NWC Outdoor Education

Running the 24 Hour Boulder Ultra Race Album 2

2011-10-16T20:53:00.002-04:00

Running the 24 Hour Boulder Ultra Race

2011-10-16T20:47:00.003-04:00

I ran and completed 71 miles at the Boulder Colorado 24 Hour Ultramarathon race. Enjoy some pics of me, the scenery of the course and of other racers.

Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky District

2011-10-14T21:33:00.002-04:00

Arches National Park Album 2

2011-10-14T21:25:00.002-04:00

Arches National Park

2011-10-14T21:16:00.002-04:00

Dead Horse Point State Park - Moab Utah

2011-10-14T21:06:00.001-04:00

Colorado National Monument

2011-10-14T20:56:00.001-04:00

Running the Slickrock 50 mile ultra Moab Utah

2011-10-10T09:53:00.002-04:00

The only thing I love more than mountaineering and exploring is running marathons, 50 mile, 24 hour and 100 mile ultra races. What doesn't kill you serves to make you stronger in spirit and character!!

Waterfalls in Beartooths

2011-09-28T22:55:00.002-04:00

Sunrise in Sunlight Basin and surrounding area

2011-09-28T22:49:00.001-04:00

Outdoor photography

2011-09-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

random outdoor photography

2011-09-21T23:46:00.001-04:00

outdoor adventures

2011-08-26T00:09:00.002-04:00

Adventure and fun never stops album 2

2011-07-30T00:09:00.001-04:00

The mountain fun and adventure never stops:)

2011-07-30T00:03:00.001-04:00

Silvertip Peak Album 3

2011-07-25T20:33:00.003-04:00

Silvertip Peak album 2

2011-07-24T14:42:00.001-04:00

Silvertip Peak

2011-07-24T14:37:00.001-04:00

more mountain mania

2011-07-16T00:33:00.002-04:00

Mountain mania

2011-07-16T00:29:00.002-04:00

Grnd Canyon National Park Album 3

2011-07-10T13:01:00.002-04:00

Grand Canyon National Park Album 2

2011-07-10T12:56:00.001-04:00

Grand Canyon National Park

2011-07-10T12:52:00.003-04:00

more Great Sand Dunes National Park

2011-07-10T12:46:00.002-04:00

Great Sand Dunes National Park

2011-07-10T12:40:00.002-04:00

climbing the "W' peak in the Big Horn Mountains

2011-04-25T22:24:00.002-04:00

April 25, 2011 The "W" Peak in the Big Horn Mountain Range. The "W" is the 7th. steepest peak in Wyoming.

more mountain fun in April 2011

2011-04-24T11:20:00.001-04:00

Misc. Adventures

2011-04-05T22:13:00.002-04:00

Includes skiing East Entrance Yellowstone, Badlands National Park, more.

Outdoor Winter Survival Snow Cave

2011-04-05T22:06:00.002-04:00

Wilderness First Aid Pics 2

2011-04-04T15:27:00.001-04:00

Enjoy more pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wilderness First Aid Pics

2011-04-03T22:00:00.002-04:00

Enjoy, these are some fun pics from senario featuring bear attack!! FUN, enjoy.

Rappelling

2011-02-21T18:01:00.002-05:00

Just testing the video feature, this is from the Outdoor Recreation Activities class, rappelling off the Math and Science Building.

Winter Outdoor Survival

2011-02-21T12:41:00.004-05:00

This past weekend a group of 16 students headed up to the A.L. Mickelson Field Station to test their skills while being stranded in the wilderness over night. The basis of the course is to educate students on how to handle being stranded and make it through the night. The students are given information in the weeks leading up to the weekend trip, and once at the field station, are sent off into the woods to create shelters and fires to see how comfortable they can stay until the following morning.

This year we had a number of styles of shelters, from simple snowcaves to more elaborate ones and variations of caves made with traps, along with straight tarp and stick shelters. Posted are some images of the shelters constructed by everyone.

Sunday morning we also spent some time talking about avlanches. Understanding the mechanics and physics of them, as well as what to do if you were caught in a slide. We fortunately had a great location to dig a number of snow pits, and play with avalanche beacons as well.

