Wilderness Expeditions
Valor students embark on two wilderness expeditions as a hallmark of their high school experience during their Freshman and Junior years. While the daily experience in our classrooms is the primary way we realize Valor’s vision, we also recognize that powerful experiences in some of the world’s most beautiful places can stir hearts in ways that a classroom cannot. In the backcountry, free from the distractions often present in our contemporary life, students awaken to a deepened sense of wonder for the natural world. These expeditions afford our students special opportunities to build lasting friendship and class solidarity.
Valor plans and leads these backpacking adventures in partnership with an experienced, vision-aligned outdoor organization called COR Expeditions. The trips are chaperoned by Valor faculty and led by experienced backcountry guides, with custom content tailored to Valor’s educational vision.
Current Trips
Freshman Expedition
The Valor Freshman Expedition brings together 9th graders on each Valor campus for a week-long backpacking trip in Colorado during their first semester. The trip serves to strengthen bonds within the class by traversing the beautiful and rugged canyon lands of the American southwest.
Junior Expedition
The Valor Junior Expedition prepares our students for their senior year by spending a week climbing, canyoneering, and camping in Moab, Utah during the second semester of their 11th grade year. Our students return with stronger friendships and a firmer vision of leadership before they begin their Senior year.