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Today I’m excited to launch a new needs-based scholarship program. In 2022 recipients will be eligible for up to ten spots on intro-level Backpacking Fundamentals courses in Colorado, California, and West Virginia, as well as up to sixteen spots on the online Plan Like A Pro course. We are accepting applications through Friday, February 21.
Backcountry risks can be greatly mitigated with proper trip planning, but not entirely eliminated. For those “just in case” scenarios, satellite messenger like the Zoleo (my pick), Somewear Global Hotspot, and Garmin inReach Mini are worth having. Functionality includes two-way text messaging, location sharing, weather forecasts, and, most importantly, an “SOS” feature to use in…
Next week we start our first 2022 session of Plan Like A Pro, an online course in which students are guided through a holistic trip planning curriculum that’s applicable for every location, season, experience level, and age and gender. The course is interactive, not one-way — students receive individualized feedback for most assignments. Over 400…
For the 2022 guiding season we’re looking for a new breakfast and new dinner recipe to replace two of our longstanding meals, the Coconut Chia Oatmeal and the Backcountry Chili. The two winners will be entered into a drawing, and the first chosen will have their option of taking the Plan Like A Pro online…
In partnership with the University of New Mexico International Mountain Medicine Center, we are offering Wilderness First Aid (WFA) courses at select 2022 locations. The courses are open only to participants on our guided trips. The in-person skill instruction can be completed the day before or after your trip, or it can be integrated into…
The deadline to apply for our 2022 trips in Utah, Colorado, and Alaska is Monday, December 27. Applications received by the end of the day will be given equal consideration, and applications received thereafter will be treated first come first serve for remaining spots. If you are interested in California, Washington, or West Virginia, you…
Since 2014 I’ve asked our clients to complete a post-trip survey to gather feedback about our guides, locations, meals, and curriculum, plus their overall satisfaction. Reviewing the results is a multi-day project but entirely worthwhile: they confirm what we’re doing right, and they give me a checklist of improvements for the following year. Among our 2021 client…
If you’ve been waiting until tomorrow, December 13, to apply for our 2022 trips, when I said that I’d start accepting applications, you can get on it now: the application window is now open. All applications received through December 27 (and January 3 for some later locations) will be considered equally. It’s not first-come first-served,…
Update (December 5, 10pm): We are no longer taking sign-ups for office hours, sorry. This program was much more popular that I could have imagined, and we will offer it again, but for now we’re full. Next week — Wednesday, December 8 through Friday, December 10 — we are hosting “office hours” (for free), and…
The 2021 season ended just six weeks ago, but it’s already time to start 2022, since in another six weeks we will start offering spots on our spring trips. The 2022 schedule & locations Yesterday I published the first iteration of the 2022 schedule. Some parts of the schedule look like past years: Southern Utah…