Exploring Ancient Cliffside Dwellings, Volunteering Along the Rio Grande, and Uncovering the Layers of History in New Mexico’s Red Earth. Written by Changemaker Alum Lahja Wise.
As a Changemaker Alum, I am incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to continue learning from and working with Cottonwood. That all culminated in a final trip that kicked off at Bandolier National Monument.
Our first night was a drive-in campsite, glamping with delicious food that is a luxury only available with car camping. We enjoyed a fun and relaxing night after the 7-hour drive to get there. The next day, we went exploring the trails the monument had to offer. I personally have never hiked a trail with ladders, so that alone was an awesome experience, and we made it to the top of the cliff dwellings located in the canyon. At the top, we all made cordage to connect with the land and people that had come before while admiring the view.
After we finished our hike and saw the extent of cliffside homes, I finally got a grasp of how important this place was. It had been a hub for many people. Innumerable trades and skills were exchanged, and native people from all over America came to stay in what I came to view as a cliffside hotel. It was at least 2 stories! After the immersion in the culture that the hike granted, I began to truly understand how well preserved and how valuable this place was, but it wasn’t ’til I made it to the top of the Mesa later that night that it truly hit me.
Bandolier National Monument is a cornerstone of culture in New Mexico, home to many people, but namely the Pueblo people, though the cliffside hotel hosted a range of tribes. Hence the hotel moniker. We had the privilege of hiking up the mesa and camping on top, surrounded by historical sites. We saw traces of flint-knapped obsidian and pottery shards, creations that stood the test of time. The art and culture, despite being from a time before ours, was still quite prevalent in today’s age, which I personally found quite remarkable. The following morning, I awoke at sunset and felt refreshed.
We switched gears on the final leg of our trip, leaving the monument behind and heading into town. As we moved to the volunteer portion of the trip, we headed to Albuquerque right along the Rio Grande. We had to find some badgers… dens. We didn’t actually see any badgers, but we did see a porcupine in a tree, so it wasn’t a wildlife-free adventure. We strolled the shore of the river and noted all badger activity we could. It was awesome to be a part of a legitimate scientific study—definitely one of the coolest volunteer projects I’ve participated in.
We stayed at Camp Darkmoon, a couple’s land we found on Hipcamp. They were super friendly and welcoming and allowed for a night of fun games and some delicious spicy gochujang noodles. The land was populated with adobe structures made by the host, as well as a campsite we stayed at.
After another night sleeping under the stars, all of my gear was full of the red dust only a night in New Mexico can provide. We cleaned up camp and “slammed some Tams” (Tim Tam Slams) with the hosts before hitting the road on our journey home. We stopped for “sloppers” on our way back, and that was our final hurrah, so we pulled into Pueblo, Colorado starving and rubber-legged with only one thing on our minds—green chili-smothered cheeseburgers dressed up deluxe supreme. It was sour cream, onion, tomato, lettuce, and fries thrown into a bowl with a smothered burger. It was perfection. A metaphor for the bowl of goodness that was our trip!
A sincere thank you to everyone who attended the 2025 Base Camp Bash, which helped raised the critical funding for our Alumni Engagement programs this year.
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