We’ve combined wilderness and whitewater into this course for an exciting 28-day backcountry adventure. You’ll begin backpacking for 18 days among the sculpted peaks and mountain meadows of the Beaverheads or Lemhi Range in Idaho. You’ll climb peaks and fish for trout as you learn to travel through rugged mountain terrain and forested hills.

Practical, hands-on learning is the way you'll develop solid technical skills. Photo: TC Rammelkamp

Group management in steep terrain and map reading are two of the skills you’ll learn on your way to becoming competent backcountry travelers. For the last 10 days you’ll swap backpacks for boats and raft the wild waters of the famous Salmon River. The Salmon bisects the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in the Lower 48.

You’ll navigate the Salmon’s whitewater in paddle rafts and oar rigs, learning strokes, commands, guiding basics and advanced maneuvering. The Frank Church has an abundance of wildlife, including gray wolves, peregrine falcons, black bears and bald eagles. Fish species include native trout, sturgeon and Chinook salmon.

After this course, you’ll know what it takes to complete a wilderness expedition, whether it’s getting through the mountains or down a river.

Salmon Backpacking and Rafting Features world-famous Orvis™ fly fishing curriculum and gear. Duration: 28 day Age: 16 and Over (Average age 19) Tuition: $4,885 Dates: June 22-July 19, 2008 July 16-Aug. 12, 2008 July 24-Aug. 20, 2008 College Credit: (Optional) 6 Semester Credit Hours 2 hours Environmental Ethics 2 hours Leadership Techniques 2 hours Skills Practicum Course start/end: Salmon/Boise, Idaho Equipment Deposit: $250 Fly in/out: Boise, Idaho Downloads Salmon River: Course Description (pdf) Equipment List (pdf)

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