Camp Dudley Leadership Expedition

The Camp Dudley & Camp Kiniya Leadership Expedition is a 15-day, field-based backpacking expedition. Your course will have a strong focus on being an adaptable team member by having the ability to distinguish between the roles of “team member” (active follower) and “team leader” (designated leader). 

• You will have the opportunity to exercise individual decision-making while facilitating great teamwork. 

• You will learn and develop both technical wilderness skills and interpersonal skills. The combination will allow you to function effectively as a group in the powerful and dynamic landscape. 

• NOLS instructors will coach you through the course in a way that minimizes stress while focusing on peak performance. Students will also learn and practice backpacking and hiking techniques. 

• Our route will traverse trails, steep hillsides, thick vegetation, On- and off-trail hiking near or above tree line, and river bottoms.

The foundation of the Camp Dudley/Camp Kiniya Leadership Expedition is to prepare students to: assume leadership roles in their lives through excellent teamwork, communication, and expedition behavior; live and travel in mountain environments while applying the outdoor skills practiced on this course; connect with natural places that enrich their lives and foster a strong environmental ethic; and apply effective decision-making tools to real-world problems. 

During the course, you’ll live with two or three other students in a “cook group.” These small groups help disperse our impact on the land and enable you to develop the art of backcountry cooking and living. You’ll also travel in small groups throughout the day, usually of four to six people, again to disperse impact and enhance learning opportunities.

This course has the potential to take place in Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains, or the Absaroka Mountains. Both have rugged, glacier-carved mountains renowned for their sheer granite walls and famous for their beautiful alpine lakes.