Hypervigilance, used
The stalk asks for slow movement and sharp attention, so the habits of service have a place to go.
Mission
The wilderness
calls them home.
Beyond the Summit Foundation guides veterans on hunting expeditions in the Colorado backcountry. The work is for people carrying what service left behind: PTSD, depression, anxiety, and the feeling of being unhooked from civilian life.
Expeditions are led by veterans. A licensed Master of Social Work with a focus on veteran mental health is in the field, not waiting in an office. Cohorts stay small, about the size of a squad, on trips of four to five days. Veterans do not pay to attend.
The hunt
The Summit
Cycle.
Seven phases around the full arc of the hunt. Scroll this stretch. Each phase takes a turn in the light.
- 01
Search
The expedition opens with intention. Veterans arrive in the country and name what they came looking for.
- 02
Stalk
Slow movement, breath, and attention. The hunt asks for focus turned toward the woods.
- 03
Kill
The ethical harvest, when it comes, is treated as the serious center of the experience.
- 04
Butcher
The work continues in the field. The animal is cared for from the mountain to camp.
- 05
Cook
Food is prepared together. The day becomes a shared table, not a clinic.
- 06
Eat
The cohort eats what the hunt provided. Brotherhood has a practical shape.
- 07
Reflect
The day is spoken about. What moved, what held, and what goes home.
Why it works
Why hunting,
not just the outdoors.
The foundation builds the Summit Cycle on published research into hunting and veteran healing, including work associated with Dr. Keith Tidball, and puts a clinician beside the cohort while they do it.
Absorption
Elevation, cold, and the work of reading the country leave little room for rumination.
The harvest
The foundation treats the full cycle, including the ethical harvest, as the heart of the experience.
Follow-through
The trip is not the end of the relationship. The foundation describes check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days.
Impact
What veterans find
in the wild.
Solitude
Quiet country, away from the noise that can aggravate distress.
Mentorship
A small cohort. Veterans needed again, with something to offer each other.
Identity
The old role of provider and protector, practiced without a speech about it.
Mastery
Fitness, patience, and skill. A hard day with a visible result.
“This weekend was the reset I was craving. I needed to talk with other men that fight the same fight.”
Get involved
Join the
mission.
Veterans
Apply for an expedition
Fully funded trips for veterans. All experience levels are welcome.
ApplyDonors
Fund a hunt
Gifts go toward getting a veteran into the backcountry: gear, tags, guides, and meals.
Donate on ZeffyVolunteers
Offer a skill
Outfitters, guides, clinicians, and anyone who wants to serve people who served.
Email the foundationOr write info@summitstalk.org. Crisis support, any time: dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.