Naval Academy Alaska Backpacking Leadership Expedition

The USNA Alaska Backpacking Expedition is a field-based training for Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. Your course will have a strong focus on being an adaptable team member and provide you with opportunities to shift between the roles of “team member” (active follower) and “team leader” (designated leader). 

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

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

• NOLS instructors will coach you through the course in a way that both minimizes stress and encourages peak performance. 

Your expedition will take place among the towering peaks and immense snow-covered summits that characterize Alaska’s world-famous mountains. Possible destinations include the Talkeetna Mountains in southcentral Alaska, the interior Alaska Range, or the Wrangell-St. Elias Range along the U.S.-Canadian border. 

Your course will begin with the basics, including camping, cooking and foundational mountain travel skills. Learning to live well and care for yourself, your fellow expedition members, your equipment and the environment is an important part of this course. You may cross large, glacier-fed rivers or negotiate slopes of loose scree and dense vegetation. You will have numerous opportunities to practice leadership and outdoor skills. 

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, usually of four to six people, again to disperse impact and enhance learning opportunities.