Fall Rock Climbing Class

2010-10-04T13:49:00.003-04:00

The Beginning Rock Climbing class got out for their second day this past Friday. It was a nice sunny day out on the Limestone, can't ask for much more. We set up two 5.8 routes. One was a class limestone route, pretty steep and filled with pockets, the other was a bit of an addity for limestone, it climbed through a crack in a roof, and continued up the crack most of the way to the top.

The second route also made accessible a 5.11 route for anyone that was willing to give it a try. It climbed a hard line through the same roof with an awkward move that put your hands behind your head and then into a horizontal lieback. But once over that, it was nice cruising up 5.8 to the top.

It was a great day for everyone, and good job to all! You can see some more photos on the outdoor website.

windy Peak album 2

2010-06-02T10:34:00.002-04:00

more pics, enjoy

Justin

Windy Peak

2010-06-01T00:57:00.003-04:00

Enjoy these pics from Windy Peak.

more caving pics

2010-05-01T23:56:00.001-04:00

Spirit Mountain Cave

Caving

2010-05-01T23:50:00.001-04:00

Pics from caving at Spirit Mountain Cave.

News and Info

2010-04-16T12:00:00.003-04:00

RIVER MADNESS
So it has been a little while since I have been able to post information, but I wanted to pass along a few highlights of the recent. Over spring break, a group of 16 students and 2 instructors took a trip down to the San Juan River in southern UT. The River Guide Skills course spent 4 days on the river learning about rafting, river dynamics, multi-day river programming, and more. It was a great trip, combining a little bit of everything from sun and warm weather to cold and rowing through the snow. There will be photos posted on www.northwestcollege.edu/outdoor soon, check them out!

Wilderness and Remote First Aid
We are also currently in the process of creating a new course: Wilderness and Remote First Aid and CPR. This course will replace the standard first aid and CPR course that is currently required for Outdoor Education students, and be offered to anyone that will be travelling in the backcountry as an option to learn more about handling emergency situation that arrise when you are not close to advanced medical help. Upon successful completion, students will receive certification through the American Red Cross. The course was developed in conjunction with the new Boy Scouts of America wilderness protocols, which were developed working with the Wilderness Medicine Instute of NOLS in Lander, WY. This will be a big step for out students as the wilderness certification is a requirement for employment in the outdoor field.

We are anticipating this course to be taught during a three-day weekend at our mountain field station campus where students will be immersed in the "wilderness" for a variety of practical hands-on scenarios.

Advising Day
Advising day will be Tuesday, April 20th. If you are not scheduled, please stop by your advisors office to schedule a time to register for classes. This summer we will be offering beginning kayaking and rock climbing again, as well as Introduction to Mountaineering. The mountaineering course is in the spring schedule for the end of July, but has changed to meet in June. We will also be offering a three day Standard First Aid and CPR class that will be offered at the Cody Center in June.

Please contact the Outdoor Office if you have any questions regarding upcoming courses or interest in information pertaining to the DELTA Challenge Course program or upcoming DELTA facilitator trainings.

NWC River Guide Skills San Juan River Trip

2010-04-05T16:02:00.002-04:00

We took a rafting trip on the San Juan River in Southern Utah starting at Mexican Hat and ending at Clay Hills. It was especially awesome for me as it was my first rafting trip and Im not experienced on water. Here are several epic pics from the trip. Enjoy.

adventure and fun

2010-03-18T01:18:00.001-04:00

misc. outdoor adventures

2010-03-10T23:25:00.001-05:00

Winter Outdoor Survival

2010-03-10T12:08:00.004-05:00

The past couple of weekends, students have been building skills to assist in the unfortunate event of being stranded in the mountains in the wintertime, a potentially deadly turn of events. However, the likelihood of disaster can be lessened dramatically if the person(s) is able to stay calm, keep clear thoughts, and do everything possible to assist in their own rescue and survival. The course is designed to teach students the basics of survival, but also to teach basic winter techniques to keep them out of the survival situation in the first place.

The highlight of the class is the weekend spent at the A.L. Mickelson Field Station where students are sent out Saturday morning into the woods, where they are left stranded until Sunday morning. The students are grades on the construction of a proper, efficient and effective shelter, fire building skills (the ability to start a fire with one match) and whether they stay out all night or not. This year was one of the few where every student was able to stay outside all night long.

