Yellowstone National Park’s wild eastern neighbor is Wyoming’s Absaroka (Ab-sor-ka) Range, a vast wilderness region with some of the most remote territory in the Lower 48.
You will travel through broad river valleys surrounded by sheer glacier-carved cliffs, camp under towering conifers, and hike across alpine plateaus where the tallest plants are only a few inches high.
You will hone your fly-fishing cast, ford high mountain rivers, practice GPS and compass navigation, and learn how to camp and travel in bear country. Along with grizzlies, other fauna you are likely to see include eagles, bighorn sheep, elk, moose, black bears, coyote, and recently reintroduced gray wolves. For students craving remote, rugged land filled with wildlife, this is your course.
In the Absarokas, you will live the leadership lessons you need to travel skillfully and safely in the mountains long after your course ends.
"I remember the grey rocks I let my
eyes slide over and the dull green lichen growing on their
dewy surfaces. My pulse was a slow pound inside my chest
and head, my heels and hands, letting me know that I was
gaining considerable altitude. Like a thin second skin,
the sweat running down my neck and forehead rippled and
cooled when the slight breeze slid down upon us from the
summit."
