I have always thought about what we do at WA as educational. As a alumnus of Wilderness Adventures, I know that what we do on our trips has an immense educational value, and the former teacher in me loves this. Nothing is more affirming of this than reading what our students say they learned on their course. What comes next in this blog, is their words, not mine, about what they learned this summer with WA. We gather this information from our students immediately after their trip has concluded. It not our entire compilation of what our students have learned so far this year, but I think it represents a piece of the educational value of our program. From geology to tent pitching to the value of rain and gratitude, learning does not stop when you do something wild with WA!
Wilderness skills and my own limits/abilities · How to challenge myself and new leadership skills· How to speak in front of people · About others and survival skills · I learned how to act when I’m in the backcountry, leave no trace for example · That my phone is not that important · How much I love rock climbing · I learned how to cook in an outdoor environment · I learned a lot more about teamwork · I learned how important it is to spend time outside and away from media and try new things · I learned the most about backpacking and how to backpack · New ways to enjoy the wilderness · LNT · I learned lots leadership and participation skills and I also learned many skills for many different activities like knots for rock climbing · Tying knots · How to whitewater raft · More about myself · I learned that meeting new people can be fun and I should be grateful for what I have · To not be picky and deal with rain · Backpacking skills · Working with a group · I learned a lot in the kayaking aspect of the trip and the kayaking instructors helped a ton · I developed more confidence in myself · How to cooperate with others and keep the van organized · I learned about myself and how to leave no trace while camping · I learned many skills towards outdoor activities · Responsibility · On this trip I learned I can pick up anything just want as long as I keep doing it for more than 2 days straight · I learned how to make new friends quickly · That everyone must rely on each other in the backcountry · How to act in the backcountry · I learned the most about leaving no trace and effective outdoor living · That the group’s effort goes ahead of yours · To cook · How to survive in the backcountry · How to work with others · To cook · The history of where we went · Teamwork makes the dream work · I learned about spending time in the wilderness, fish, rocks and space and stars · Learned a lot about the surrounding area and the rivers too · On my trip I learned not to take anything for granted because when you are camping you don’t have most of the things you had at home · I learned that it is not good to leave anything that smells outside of a tent because it attracts animals · How to be a part of a small team and leadership · I learned the most about rocks and how they were formed and what type of minerals are inside them · The different animals and geography · I don’t need electronics · How to cooperate with others and adjust to change · That strangers are friends you haven’t met · That I am funny · Hiking, mountains, cool flowers and plants · How to work together as a team · Things about Yellowstone · I learned about how to be more cooperative and a better team player and how to contribute to groups · I learned a lot about myself this trip. I learned what I want out of my life going into senior year and then college. Spending time in a beautiful place with awesome people is a great place to do that. This trip has set my heart on a lot of things for my future.
