Matt Hage
Get ready for a unique Western adventure: horsepacking in the rugged mountains and deserts of Wyoming. Learn to travel and camp with horses as you explore the glacier-carved Wind River Range, sweeping plateaus of the Absarokas, or the striking Red Desert.
Start out with several days of camping at NOLS Three Peaks Ranch. Build community with your coursemates and work on basic skills like grooming, saddling, and riding horses. Then, fill your panniers and head into the mountains, where you’ll put your new horsepacking skills into practice. Wake up early and enjoy the sunrise as you tend to your equine companions. Learn how to apply Leave No Trace principles when traveling with horses, and how to cook tasty meals on a campstove. Fall asleep under the stars, ready for the next day’s adventures.
On this expedition, you’ll discover that horsepacking is a great opportunity to grow your leadership skills. Practice effective communication—with both human and equine companions—as you find your way to the next campsite. Develop your decision-making and problem-solving skills while crossing rivers and traveling across desert plains. Return with the confidence to lead in the outdoors and beyond.
“As we rode out of camp that morning, the rising sun at our backs, I realized at long last that we had truly become competent, confident horse-packers. The twenty-one days I spent on this course were some of the most exhausting, but most rewarding days of my life, and I will be forever grateful to your generosity in making this course possible for me. ”