This course will take you through the Adirondack Forest Preserve, one of the oldest protected lands in the country. You’ll climb high rocky peaks, ford chilly creeks, and camp in ancient hardwood forests. You’ll work hard hiking over terrain that can be steep or muddy with all your gear on your back—often following a trail, sometimes forging your own. 

Your course will begin with basic camping and travel techniques: cooking, camping, stove use, map reading, Leave No Trace techniques, and practices for hiking and camping in bear habitat. Later, you’ll move into more advanced topics, including compass use, advanced baking, group dynamics, and developing your own leadership style. Because of this area’s unique natural and human history, you will also have lots of opportunities to check out local history, wildlife, ecology, and learn about the area’s public policy. You may even have the opportunity to work with a land manager on a small service project. 

Whether this is your first backcountry camping trip or your tenth, this course is designed to maximize hands-on learning and doing in the backcountry. For some, this course will be a prelude to a multi-week NOLS expedition; for others, it will provide a springboard to pursuing their own outdoor adventures.