Medic for St. Mark's Wilderness Trip

St. Mark’s School of Texas is an all-boys school for students in grades 1-12 founded in 1906. For over fifty years, all rising freshmen participate in an eight-day, seven-night backpacking trip in the Pecos Wilderness of New Mexico.  Due to the closure of the wilderness in 2022 because of fires, two classes of students will be going for five-night trips this 2024 summer, and we are leading the two trips back-to-back. 

The Pecos trip is one of the school’s most honored traditions.  The experience provides the boys an opportunity to reflect on their Upper School experience ahead of them, to consider their responsibilities to the community and to each other, and to imagine the possibilities ahead of them in Upper School.  It is a period of reflection at a critical juncture of the boys’ lives, providing a time to evaluate who they are and who they want to be.  Like many extended backpacking trips in the mountains, the boys learn to cope with uncertainty, to gain self-confidence, to develop self-reliance, and to extend their mental, physical, and emotional limits. The boys practice cooperating with each other, relying upon their classmates in times of need, and sharing the responsibilities of caring for each other along the way.  A rite of passage for all Marksmen, the trip not only teaches boys backcountry camping skills, but it also aims to provide a healthy perspective on modern life and to develop a mentality of stewardship, respect, and appreciation for the natural world. 

Each route varies, but the average daily hike ranges between 3 and 6 miles in length.  While all the routes are challenging, factors such as altitude, terrain, and the condition of the hiker all have a direct impact on the difficulty of a particular route. Groups will hike an average of 3-4 days, with each group spending two nights in one campsite. Additionally, a Basecamp is established as a support for all groups should any issue arise.

Location:  Pecos Wilderness Area, approximately 25 miles northeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Nestled in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Pecos high country is a stunning setting. 

2024 Trip Schedules:

• Orientation: Sunday, August 4 at St. Mark’s School of Texas (Dallas) 8:00AM—5:00pm.
• Trip 1: Departure: Monday, August 5 / Return: Sunday, August 11
• Trip 2: Departure: Monday, August 12 / Return: Sunday, August 18 

Responsibilities and Qualifications

• EMT or Wilderness EMT certification level of training or higher.
• Experience in the backcountry, including working with young people in the backcountry or camp setting.
• Participation in orientation in Dallas prior to leaving for the trip to address final preparations and meet faculty leaders.
• Medics provide first responder care for boys and leaders as needed in the field. 
• Medics travel with one of the ten groups in the field, and they are prepared to move between groups to provide care as needed.
• Medics communicate directly with basecamp, if needed, via two-way radio communications and satellite communication devices.  A daily radio check-in takes place to support each group during the trip.

Interested applicants please submit a resume to Cameron Hillier, Director of the Wilderness Program at hillierc@smtexas.org.  If you have any questions and would like more detailed information, please call 214-883-0088 (cell).