Dingoes: The Dingoes had another exciting week in the desert. Two of our students received tokens. One of the tokens was “brightness” which means this students bring light to the group or bringing forth a positive nature in view. This was during their parent visit while they presented their parents with tokens. Another token was received by a student leaving the field. This token was “strong cord” meaning to bind the group together. Half way through their week the Dingoes traveled up a peak known as chicken rock lead by their therapist Greg. This was a great day hike for the boys and they had an enlightening gathering on top of the peak. The group welcomed a new member this week and another learned to make fire for the first time.
Brumbies: The Brumbies had a challenging week full of hiking and working diligently on their busting sets. We conquered a difficult cross-country hike that required the boys to come together as a team to support each other and push to the end. Two Brumbies had their parent visits this week and took accountability for their actions in emotion-filled family therapy sessions. One student received the True Speaker token and another student was honored with his trail name, in true Outback fashion, through a heartfelt ceremony. The Brumbies enjoyed the cooler temperatures, which allowed us to hike during the day and band together to adjust to a new daily schedule. Overall, it was an awesome week in the desert!
Gnowees: The Gnowees were a small but mighty group this week. We bid farewell to one student and two students participated in Peak Week. In the West Desert, one Gnowee earned her trail name, Ascending Phoenix. The two senior Gnowees led the group as emotional leader and logistics leader. The two youngest Gnowees finished their busting sets and were able to bust coals. We enjoyed a full moon ceremony on top of a small peak where we set intentions for the upcoming month. We had fun practicing early morning yoga and experimenting with mudra meditation. Our beloved canine friend Kai was honored with a patch for having spent 100 days at Outback.
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PEAK Week – Adventure Therapy @ outBACK
This week our Peak Week Expedition was composed of two Gnowees, two Brumbies, and one Dingo. We were a team of strong hikers and athletes, traveling the West, Central, and Southern Utah deserts with gusto and agility. This week our team of five students and three guides did not shy away from hard conversations. We talked openly and honestly about ourselves, working on change and struggling with the loss of the lives we used to know. We opened our week with a powerful sweat lodge, physically sweating and metaphorically disposing of the parts of our lives that did not serve us. After travelling into the dark caves of the Meadow Lavatubes, Endearing Otter received the Winged Heart token for his resilience in a ceremonial grounds decorated with sunflowers and lava rocks made by Brilliant Raven. We then moved south into a hot desert of Joshua Trees and grey mountain silhouettes. We rock climbed and learned about trust, fear, and accomplishment. We rappelled in Goblin Valley State Park and learned about self-efficacy and epic adventure. We looked into a huge telescope at the full moon during a ranger talk under the stars. We problem solved what fairness looks like in the group, who does what chores, and what healthy relationships look like.
