Not only is it important for outdoor enthusiasts to have a basic understanding of wilderness medicine, but the wilderness first responder course is also the standard minimum medical certification for outdoor leaders like guides, search and rescue professionals, and educators. (Adventure Treks alumni often go on to become instructor interns after having gained this certification.) It’s also an extremely beneficial course for anyone who takes extended backcountry trips and wants to pursue emergency medical training. Over 72–80 hours of classroom learning and hands-on scenarios, students will cover topics like:

• Patient assessment systems
• Risk management
• Vital signs
• Anaphylaxis, allergies, and airway management
• Heat- and cold-related injuries
• Spinal and traumatic brain injuries
• Wounds and soft tissue injuries
• Trauma and shock
• Burns and blisters
• Bites, stings, and wildlife safety
• Splinting and patient packaging
• Dislocations
• And much, much more

Western North Carolina is famous for its whitewater paddling opportunities. Backcountry canoe camping trips offer much of the same magic as backpacking! Students will become fluent in paddling basics, drills, and river safety on both day trips and a five-day thru-paddle of the French Broad River.

We’ll get to hone our whitewater skills at the end of the semester in the Turrialba region of Costa Rica. We’ll focus on kayaking on the Rio Pejibaye before transitioning to rafting on the Rio Pacuare.

Plus, two of our days will be spent on a swift water rescue course, which is designed for anyone who loves to recreate in moving water or who wants to become an outdoor professional! This course is designed for people with little to no rescue experience; students will learn the fundamentals of survival in moving water, plus gain knowledge in hydrology and river classification; swimming and self-rescue; and boat handling and anchor systems.

Skills covered in the canoeing syllabus:

• Essential canoeing strokes (forward and backward, J, C, pry, sweep, draw, cross draw, etc.)
• Ferrying, eddying, and bracing
• Loading and unloading canoes
• Basic rescue techniques
• River packing, camping, and portaging techniques

Skills covered in the kayaking syllabus:

• Common strokes, rolling, and bracing
• Reading whitewater and picking a line
• Surfing waves
• T-rescues and wet exits
• Safely swimming in whitewater

Year after year, backpacking is the most highly rated activity at Adventure Treks for many reasons, including shared challenge, lack of electronic distractions, and what we call “shared humanity.” There’s magic in overcoming obstacles, and it’s even more powerful when challenges are shared with friends. Without electronics, people able to focus on what’s in front of them, and what’s important: themselves, their friends, and creating long-lasting memories. Students are able to step into different leadership roles, and backpacking highlights commonalities and interests that form strong, unbreakable friendship bonds. Backpacking offers opportunities for both type I fun (seeing beautiful views, having deep trail conversations, jumping into swimming holes) and type II fun (steep inclines, inclement weather, forgetting something and having to problem-solve)—both of which create rewarding, meaningful experiences.

Students will hike through the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest and Oconee and Table Rock state parks on several extended backpacking trips, honing such skills as:

• Expedition management and safety
• Orienteering, map-reading, and navigation skills
• Leave No Trace principles
• Camp set-up and take-down
• Building temporary shelters
• Fire-building
• Backcountry cooking

Students will have access to hundreds of miles of terrain in Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest. (In fact, western NC is consistently ranked as one of the world’s top spots for mountain biking.

Skills covered in the syllabus include:

• Proper body positioning for climbing and descending
• How to read the trail and pick a line
• Balance and pedal strokes
• Braking and shifting
• Trail etiquette and basic repairs

We’ll take advantage of the soaring granite domes in Pisgah National Forest to learn how to safely navigate and operate a climbing site.

Skills covered in the syllabus include:

• Advanced knot-tying
• Belaying & rappelling
• Anchor-building
• Movement techniques
• Self-rescue

In addition to helping students become skilled and competent outdoorspeople, we believe young adults must possess a wide variety of skills and habits to help them live rich, independent, and self-reliant lives. Thus, we will also include educational and hands-on blocks for:

• Basic carpentry, plumbing, and electrical
• Basic auto maintenance and repair
• Basic bike maintenance and repair
• Cooking, menu-planning, budgeting, and kitchen management
• Personal financial management
• Interviewing skills and resume-building
• Outdoor equipment maintenance and repair