential
- Dropping down into the Boulder Chain lakes
- heading toward “Cheese Grater” pass
- morning Yoga
- Arun, enjoying an alpine bath
- Many fish were caught, providing tasty nutrition along the trek.
- Gazing toward our home for the night
- Climbing toward the magical land of peaks, lakes and the ancient White Bark Pines in the White Cloud Mountains
- Sam likes his fish al dente
- Climbing above Cirque Lake
- Arun, enjoying the exposure
- YES!
- The Doctor, back in his element
- Contemplating the wild, deep in the Boulder Mountains
- Evening light
- Morning yoga
- Bryce, siesta at the 1st pass
- Yahoo, the team atop the summit!
- heading for the summit of D.O. Lee Peak
- Blazing their own trails, Bryce and Sam point the way toward the future
- The team, above Boulder Chain Lakes
- Castle Peak Board Room
- Clean lines in the White Clouds
- Climbing from one place of magic to another
- Tsechu, always smiling
- Most mornings began with yoga and/or a meditation
- Lake contemplation
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