Students are allowed to bring with them a sleeping bag/pad, tart, rope, matches, and light source. While it is encouraged to build snow shelters when there is enough snow on the ground, most students decide to construct a shelter from wood and tarps. Typically, the next morning, most students gain a full understanding of what worked and what did not, and the first comments about their shelters are the need for more snow and insulation. There is nothing like learning from first hand experience, especially when it can be in a controlled and safe environment. Below are some images of shelters and students during the two weekends in the field.

The first group had the hardest weekend for certain. It was snowing the entire weekend, high temps were in the low to mid 20's while the low was about -4 that night. The second weekend was a bit nicer, more like being stranded in spring as the high was near 50 and the low that night was barely at the freezing mark. However, I think all of the students were able to gain a good understanding of what is needed in the event they are truly stranded. The necessity of a good fire for warmth (some students took the challenge to go without sleeping bags to make a more realistic scenario and relied heavily on a quality fire) and the need to collect as much of the supplies needed while it was still light out.

DELTA- The Building of a Whale

2010-02-26T11:11:00.004-05:00

This past week we have been working on the construction of a new low ropes course/initiative problem for DELTA called the Whale Watch. The challenge is that the group is to get onto an 8' x 12' platform that is balanced on a log. The entire group must get onto the platform and divide themselves without the platform tilting down and touch the ground on either side. Given the success of the group, it can also be arranged that once the group is entirely on the platform, they must split half and half, then change sides. A number of variations can be used like that in order to create additional challenges.

The Whale Watch will be located at the A.L. Mickelson Field Station course, and will be transported up as soon as the snows melt, which might take a couple more months!

Ice Climbing

2010-02-08T12:10:00.005-05:00

This past weekend, the PEAC 1600 Ice Climbing class took to Shell Canyon to try out climbing on some real ice (not the 2x10 wood on the climbing wall any longer). Sunday we spent getting aqcuainted with the equipment and movement on ice climbing on the Shroud, a low angle WI2 slab. The benefits to this style of climbing is that it give the climber the chance to really understand climbing ice using your feet.

Sunday we headed back up the canyon to the climbs above the Post Creek Trailhead. After a long uphill hike, we found our desination to be occupied by a pair from Casper (so it goes when you go climbing) so we headed to the left and found "Skinny Sister", an 80' WI3+. The climbing was great on vertical chandeliered ice, and gave the students the oppertunity to try out some harder climbing.

Below are some photos from Sunday, courtesy of David Leinen.

"Skinny Sister" WI3+

"V-Thread" Lesson and Practice

Personal/Professional Outdoor Portfolio

2010-01-26T11:15:00.004-05:00

We are beginning to look at professional portfolios in the Outdoor Leadership class and I wanted to take a minute to express some thoughts on the creation of a portfolio and its importance to the current and future outdoor professional. It is widely known that in the realm of outdoors, experience is everything. Experience is where you gain the knowledge to make accurate and qualified decisions regarding your group and ensuring adequate and proper risk management.

While more and more organizations are offering, and employers are requiring, relevant certifications, many time in order to take a certification course or exam you must show proof of your experience in the way of hours of involvement, total number of days, length of programs, etc. A portfolio is the best way to track that information. In a lot of cases, this will be a portfolio that is for you, kept by you, and not necessarily viewed by potential employers or certification boards, but will allow you to judge for yourself whether you meet the required criteria and are eligible for the certification or position. On the other hand, many places will require you to show proof of documented experience and will want to view your portfolio. In fact, it may make the difference between whether you or someone else is hired for a position.

So with that said, what should one put into their portfolio? The simple answer, everything. It will be used as a reference when creating a resume or outdoor resume as well, so record everything you do. Trainings, conferences, presentations, classes, certifications, personal experiences (days you go out and play) and professional experiences (days you work, paid or volunteer). There is no real set standard as to how you should record the information, but there are specific things you want to include. You can also find examples from organizations such as the Association for Challenge Course Technology, www.acctinfo.org. They have a template for the challenge course professional to record all relevant information.

