Adam Swisher
Head to Wyoming and explore the mountains. On this course, you’ll travel through Wyoming’s Wind River Range learning the basics of traveling and climbing in the mountains. Whether you’re camping for the first time or an experienced backpacker, this course will have new challenges for you. Spend days traversing snowy glaciers. Climb high passes and explore lodgepole pine forests. Learn about local ecology as you see the terrain change from green meadows to steep granite crags. As you travel, you’ll learn fundamental mountaineering skills like belaying, rappelling, climbing technique, and building anchors in snow and rock. Then, when your group is ready, you’ll take these skills and try to climb some of the famous peaks of the Wind River Range, which might include an attempt on Wyoming’s tallest mountain, Gannett Peak.
In addition to the focus on mountaineering, you will also learn leadership. Making decisions about a route with your group will teach you about communication. Hiking through valleys and across rivers will be your chance to learn tolerance for adversity. Living in a tight community with your team will introduce you to group dynamics. You’ll be in a different leadership role every day, finding out what your unique style is and how your style supports the team. At the end of this course, you’ll walk away with real experiences that will help you be a leader no matter where you find yourself.
“The nature of the course forces you into the moment, requiring you to be in touch with your surroundings, and focused on the task at hand. Instead of being attached to your phone, you’re focused on the weather patterns, or the snow conditions. This is an awareness that I think is easily lost outside of the wilderness. There are too many distractions that draw people away from making the most of the present.”