COR Expeditions

Nothing like a good summer BBQ! ☀️🌭

Good food, great company, and even better memories. Our summer staff barbecue was the perfect chance to relax, reconnect, and celebrate the incredible people who made this summer so special!!

“The past two years have been filled with life. Real life, in the form of thunderstorms and bears and mountains waiting to be climbed.  Real life, in the form of real laughter, vulnerability, and growth. I’ve seen friendships forged in the smithy of suffering, and I’ve witnessed God make Himself Incarnate, again and again, in the Eucharist and in those around me. […]

As good as the wilderness is, though, most of us are not called to stay there forever. After His transfiguration, Jesus resumes His normal appearance and hikes down from Mt Tabor with His disciples. There, in the ordinary streets of ordinary cities, He will continue His ministry and eventually save the world.  None of us can remain in the mountains forever. Just as with every student after a COR trip, Christ calls each of us to follow Him into the ordinary and to seek and find Him there.” - Margaret Mary

Thank you Margaret Mary for being so generous with your time and talents!

The Feast of the Transfiguration reminds us that mountains are places of encounter, but not places to stay.

Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up the mountain, where they glimpse his glory. It’s a breathtaking moment, and Peter wants to build tents and remain there. But Jesus leads them back down.

The mountain isn’t the destination. It’s where we’re transformed so we can return to the world with renewed purpose.

Backpacking has a way of quieting the noise and opening our hearts to God. But the invitation is always the same: carry what you’ve received into everyday life. The trail ends, but the mission continues.

May every summit remind us that we don’t climb to escape the world—we climb so we can come back ready to love it more deeply.

One week in the wilderness > a whole summer indoors.

How are you spending your summer? Come adventure with COR!

Every grand mountain peak and magnificent rock formation, let it serve as a reminder of the Lord, who is everlasting. He has your life in his hands!

Re-ration alert! Sometimes during our trips our participants will get a re-ration with food and some gear!!

Climbing a mountain pass is hard work. I think everyone reading this who has ever hiked uphill agrees with me! Your lungs burn, you pant; your calves tighten and flex. Whether you are slowly making your way up a rocky hillside, burdened by a pack that seemed way lighter at the trailhead; whether you are running, if running can be a turtle’s pace, tripping over every small thing on the trail; whether you are skiing, dreaming of the descent but mostly preoccupied with one foot in front of the other - it’s tough, it’s hard, and the only way out is through.

Standing at the top though, looking down, seeing how far you’ve come; feeling the wind hit your face, take your breath away, blow your snack out of your hand high on the edge of a cliff - what a perspective shift. Being present at the edge of the world: it takes your presence and shifts your attention. Sometimes that uphill climb that burned your legs and lungs looks so much simpler, less steep, and you wonder why you struggled; sometimes all that is beneath makes you see how far you’ve come, how high you are, how exposed your position is, and you catch your breath sharply in your chest as the wind tries to pull it away. Whatever exposure exposes - that your suffering was worthwhile, that it was not as hard as it seemed, that your lungs burned for a reason and you have truly accomplished something: let that be your gift, the gift of grace, of meeting God in the heights, that you carry down the mountain with you.

Looking for an adventure-filled internship that builds leadership, outdoor skills, and your resume?

The COR Fall Intern position offers a unique opportunity to serve behind the scenes and in the field with COR Expeditions.

Interns receive free room & board, a weeklong backcountry leadership training, a Wilderness First Responder certification, and the chance to shadow professional guides—all while supporting life-changing wilderness experiences for students and youth. Ideal for energetic, mission-driven individuals with a passion for the outdoors and ministry.

Apply now—positions fill fast!
Applications Due - July 31

What is it like to be a lady in the backcountry? Put simply, it is my favorite place to be. Bringing women - whether high school girls, young adults, moms, older women in a new season of life - into the wilderness feels like bringing them home. 

Why, you ask? (And I get asked this a lot!) Why? Especially because the backcountry seems so suited to men: physical challenge, the ability to build brotherhood, risk, exposure, mental toughness. All those things are not wrong.

But the wilderness is also a place of sisterhood - of encounter, of vulnerability, of tenacity - of wonder, of peace. Of pondering things in one’s heart. Of receiving and giving beauty. Of reaching out towards someone else’s heart and saying, and experiencing, the truth: you are not alone.

The Lord Himself has said, “I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.” Yes, there are passes to cross, mountains to climb, and rivers to ford: but there is also an invitation, an invitation for the feminine heart - and we invite you to answer it. 
—Sarah Carlstrom, COR Expeditions

August 9-15

Women’s Summit Backpacking Trip
For Women Ages 30-65
Wind River Range, WY
Comment SISTERHOOD for details + registration link!

Instructor Course in The Winds On Film!