College of Charleston junior Terrell Bowers recently completed an 88-day semester in the Rockies, traveling from the high peaks of Wyoming to the red canyons of Utah with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS. From Sept. 2 to Nov. 29, 2011, Bowers, a biology major, and his group of 12 students were introduced to a variety of adventure-based skills such as rock climbing, backpacking, canoeing, and canyon travel.

The course began with a two day Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course, which taught the students how to respond to medical emergencies in remote areas. Following their WFA course, the students then strapped on their backpacks and headed into the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming—a glacier-carved range punctuated with stunning granite peaks. The 15-day backpacking section gave students the opportunity to master the fundamentals of backcountry camping and put their leadership skills to the test with daily route planning and decision-making. Following their backpacking section, the group spent two and a half weeks in canoes, kayaks, and oar rafts, battling class III rapids while navigating the Green River in Utah. The students then spent 20-days rock climbing and honing their technical skills by sampling granite domes and challenging boulder problems in the House Range of western Utah. The final weeks of the course were spent traveling over the mesas and through the deep, narrow waterways of Utah’s canyon country, traveling 146 miles. By the end of the course, students had mastered the skills necessary to not only venture safely, and with minimum impact, into the wilderness on their own, but also to lead others on adventures in the backcountry and front country, alike.

Founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt, NOLS is the leader in wilderness education and sets the industry standard for responsible, high-quality educational expeditions. For more information, visit the web site at www.nols.edu.