Instructor Backpacking Course

SPRING 2007

The Lord Stirling Instructor Backpacking Course is a 7-day course in the Adirondack Mountains. The course will include; rock climbing (top rope set-up), route planning, hiking skills, weather evaluation, campsite selection, map and compass skills, and first aid concerns. Soft skills will include; communication techniques, leadership, group dynamics, understanding stress, and initiative problems. The goal of the course is to give the participants the skills to be effective outdoor leaders while using the mountains as an effective educational tool that leads to self and group understanding.

Proposed Itinerary

Packing Meeting- One week prior to trip.
Packing meeting will be to issue personal gear and to pack food.

Day 1- Meet at 7:00A.M. at Lord Stirling School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Issue crew gear. Load van. Drive to Rock Climbing site (Delaware Water Gap or Adirondacks). Day of Top Rope climbing including: set-up, belaying, site management, and technical climbing instruction. Drive to Adirondacks. Camp in South Meadow.

Day 2 thru 6- Backpacking in Adirondacks. Typical day includes; 5 to 6 A.M. wake-up, breakfast, lesson, breaking down camp, 8 to 12 mile hike, finding camp site, setting up camp, lesson, dinner, meeting. Solo* will be one of these days.

Day 7- Hike out to van. Load van. Drive to Lord Stirling School. De-issue all gear. Final meeting.

*Solo Experience
We recommend incorporating a solo experience in every trip. Solo is a 24-hour period where students have time to relax, reflect, and rest on their own. Each participant has their own area where they must stay and make camp. They are picked up from their site within 24 hours and return as a group to continue the course.

Cost approx: $625.00 per person
The cost is an estimated cost based on four participants per instructor. This includes instruction, all food in the mountains, transportation to and from the Adirondacks, and equipment (see equipment lists). The cost may change as the number of participants increases or decreases.

Deposit of $300.00 dollars is due one month prior to trip. Balance due by date of departure.