
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:
- Boulder hopping between the Boulder Chain Lakes
- Heading over into Karma Basin on the dark side of the Boulder Mountains
- Unbridled Joy!
- Joe and Bryce discussing options for the day ahead
- Alex, feeling the immensity of it.
- Morning yoga
- The beauty of each camp was unique
- Reflection on the day
- Focus on the final climb to the pass
- Looking toward the peak ahead
- The rock glacier above Cirque Lake is one of the few living glaciers left in Idaho
- The team after crossing the last of 7 passes on the route
- Sam likes his fish al dente
- Climbing from one place of magic to another
- Climbing toward the last rays of sun
- Clean lines in the White Clouds
- Foot wash mid day
- heading toward “Cheese Grater” pass
- Straight from the source, Tsechu fills a bottle from the snout of a rock glacier
- Long shadow trek
- Sharing humor
- YES!
- Bryce, siesta at the 1st pass
- The Doctor, back in his element
- Pass #3
- Contemplating the wild, deep in the Boulder Mountains
- Climbing the final granite slabs toward the “Cheese Grater” pass
- heading for the summit of D.O. Lee Peak
- Tsechu, always smiling
- Arun, lunch contemplation
- The magic of a secluded camp deep in the mountains
- Tsechu, feeling the air beneath her feet
- Rugged country, no trail and lots of potential
- Dropping down into the Boulder Chain lakes
- Climbing toward the magical land of peaks, lakes and the ancient White Bark Pines in the White Cloud Mountains
- Stoked to make the pass, Castle Peak in the background
- Wild, Sublime, Beauty
- Evening light
- Joe, employing a rope for the descent
- Castle Peak Board Room
- Blazing their own trails, Bryce and Sam point the way toward the future
- morning Yoga
- Taking a break on the loose descent off the pass
- Sunset/moonrise
- mmm, a swim and then a some fish for dinner…
- Many fish were caught, providing tasty nutrition along the trek.
- a point in nature
- Most mornings began with yoga and/or a meditation
- The team, above Boulder Chain Lakes
- Pass #4
- Tsechu, bargaining with the bars
- Bryce, in his element
- 2 legs and a pack among ancient sea beds and a living rock rock glacier at 11,000′
- Alex, grazing on route
- Yahoo, the team atop the summit!
- presenting new ideas
- the team, deep.
- Loving the exposure high on the peak
- Adrift in thought
- Entering the Chamberlain Basin
- The team atop Cheese Grater
- 8 hours into an 11 hour trek on day 6
- The “Board Room” at Sapphire Lake
- Summit Stoke!
- Lunch break siesta on a big day
- The 1st steps up into the Boulder Mountains
- Climbing above Cirque Lake
- The team, heading for the Peak!
- The team, atop White Cloud Peak #9
- Lake contemplation
- Our 1st trail sign in 16 days was found at the very end of our trek, how fitting.
- Camp at sunset
- Summit brain storm
- Arun, enjoying the exposure
- We began the trek at Coyote Yurt, deemed the “air lock”, serving as the acclimatization zone for the wild ahead
- Serene beauty in it’s natural form
- Castle Peak
- Climbing out of Little Boulder Basin
- Gazing toward our home for the night
- Arun, enjoying an alpine bath
- Arun, psyched to to be high and exposed
- Sam, adrift in the wild
- morning beauty
- Sam collapses under his book
- Each evening, ideas related to the wild, entrepeneurship and making of a better worls were shared, discussed and debated
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