Calling all fall hikers, Yaxche celebrates its annual Mountain Festival. Students, parents, friends, and supporters join in a hike to Williams Lake; lunch and festivities follow. Students are encouraged to seek sponsors to support their roundtrip climb. Participating in the festival teaches children how to ask for money for a cause; explain their purpose; record, count, and keep track of their money; and then follow through with the hike in the Taos Ski Valley. After the trek, we enjoy original Bavarian-Austrian cuisine with Oktoberfest beer for adults at the Bavarian Restaurant, located at the trail’s base. Musical entertainment tops off this exhilarating day.

All proceeds from our hike to Williams Lake and cookout at the Bavarian Restaurant in the Taos Ski Valley benefit our outdoor education programs.

Outdoor programs provide students with the opportunity to acquire wilderness skills, meet challenging goals, work cooperatively, and practice self-inquiry. In addition, students can perform field studies in the areas of natural science, nature writing, and cultural history.

Truly engaged in outdoor education, Yaxche students redefine themselves and expand their awareness—extending their sense of connection to the world, dissolving stereotypes, and broadening compassion. The wondrous environment is the classroom without walls, where nature is our teacher and we learn from the outside in.

(For more information about outdoor education at Yaxche, please click on the following links: Kindergarten-5 and Environmental Awareness and Participation.)