Draft:COR Expeditions

COR Expeditions is a non-profit outdoor adventure and activity organizer based in Lander, Wyoming. An outreach branch of Wyoming Catholic College, in 2016 COR Expeditions ran its first four trips and received its own name following the growth of the Outdoor Leadership branch of the college. It was originally headquartered in a repurposed 400 sq. ft. barbershop building on N. 3rd St. in Lander, WY before eventually moving to a larger 5,000 sq. ft. facility on the same street (allowing it to hold a gear inventory of about 20,000 items). "COR" is an acronym for Catholic Outdoor Renewal and the Latin word for heart.

Mission
According to Dr. Thomas Zimmer, director of COR, its mission is “To provide transformative wilderness experiences which renew the hearts (cor being Latin for heart) of those who participate.”

Accreditation
COR Expeditions accredited by the Association for Experiential Education (AEE), which means that it meets or exceeds industry standards with regard to risk management and professionally trained technical staff. AEE has recognized it "as being in the top 10% of all outdoor programs, including NOLS and Outward Bound."

Trips
As of 2023, COR Expeditions runs approximately 100 trips per year. offers courses which include backpacking, rock-climbing and rappelling, mountain biking and various water sports like canoeing, kayaking, and whitewater rafting. They also run winter trips which include cross-country and downhill skiing, as well as ice-climbing. COR Expeditions runs trips in many states of the USA, as well as internationally, including New Zealand, Iceland and Scotland.

21-Day Trip
One of the primary annual trips run by COR Expeditions is the 21-day freshman orientation expedition for Wyoming Catholic College.

Partners
While offering courses as part of the Wyoming Catholic College curriculum, it also offers many trips for third party institutions, such as FOCUS, Benedictine College, Eagle Eye Ministries, and various high schools like Valor, Holy Rosary Academy, St. Martin's Academy, and St. Louis Catholic High School. COR has also worked with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas to construct a week-long backpacking trip in Utah for its seminarians. The locus of activities with partner institutions has varied over the years. For instance, prior to 2019, COR staff members traveled to Florida several times and led experiential leadership retreats for students at Jesuit High School in Tampa, FL. However, between 2019 and 2023, students from Jesuit High annually traveled to Wyoming for week-long outdoor expeditions led by COR staff in the Wind River Range of the Rocky Mountains.