In the Wilderness -- Deep Nature Access
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” Terry Pratchett
In The Wilderness Training: Deep Wilderness Access This advanced block gives the participants the skills necessary to gain access to remote areas that require various challenges.
- DWA ORV 01: Driving Off Pavement
- DWA ORV 02: Preparing for Going Deep Driving Off Pavement
- DWA ORV 03: Going Deep Driving Off Pavement
- DWA 01: Backpacking First Trip
- DWA 02: Backpacking
- DWA 11: Abseiling: Rappelling and Ascending First Trip
- DWA 12: Abseiling: Rappelling and Ascending Intermediate Trips
- DWA 13: Abseiling: Rappelling and Ascending Advanced Trips
- DWA 21: River Rafting
- DWA 22: River Rafting Intermediate
- DWA 23: River Rafting Advanced
- DWA 31: Equine in the Backcountry First Trip Session
- DWA 33: Equine in the Backcountry Advanced
- DWA 41: Basic Backcountry Skiing and Ice Camping First Trip
- DWA 42: Intermediate Backcountry Skiing and Ice Camping
- DWA 43: Advance Backcountry Skiing and Ice Camping
- DWA 42: Snowshoeing, Crampons, and Ice Camping
- DWA 43: Technical Climbing Vertical Ice and Snowshoeing First Trip
- DWA 44: Advanced Winter Climbing, Skiing, and Ice Camping
- DWA 45: Advanced Avalanche Knowledge and Skills
- DWA 41: Scuba Basic Open Water Certification
- DWA 42: Scuba Underwater Nature Skills
- DWA 43: Scuba: Elevation Diving
- DWA 51: Aviation First Bush Flights
- DWA 52: Aviation Ground School
- DWA 53: Aviation Flight School
- DWA 60: Paragliding/Skydiving
Session EOS 01 - 09 and OGC 01 are required previous to attending any of the session in this block. The companion text for this block of classes is Deviating From 68 Degrees: A Hand Book For Thriving In the Wilderness – Volume 2: Venturing Off The Pavement Session DWA ORV 01: Driving Off Pavement
Driving Off Road
High school drivers training did not prepare you to venture off pavement and to get to the best trailheads to go backpacking, skiing, riding, hunting, fishing, or just camping require you to drive on un-maintained dirt roads or jeep trails. Even if you only drive in a few minutes you must be prepared to be able to make it back to the pavement when you plan to, to be safe, and not needing to be rescued are learned skills and not to be taken lightly. Each year people drown, roll, some dehydrate because of being lost, stuck, run out of fuel, or other equipment failure. Most of these statistics were unprepared or made bad choices when just trying to get to the trail head. Before you lock in those hubs you should take this class. We will be car camping.
Session DWA ORV 02: Preparing for Going Deep Driving Off Pavement
It raises the bar when that trail head is miles and hours in, are you truly self-sustaining when help could not be reached. You must be prepared for the all the “What Ifs” not only for your own needs but the needs of your off road vehicle. You must go from a mindset of miles per gallon of fuel to gallons per hour and the mind set of when is it prudent to turn around and go back. We will go deep into what is most likely fail on your vehicle, what spares and mechanical skills you need to have. We will be car camping but not going in deep but plane and prepare for the next trip. Session DWA ORV 03: Going Deep Driving Off Pavement We will go in deep, push your comfort zone, and use that 4x4 for what it was designed for and get that paint dirty. In the security of a group of skilled people you will practice the skills you were learning in the previous classes.
Session DWA 01: Backpacking First Trip
This session meets twice before packing it in, first to go over gear required, next to check fit and appropriateness of weight and disperse common gear. We will then backpack into a wilderness area for an easy trip.
Session DWA 02: Backpacking
These trips vary in days, distance and degree of difficulty. Participants can attend any number of sessions.
Session DWA 11: Abseiling: Rappelling and Ascending First Trip
Access to that dwells not on the top, not on the bottom, but somewhere in between. Go from point A to point B when between the two is vertical smooth rock. You have the opportunity to do two things in this session, first learn the skills to go up and down using rope as your ladder. You will learn both using commercial ascenders and descenders to grip and glide on the rope, and the use of knots to do the same. We will use the same techniques that arborists, industrial climbers, and Search and Rescue use to gain access to their work. Secondly you may push your edges going past your comfort zone to develop the grit to address other fears in other areas of your life.
