Karuna Expeditions partners with Western Colorado University for transformational cultural immersion

Crested Butte-based Karuna Expeditions partnered with Western Colorado University in August to deliver a powerful cultural engagement experience and an 11-day expedition into the heart of the Peruvian Inca Empire. Led by Karuna founder Seth Quigg and WCU faculty member Nate Gore, the journey brought students deep into Peru’s Sacred Valley and along the legendary Classic Inca Trail, blending academic learning, cultural immersion, and high-altitude adventure.

Gore, an experienced outdoor professional and educator, reflected on the profound impact of expedition-based learning:

“As seasoned outdoor professionals and enthusiasts of demanding mountain environments, we understand the transformation that comes from the demands of expedition. Expanding our comfort zones, pushing our limits, and experiencing the unfamiliar are just a few of the countless reasons why we embark on these pursuits and strive to build careers around adventure.”

He continued:

“Educators in the field have the extraordinary privilege of watching a future generation of leaders grow into their own during these expeditions. We get to witness students navigate uncertainty, challenge their assumptions, discover their capabilities, and ultimately return home transformed—not simply by the places they have visited, but by the people they have become along the way.”

Cultural Immersion in Willoq

• A highlight of the expedition was a full day spent in Willoq, a non-touristy Quechua village high in one of the Sacred Valley’s drainages. Students and local community members gathered to explore what it means to be human, alive, and connected. Cultural barriers dissolved as the group participated in:
• A traditional Pachamanca, an underground cooking ceremony honoring the earth
• Hands-on weaving instruction, learning to spin alpaca wool into yarn
• Crafting bracelets alongside Quechua artisans
• Traditional dance and communal celebration
• A ceremony led by the village shaman to honor Pachamama, where students helped bury a sacred offering bundle filled with coca leaves, llama fat, flower water, and other ritual items into the earth

This exchange offered students a rare, authentic connection to Quechua lifeways—reshaping their understanding of culture, community, and interdependence.

A Journey Through Inca Cosmology

The group then embarked on a three-night, four-day trek along the Classic Inca Trail. Along the route, students learned how ancient Inca people and modern Quechua descendants relate to:

• Pachamama, the earth goddess
• Apus, the sacred mountain spirits
• The sky, the land, and the world below

This animistic worldview inspired students to reflect on their own relationship with nature—both in Peru and back home in the Gunnison Valley.

Karuna founder Seth Quigg noted:

“Traveling opens doors into different realities and can change how people view the world and themselves in it.”