First Year Hiker

Course Contents  Daily Outline

This program is a weeklong educational challenge and mini trek dealing with the many different facets of outdoor education, mountaineering and backpacking. An emphasis will be on outdoor education and leadership as well as daily training sessions and challenges involved in a more relaxed backpacking trek. Rock-climbing and rappelling challenges as well as ascending a mountain peak can be highlights.

This is for adults, youth (males) 13 and up; youth (females) 14 and up. First class rank or 12 days and nights of camping experience. Younger participants are allowed if a parent or mentor is also in the course. Adults who are interested in utilizing the backpacking program to improve their troop’s experiences may also have an interest.

Some of our objectives are: team work, team building, preparedness, group decisions, member’s abilities, outdoor leadership skills, leave no trace, hands on experiences, training, trekking safety, weather monitoring, environmental factors, mountaineering, general backpacking, trail safety, menus, foods and packaging.

This program would provide an opportunity and training for youth and adults to get a taste of backpacking and learn the various facets of backpacking and outdoor education from a hands on type of outdoor classroom (mini trekking with emphasis on education instead of miles or mountains). With only 2 nights out of base camp, this will give the participants knowledge and experience making them more capable to tackle our more strenuous adventures at Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch.

Upon completion, a patch and certificate will be awarded.

The course fees will be the same as the other High adventure fees.

Sunday: Check in, medicals, outline of goals, leave no trace, climb on safely, trek safety, environmental considerations homework and goals to write up for the week.

Monday: Climbing and rappelling challenge, Outdoor awareness challenge, Group team building exercises, weather injury, personality, environment, animal, lost, broken equipment, trail hazards. Set up in camp, campfire, wet camp.

Tuesday: Pack up and ready to move campsite, all hands on lecture demonstration of equipment, menus and food. Set up camp use of all equipment, site selection, cooking, sleeping and sanitization areas. In camp set up second night backpacking, dry camp.

Wednesday: More hands on, move campsite, out on trek.

Thursday: Mini trek, more training than mileage, trail conservation, trail maintenance. Out on trek, set up campsite last night on trail.

Friday: mini trek training using outline typical day of backpacking back to camp (8 to 10 miles), return to camp and closing campfire.

Saturday: pack-up, evaluations, and leave for home.

Note: There is an option to take a day and climb a mountain in the area. Transportation needs to be provided for peaks other than the east peak