Session DWA 12: Abseiling: Rappelling and Ascending Intermediate Trips
These trips vary in days, distance and degree of difficulty. Participants can attend any number of sessions.
Session DWA 13: Abseiling: Rappelling and Ascending Advanced Trips
These trips vary in days, distance and degree of difficulty. Participants can attend any number of sessions.
Session DWA 21: River Rafting
Many areas are only accessible by water and river rafting opens up areas for you to work or explore. This session meets twice before packing it in, first to go over gear required, next to check fit and appropriateness of weight and disperse common gear. We will then raft into a wilderness area with moderate rapids along the way.
Session DWA 22: River Rafting Intermediate
These trips vary in days, distance and degree of difficulty.
Session DWA 23: River Rafting Advanced
These trips vary in days, distance and degree of difficulty.
Session DWA 31: Equine in the Backcountry First Trip
The pack animal plays a major role in recreational pursuits for outfitters, hunters, campers, as well as vocational pursuits, stockmen and cowboys, Forest Service, National Parks, and the military. They transport goods, supplies, tools, and equipment. They are instrumental in maintaining trails and firefighting, bring in commercial goods to backcountry tourist lodges and other remote locations, and permanent residences. You will learn the basics of using pack animals in the backcountry.
Session DWA 32: Equine in the Backcountry Intermediate
These trips vary in days, distance and degree of difficulty.
Session DWA 33: Equine in the Backcountry Advanced
These trips vary in days, distance and degree of difficulty.
Session DWA 41: Basic Backcountry Skiing and Ice Camping First Trip
This session develops the skills of turning with telemark skis, waxing telemark skis, and the use of skin on your ski. Students will get basic instruction in avalanche prediction and safety, as well as making and living in ice shelters.
Session DWA 42: Intermediate Backcountry Skiing and Ice Camping
Session A43: Advance Backcountry Skiing and Ice Camping
Session DWA 42: Snowshoeing, Crampons, and Ice Camping
Another means of accessing the wilderness in winter is the use of snowshoes and crampons. The students will also learn to make and live in ice shelters.
Session DWA 43: Technical Climbing Vertical Ice and Snowshoeing First Trip
Basic skills in climbing a frozen waterfalls using ice axe, crampons, and ropes.
Session DWA 44: Advanced Winter Climbing, Skiing, and Ice Camping
These trips the participants will skin up their skis, establish a base camp making an ice shelter, climb a frozen waterfall, and then ski back to their shelter. This session requires A42, A43, and A45.
Session DWA 45: Advanced Avalanche Knowledge and Skills
The students will learn to go deep into assessing the snow conditions and probability of an avalanche. These are the same skills that State Avalanche Prediction uses to assess and publicize the avalanche conditions.
Session DWA 41: Scuba Basic Open Water Certification
Being able to access the underwater world opens up tremendous opportunity to explore and work. This is the first step into that world. This includes a 3rd party certification.
Session DWA 42: Scuba Underwater Nature Skills
These sessions are for combining your scuba skills with your nature awareness skills in the underwater forest.
Session DWA 43: Scuba: Elevation Diving
These sessions are to give the student access to fresh water lakes above sea level. This includes a third party certification class.
Session DWA 51: Aviation First Bush Flights
In the lower 48 there are still areas only accessible by bush plane and the vast majority of Alaska is accessible by only bush plane. Being a passenger in a plane flying into the Alaskan bush requires a different mindset about packing, clothing, and safety then stepping into a Boing 707. This session gives you experience into that world.
Session DWA 52: Aviation Ground School
This prepares the participant for taking the written test for the FAA VFR exam
Session DWA 53: Aviation Flight School
These sessions are for logging Flight time and preparing to pass FAA VFR check flights
Session DWA 60: Paragliding/Skydiving
A common way for deployment into remote areas quickly is via aircraft and sometimes there just is not a safe place to land a plane or helicopter and in order to get to your work place you must jump. This class is a certification in sky diving which could open the doors to deeper areas to explore or lead to employment with firefighting, and law enforcement.