PACIFIC NORTHWEST Jamie O’Donnell 40 www.nols.edu • (800) 710-<strong>NOLS</strong> • admissions@nols.edu
Forest and ocean. Glacier and river. Heather and pine. This is the Pacific Northwest, with its temperate rain forests, stunning ice-covered volcanoes, hidden bays and coves, and lush old-growth forests. Home <strong>to</strong> bald eagles, black bears, mountain goats, elk, porpoises, and whales, this will be y<strong>our</strong> classroom. The Pacific Northwest is the birthplace of the outdoor industry and <strong>NOLS</strong> has been the region’s outdoor education pioneer for more than 35 years. We specialize in c<strong>our</strong>ses for outdoor educa<strong>to</strong>rs and trip leaders, and <strong>our</strong> easy-<strong>to</strong>-access facilities in Conway, Washing<strong>to</strong>n, an h<strong>our</strong> north of Seattle, were specifically designed <strong>to</strong> support <strong>NOLS</strong>’ educational expeditions. We’ll outfit you with everything you’ll need for an expedition in<strong>to</strong> spectacular backcountry, from Oregon <strong>to</strong> British Columbia. Whatever y<strong>our</strong> method of exploration—sea kayaking, rock climbing, glacier mountaineering, backpacking, or sailing—you’ll be in for the experience of a lifetime. PACIFIC NORTHWEST As an aspiring trip leader, you’ll learn how <strong>to</strong> plan routes, communicate with c<strong>our</strong>semates, and make sound backcountry decisions. Olympic National Park, Washing<strong>to</strong>n Betsy Wins<strong>to</strong>n PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRIP LEADER Washing<strong>to</strong>n’s wilderness areas are ideal training grounds for learning how <strong>to</strong> lead backpacking trips. Here you’ll join a diverse group of trip leaders for an overview of the <strong>NOLS</strong> curriculum in a setting designed for leaders and educa<strong>to</strong>rs who don’t have a lot of time or a huge budget. You’ll learn common leadership strategies through dynamic, on-the-trail teaching methods including scenarios, realtime problem solving, and experiential learning. You’ll learn the intricacies of trip planning and how <strong>to</strong> organize expeditions of y<strong>our</strong> own. Our students leave the Pacific Northwest with a higher level of competence and an inspiration <strong>to</strong> lead. DETAILS Age and Length: 18 & Over • Average age: 31 • Duration: 9 days Eligibility: Practicing trip leaders Tuition: $1,150 Optional College Credit: 2 h<strong>our</strong>s Outdoor Educa<strong>to</strong>r Dates: page 106 NEW PACIFIC NORTHWEST BACKPACKING ADVENTURE FOR 14- AND 15-YEAR-OLDS This c<strong>our</strong>se is a 14-day expedition specifically designed for young people wanting <strong>to</strong> learn backcountry skills and explore the natural <strong>world</strong>. With y<strong>our</strong> experienced <strong>NOLS</strong> instruc<strong>to</strong>rs, you will explore the Pasayten Wilderness or Olympic National Park, backpacking through some of the Pacific Northwest’s most pristine wild lands. These wilderness classrooms provide an ideal setting <strong>to</strong> challenge y<strong>our</strong>self and build y<strong>our</strong> leadership abilities. You’ll work hard traveling over varied terrain and be rewarded with views of <strong>to</strong>wering peaks, clear alpine lakes, and dense old-growth forests. You’ll sleep under the stars, learn <strong>to</strong> cook with flair on a camp s<strong>to</strong>ve, and make lifelong friends with fellow c<strong>our</strong>semates. When you return home, you’ll have the skills needed <strong>to</strong> plan y<strong>our</strong> own backcountry trips and the leadership qualities <strong>to</strong> succeed in school and whatever else you put y<strong>our</strong> mind <strong>to</strong>. DETAILS Age and Length: 14 & 15 Only • Duration: 14 days Tuition: $3,060 Dates: page 106 Facing page: The Pacific Northwest will teach you how <strong>to</strong> competently travel across tricky terrain as a team. Glacier Peak Wilderness, North Cascades, Washing<strong>to</strong>n PACIFIC NORTHWEST BACKPACKING The Pacific Northwest is a richly diverse wilderness classroom, ranging from jagged, glacier-carved mountains and valleys <strong>to</strong> evergreen forests and stands of lodgepole pine. This popular backpacking c<strong>our</strong>se has two options for exploring this region. Early season students travel in the Pasayten Wilderness in northcentral Washing<strong>to</strong>n, while late season students backpack through Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula. The Pasayten boasts almost 150 peaks over 7,500 feet in elevation. Rugged ridges in the west flatten in<strong>to</strong> expansive plateaus <strong>to</strong>ward the east, with deep drainages on both sides. C<strong>our</strong>ses that travel in Olympic National Park will traverse from east <strong>to</strong> west while viewing the area’s rugged glacier-capped mountains and wide alpine meadows. Like the first Western explorers, you’ll travel along the wild and rugged Pacific coast, seeing stands of moss-covered old-growth and temperate rain forest. You’ll experience some demanding off-trail hiking as you visit pristine and rarely seen parts of the park. DETAILS Age and Length: 16 & Over • Average age: 19 • Duration: 31 days Tuition: $3,825 Optional College Credit: 2 h<strong>our</strong>s Environmental Ethics, 2 h<strong>our</strong>s Leadership Techniques, 2 h<strong>our</strong>s Skills Practicum Dates: page 106 41