When Mark Sullivan speaks on the Pecos Wilderness Program, it’s not with the distant authority of a director, but with the intimate insight of someone who has walked nearly every mile of the park’s trails for 40 years.
His first Pecos trip was in 1986 alongside his wife, but his first experience with the backcountry was years before then. Growing up in northern Colorado, Sullivan spent his youth in the Rockies, fishing alpine streams and backpacking through places like the Maroon Bells. When he arrived at the school in 1982 as a Lower School Physical Education coordinator, he knew nothing of the wilderness program. Once he learned of it, he signed up for the first trip he could go on, a Middle School campout.
“I don’t think I’ve missed a campout since that time,” Sullivan recalled. “I’ve been on most of those Middle School campouts over the last 44 years or so, and certainly been on every Pecos trip since we started in ‘86, that’s 40 years now.”
The Pecos trip has changed considerably over this time — wool pants and canvas packs gave way to ultralight gear, Ham radios were replaced by satellite phones and Garmin inReach devices. Leaders are now trained in wilderness first aid and medical professionals travel with groups, ensuring their safety without sacrificing the challenge of the wilderness. In other ways, the trip has remained unchanged, ensuring that every Marksman has the same core experience. The Solo, each boy’s day alone in the backcountry, has been a key part of the experience since the very beginning.
“That bond between a kid that went on this summer’s Pecos trip as a freshman and an alum who went on the Pecos trip 50 years ago — that bond . . . that’s a huge aspect of the tradition,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan’s role evolved as the program grew. He served as a group leader, then as a rover, floating between campsites, checking in with boys and leaders. Later, he took over as Program Director, staying in his position as a rover for a few years before taking over as a crucial member of base camp, easing logistical burdens and keeping leaders close to their students. As he became a more prominent member of the program, he developed a deep connection with faculty, particularly Associate Headmaster John Ashton and Fine Arts Department Chair Scott Hunt, over a mutual love for the outdoors.
“We have so many of the same interests and enjoy the same types of things,” Sullivan said. “I would imagine, even if we didn’t have a wilderness program, that I would still be close with them. We would be good friends. It just happens to be enhanced by the amount of time that we’ve spent together, both in the Pecos, and on the middle school camp outs, as well as on our personal hunting and fishing trips.”
For Sullivan, the program’s greatest strength lies not in its logistics or its scenery but in the boys themselves: learning to lead, to support and to shoulder challenges together.
“The greatest benefit of the program is kids being outdoors, kids being with their buddies and classmates in an environment that maybe not all of them are comfortable with,” Sullivan said. “Putting kids in positions where they can be leaders, or just good, supportive teammates and tarp mates.”
That same spirit of teamwork extends beyond the boys themselves. When challenges arise, the faculty and staff step in to carry the load. The program was able to thrive under the challenge of delayed trips because numerous people on campus saw the value of the Pecos and made sacrifices to preserve and support it.
“It’s hard to find people who are willing to go on two trips,” Sullivan said. “But thankfully, we have a lot of people around this campus who are committed to the program, who love the program, who see the value of the program and they are willing to be away from their families for close to a month to help support this program.”