About Us
The Vision Quest we teach comes from Grandfather Stalking Wolf (Lipan) as passed down to Tom Brown, Jr., then to Malcolm Ringwalt and Karl “Bear” Povisils, and onto us. Grandfather’s Vision, in part, was to find the common spiritual truths among the world’s religions and cultures. As such, this Quest is not Lipan but, rather, a distillation of the core experience that is the Essence of a Vision Quest.
All facilitators have undertaken multiple quests and each brings a unique perspective to the experience; Questors are likely to find a supportive sounding board for questions and concerns. Protectors include:
Matthew Hansen’s life-long love of nature led him to study the “survival” skills and philosophies of the Earth’s indigenous cultures at Tom Brown’s Tracker School. Matt retired from a career in forest entomology and his involvement with Vision Quest facilitation is in response to the experience of his first Quest in 1993. He has since completed 16 Vision Quests including a 10-day quest, several shorter Vision Quests (1-2 days), and countless others quests (see Seven Levels). Matt studied Vision Quest protection with Karl “Bear” Povisils and Malcolm Ringwalt in 1995 and has been guiding quests since 1996, previously with EarthFire Outdoor Education. Matt has continued to study with Malcolm Ringwalt (Advanced Protector Training, Teacher Training for Protector Training Course, Teacher Training for Seven Levels of Quest, and Advanced Seven Levels of Quest, among other courses).
Dawn Hansen is a long-time student of Earth-living skills and Earth-centered philosophies, and brings a strong feminine perspective to Questing. She is a retired massage and craniosacral therapist. Her considerable experience with Vision Questing enables her to effectively support quest participants. Dawn first quested in 1994, studied quest protection with Malcolm Ringwalt, and has been co-facilitating quests since 1996. She has continued to study with Malcolm Ringwalt including Advanced Seven Levels of Quest. Dawn also attended multiple women’s spiritual retreats with Allyson Rice of The Total Human.
Bill Howard was trained in Quest 
protection by Malcolm Ringwalt and has experience questing and protecting large quests (>30 people). He runs questing programs in Virginia with Earth Reconnect. “Over the course of my life I have been called to serve mostly in the role of protector. I was also called to seek the physical and spiritual skills of the ancients. My path has lead me to military service, religion, martial arts, and various other searches. Finally, in my 40’s I stumbled across the teachings I had so longed for. They combine the physical, the spiritual and so much more. Now in my 50’s I wish to share what my teachers so unselfishly shared with me. Maybe, just maybe, this sharing will help lessen someone else’s effort.”
Scott DeBerard first 
quested in 2006 and was trained in quest protection by Malcolm Ringwalt of The Oneness Quest. Scott has been facilitating quests since 2014. He is a licensed psychologist in Utah and faculty member at Utah State University.
Our Questing land is in southwest Colorado, about one hour north of Cortez (see blog post). Historically, this was land of the Ute (Núuchi, Nuchu) and Navajo (Diné) Nations. The property is well-forested with ponderosa pine, quaking aspen, and gambel oak. Maximum daily temperatures during the summer months average in the 70s, overnight lows in the 40s.
The elevation is about 8500 feet and the reduced air pressure at this elevation results in about 75% oxygen availability compared to sea level. If you live at low elevation (e.g., <4000 feet), we advise acclimation time in the Durango/Cortez area (6200-6500 feet) before arriving at our camp. A healthy person can acclimate to elevation in 1-4 days and we recommend, for people from lower elevations, a minimum of one night in Durango or Cortez before arriving at our land. More time is better! A climber’s adage to acclimate is “climb high, sleep low”. If you stay in Durango or Cortez, you can visit Mesa Verde National Park (elevations up to 8400 feet) or take the train to Silverton (elevation 9300 feet) during the day before returning to town to sleep. If you live at higher elevation (e.g., >4000 feet) and are in good health, you probably do not need acclimation before arriving to a program at our camp.