An example of things you would want to include for various topics in a portfolio would include the follow. Keep in mind different activities require different skill sets, risk management assessments, and more. Document anything unique to any of the experiences you have, good and bad. Show that you have learned from bad experiences, we have all had them at some point or another.

1. Rock Climbing
a. Route name
b. Location
c. Grade/Rating
d. Lead/Top-Rope
e. # of pitches
f. Traditional or sport climbing
2. Kayaking/Rafting
a. River name
b. Class of river
c. Type of craft (kayak, raft, canoe, etc.)
d. Length of river section
e. Number of days (if applicable)
3. Mountaineering
a. Route name
b. Mountain
c. Range/Location
d. Snow, Ice, Rock, Combination
e. Rating/Grade
f. Length of climb/days/etc.
g. Unique characteristics such as avalanche danger, etc.
h. Any glacier travel
4. Challenge Course
a. High or low course
b. Number of hours of program
c. Group name
d. Lead or Assistant Facilitator
e. Static or Dynamic Course
f. Setup/Takedown?
g. Indoor/Outdoor

Your professional and personal experiences can be logged in the same format. Be sure in to include the dates of everything. If they are professional experiences, also add in the number of group members/clients you worked with and if applicable any specific things you taught such as belaying, rappelling, setting anchors, rolling a kayak, self arrest, glacier travel, and on.

The biggest thing to remember is the need to document all that you do. It will be much easier if you start now rather than try to remember everything you have done in the past 5, 10, 15 years. Just like any profession, your experience speaks highly for your qualifications. The more you can show the better off you will be. It will also help you to remember anything specific from past experiences that might be relevant for a position opening, or even to help you remember what you have done in the past and use for future programming.

Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range

2010-01-22T14:56:00.002-05:00

Check out the wild horse pics!!! It was rad, man!!!!!!

Thanksgiving weekend mountain FUN 2

2009-11-30T02:20:00.001-05:00

More cool pics to enjoy.

Thanksgiving weekend mountain fun

2009-11-29T21:49:00.002-05:00

More of my adventures, Enjoy

Justin

ATV Fun on Thanksgiving Day

2009-11-27T22:34:00.001-05:00

Enjoy these pics of me tearin it up on the ATV!!

OE CLass first to use new ropes course

2009-11-23T17:03:00.003-05:00

The Challenge Course Facilitation class spring Friday, November 20 up at the A.L. Mickelson Field Station participating in, and learning about the new ropes course. With the new course up and running, it was the perfect time to bring students up to use and learn about the course. This course differs from the one at the college as it is a static ropes course. In other words, once the participants are up in the course, they are there until they are finished.

This type of course is run differently then the dynamic course on campus, where participants are belayed individually on each element, and when finished are lowered to the ground. The students experienced all the elements as well as took turns acting as a facilitator for the rest of the class. They learned about the intricacies of this course, risk management concerns and more. One of the major concerns for facilitators is being able to safely and completely observe multiple people at one time.

Participants are self belayed through the use of "Lobster Claws", so the facilitator must at all times be cognizant of what is happening to each participant and themselves. A highlight is the finish. We once again have a Zip-line for participants, the final element of the course, and the element used for participants to get back to the ground. Below are a few photos from the day.

Outdoor Ed Major helps teach in Hawaii!

2009-11-17T17:09:00.002-05:00

This spring break, the Humanities Field Studies: Hawaii trip will be travelling to the islands again for 10 days. While out, students will enjoy surf kayaking, snorkeling, 3 days of backpacking along with a immersion into a new culture and provides community service to local population. Sound like fun?

This year, for the benefit of the course, as well as one lucky student, the class will have an Outdoor Education & Recreation Leadership student join them to assist with the class and gain first hand experience on a large scale adventure. Not only will they be able to gain experience travelling, they will have the opportunity of a life time assisting with the instruction of the course, logistical planning, and facilitating of trip too add to their repertoire of knowledge and skills, as well as their resume.

Again, Northwest College has proven the willingness to provide our students with exceptional opportunities to gain real world experience. Opportunities that will help students grow and foster future professionals who are ready and willing to contribute with a solid background in skill and experience.

