Semester in the Southwest: Just Beginning

The Gila Wilderness, the nation’s first designated wilderness area, offers travelers a unique journey through rugged mountains, serene meadows, harsh deserts, and deep canyons. This diverse region is home to mountain lion, black bear, elk, antelope, deer, bighorn sheep, bald eagle, wild turkey, peregrine falcon, red-tailed hawk… and NOLS Southwest Semester students on the backpacking section of their semester.

As students make their home in the Gila, they spend their days mastering backcountry travel techniques, learning about local history, culture, geology, and ecology, perfecting culinary skills, and soaking in the beauty of the Gila.

Watch here for stories from current semester students about their adventures backpacking in the Gila and more, as they continue their semester throughout the Southwest–caving in the famous Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico; climbing at Cochise Stronghold, Arizona’s premier climbing destination; canoeing on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park in Texas; and using the skills they’ve acquired on a final Student Expedition in the Galiuro and Gila wildernesses.