EARLHAM COLLEGE WILDERNESS PROGRAM

ADIRONDACK CANOEING COURSE

FEATURES OF THIS COURSE:

THE COURSE:
New York's Adirondack State Park is the largest state park in the country and the site of this new 11-day course.   The Adirondacks are made up of a large network of lakes, rivers, and mountains with public land intermingled with privately owned land. On this course you'll receive an introduction to the essentials of wilderness travel in addition to learning more about yourself, your new peers and leaders, and Earlham College.  You'll cover a wide range of skills including minimum impact camping, canoeing, and outdoor leadership. There will be classes in geology, natural history, wilderness ethics, consensus decision-making, and navigation (among others). You'll work hard paddling the waterways and portaging over muddy, rocky terrain with a canoe or pack on your back but there will also be time to relax and enjoy the beauty of the area.

As the program progresses you will take on increasing responsibility for yourself and for the group. There will be times that push your physical and emotional limits, but also time for contemplation, relaxation, and fun. By the end of the course you will have the opportunity to test the outdoor and leadership skills that you have developed over the previous week, as your instructors give you more responsibility in the daily activities.

This experience is a college-level, one-credit course (EDU 100). As such, there will be assigned reading and you will be expected to participate in all course discussions and related activities. In addition, there will be several assignments to complete in the form of journal essays and presentations. Evaluation and grading on the course will be Pass/No Pass. Students will be given a written and oral evaluation at the conclusion of the course.

A TYPICAL DAY:
A typical day might involve the "leader of the day" rousing everyone at 6:00am for morning chores, a quick but tasty breakfast of hot granola, and some time to load up the canoes and breakdown camp by 8:00am. You might paddle 2-3 miles and take a break right before your first "portage" (a land trail between lakes) of the day. After scouting the portage, you'll organize your group into carry teams to move your gear and boats from one lake to the other (the trail might be as long as a half mile through wet and boggy terrain). As you experience the challenge of carrying a boat on your back, your boat buddy is right there to switch off and supply emotional support. You might get through in "one carry" without resting and you'll find hidden reserves you did not know you had. After a hearty lunch of bagels, peanut butter, dried fruit, and cheese, you are off again, paddling another 2-3 miles to an island in the middle of a quiet lake. There, one of your instructors will teach a short lesson on the trees of the northeastern deciduous forest and you'll learn how to identify common species as well as the basic ecology of the region.

After a break, you continue paddling, taking some time to learn several new paddle strokes, or perhaps a thunderstorm will come up and you will have to paddle to shore for a "lightning drill."  Toward late afternoon you will begin to look for a suitable place to camp (which may be harder than you think!). You may paddle in an hour later than you had hoped, tired, but invigorated from the days challenges. Once on shore, you immediately divide into chore groups- fire and kitchen set-up, camp set-up, and boat storage. As one group cooks dinner, you might have time to sit by the lake, listen to the loons, and write in your journal. After a yummy dinner of beans, rice, tortillas, and salsa, you gather together as a group to discuss the lessons of the day as well as one of the course readings about the ecology of the area. As the sun sets around 10pm (and the mosquito's and black flies arrive in earnest!) you retreat to your tent with three other tent mates and catch-up on readings, journaling, or, if you are leader-of-the-day for tomorrow, the next days maps and route plan. Of course, remember that a "typical day" may vary widely course to course and year to year!

PHYSICAL CONDITIONING:
Conditioning before your course is important for your safety and the safety of others. It will also add to your enjoyment of the wilderness experience.  We cannot emphasize enough the importance of starting a conditioning routine well before your course. We want to encourage, not intimidate you.  Summer Wilderness can be strenuous, but the physical challenges are well within the ability of a person in good general fitness.  Being in shape will not guarantee you an easy time on your course but it will allow you to focus on learning skills, enjoying the companionship of others, and the beauty of the natural landscape.

Summer Wilderness requires both strength (lifting packs, paddling boats) and stamina (long days on trail or in boats).  In addition to doing strength training, be sure to do endurance related activities such as jogging, hiking, cycling, or swimming.  Anything that gets your heart rate up for more than 30 minutes will help build your aerobic fitness.

If you’re beginning a fitness routine, start slowly.  Aim for three sessions a week for about 30-45 minutes each.  Gradually increase length and frequency.

ILLNESS AND INJURY:
Injuries and illness are not common on Summer Wilderness, but they can occur.  Our staff members are trained in first aid and carry sufficient resources for emergency medical services if they are required.  When severe injury or illness requires evacuation and/or professional medical care, the injured person is responsible for costs incurred on her or his behalf.  This includes the cost of transportation from the backcountry to medical facilities.  If the illness prevents the participant from returning to the wilderness, he or she must pay the cost of public transportation home.    Insurance may cover medical expenses and sometimes covers evacuation costs.  If you have questions or reservations regarding the information presented, please contact the Wilderness Office.

BEHAVIOR ON COURSE:
As a venture of Earlham College, Summer Wilderness maintains certain standards for student and staff behavior.  We reaffirm the social rules and expectations stated in the Community Principles and Practices document.   Because Summer Wilderness has specific educational objectives and takes place in particularly unique settings, the program adds its own expectations or restates College positions more forcefully.  We take especially seriously the Earlham community expectations that "members will treat each other with respect and dignity" and that they "will act with concern for the safety and well-being of others". 

Our expeditions are demanding.  Safety and learning depend on maintaining physical and mental condition.  The use of recreational drugs, including tobacco and alcohol, can detract from performance, and is not permitted.

Earlham's Wilderness Programs are deliberately coeducational.  On outfitting day students are assigned to coed expedition groups of approximately 8 students under the leadership of two or three staff members.  In the field each group will travel as a unit, tenting and learning together.  They will share the physical load and camp duties.  The maintenance of morale in this close living situation is incompatible with sexual license and exclusive pairings.  Participants are expected to refrain from sexual relationships during the program.

Violation of the above rules and expectations is grounds for immediate dismissal from the program while on campus or in the field.  Acceptance of admission on the program involves acceptance of its standards.

Contact Us:

Wilderness Programs
801 National Road West, Drawer 87
Richmond, IN 47374
phone:(765) 983-1327; fax: (765) 983-1207
Wilderness@earlham.edu