This spring will set the stage for future students and classes. We hope to continue this program, giving at least one Outdoor Education major the opportunity to assist with the Spring Break Hawaii class. This will also create a template where we will be able to offer the same opportunity for additional students who excel and are willing to put forth the energy and motivation required to benefit from the program.

Enrollments

2009-11-11T17:44:00.002-05:00

Enrollments in Outdoor Education continue to rise. We have been blessed by having an increase in Outdoor majors over the past 2 years and it shows in the number of students registering for our classes. Advisiing day and registration for spring 2010 courses took place yesterday which showed that we will continue on this trend. It looks like we will have another good semester getting the oppertunity to take a number of NWC students out into the wild where they can enjoy new expereinces, learn skills and techniques and continue to grow in order to become outstanding Outdoor Educators!!

mountain pics

2009-11-11T00:42:00.001-05:00

sierra nevadas

2009-11-07T23:57:00.001-05:00

Awesome pics from my 2 month journey in the sierra nevadas of california. Including from the summit of Mt. Whitney 14,500 ft.

Justin

mountain scenery

2009-11-07T23:51:00.002-05:00

Check out these beautiful pics. Enjoy

Mountain adventures

2009-11-07T23:44:00.001-05:00

Here some pics for you all to enjoy.

More fun

2009-11-07T23:37:00.002-05:00

More pics from mountain trips.

Adv. Fundamentals of Outdoor Eucation Course Added

2009-11-05T14:00:00.002-05:00

The outdoor program is happy to announce the addtion of the new Advanced Fundamentals of Outdoor Education class. This course is specifically designed for students who have completed the OEPR 2250 Outdoor Leadership class and are looking for additional experience facilitating, leading, and teaching outdoor programs. It is also offered for current DELTA facilitators who are faciliting on the challenge course to provide additional training and challenge course leadership skills.

Students enrolled in the course will assist with basic level activity based courses and teach specific topics of certain activities. Students will get first hand experience in the outdoor setting planning, implementing, and evaluating lessons and other students.

Students will work with the course instructor to create lesson plans and design teaching methods approariate for the activity and/or topic. They will gain evaluation from the course instructor, instructor of the activity they are assiting with, and from the students and participants of the programs they are working for.

For questions about the course, please contact the Outdoor Education & Recreation Leadership Program Director at 307-754-6115 or keith.mccallister@northwestcollege.edu.

Spring 2010 Courses

2009-10-30T18:23:00.005-04:00

As Advising day looms near, or for those who might just be interested, there will be a number of classes available to get you out of the classroom. Check out the following and if you have questions before registering, contact the OE department at 754-6115 or keith.mccallister@northwestcollege.edu

Spring 2010 Courses:
- River Guide Skills- during spring break on the San Juan River in Utah.
- Winter Outdoor Survival
- Advanced Rock Climbing- learn new techniques as well as gear and anchor placements
- Outdoor Leadership
- Rock Climbing
- Kayaking
- Ice Climbing
- and more.

Check out the website for more information on what classes are available. www.northwestcollege.edu/outdoor

Backpacking in the Beartooths

2009-10-30T17:50:00.002-04:00

The Outdoor Living Skills: Mountain class spent three days up in the Beartooth Mountains from September 25-27. We split into two hiking groups, one in Beartooth Lake and one in Island Lake and met at Beauty Lake. It was a perfect three days, with sunny weather, warm days, and cool nights; not a cloud in the sky. On Saturday we went for a day hike further north up towards Lonesome Mountain. What a view from up there! Below are some images of the trip, our camp location, the boys trying to catch fish by hand, and a great group shot of half the class.

New Outdoor Logo

2009-10-30T17:49:00.002-04:00

Keep your eyes posted around campus for the new Outdoor Education logo on the backs of jackets and water bottles. We also have a number of stickers should anyone have an obsession with stickers or need to add some decoration to a water bottle. Stop by and you may be able to pick up an Outdoor Ed water bottle as well.

New High Ropes Course Completed

2009-10-30T17:45:00.001-04:00

For the past year, DELTA has been working on the creation of a new high ropes course located at the A.L. Mickelson Field Station. In early September it was finally completed and is ready for use. The new course includes 6 high elements and a zipline along with a number of new low elements. We are very excited for its completion and to start working with groups up in the air.