This post is in response to Ron Bell's post over in the NOLS' podcast forum:

"It would not surprise me if BPL or some other established SUL entity starts a SUL school in the next few years....I know I'm looking at it."

...and as mentioned by Ryan Hutchins of NOLS over in that same forum, BPL has been teaching courses over the past four years.

They have been held in both Montana and Wyoming. Participants have included, primarily, the media, outdoor education professionals, and outdoor guides. The goal of this approach is to develop a solid curriculum, prove the concept, and train leaders, before broadening our scope.

To date, we've taught three courses of 5-6 days each: Backpacking Light 101 and Wilderness Trekking II and III. The former is, as the name suggests, an introduction to lightweight backpacking in fair weather. WT II is an application of lightweight principles in cooler conditions and long trail miles (20+/day).

WT III is an advanced course focusing on expedition, long distance, off-trail travel in cold, bad weather (mid-October in Montana's high country). WT III, in the past, has involved river swims, packrafting, wintry blizzards, temps down to 0*F, rock scrambles, canyons, ridgewalking, grizzly bear encounters, hypothermia management, firebuilding, and hard map-and-compass-only navigation.

WT III is the fun course, as you can see.

Students have been accepted to III by invite or application only. It's hard. We don't need to invent scenarios on the trip. They just sort of come with the package!

This fall, we are offering WT III again and have a few spots remaining. This is a six-day course to be offered in the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness and a remote cabin retreat in SW MT October 10-15. If you are interested, please PM me with your email address and a brief summary of your wilderness skills/routes and I'll send you course information.

In late 2007 we'll be taking the program to a broader audience and there will be more info about I, II, and III's schedules here on the website.

For the record, we don't care too much about institutional durability. We don't have to. That's the student's burden to carry. We do have rental equipment for the courses that we require if the students don't have it, such as synthetic fill insulating garments and quilts, packrafts, dry packs, cooking gear, etc.

We have no intention of operating an SUL school, although we do have SUL as a component in the level II course. Level III ignores "SUL" per se and focuses on expedition skills.

Edited by ryan on 04/18/2007 13:07:42 MDT.

BTW,

Alaska Pacific University has offered since 1998 a course in lightweight backpacking that sounds a lot like the WT III, but in Alaska during September, rather than Yellowstone in October.

Fall in Alaska with packrafting, bears, bad brush, snow, canyons, off-trail, navigating-- the lot. It has crossed the Kenai Peninsula, the Nutzotins, a piece of the Alsaka Range, and the Talkeetna Mountains. Likewise: "It's hard. We don't need to invent scenarios on the trip. They just sort of come with the package!"


It's a month-long course that meets for five short days the first week, three long day trips the second week, an overnight to three day trip the third week, and then a 100-150 mile, 7-9 day trip that is 50-70% walking and the remainder packrafting, the latter usually broken up over two or three watersheds.

As the department that offers the course has faculty with OB/NOLS backgrounds, the department often wanted to call the course "fast and light" or something like that -- indeed they were at a loss of what to call it. It was originally called "Alaska's Wilderness Classics" -- but people signed up for it expecting to read Service, London, McPhee and Krakauer.

Now it's just called "Packrafting", but there's as much time on foot (well more time, near equal distance) on foot.

A better name would be "Wilderness Packrafting and Raftpacking"

Edited by romandial on 04/18/2007 19:50:13 MDT.

FYI to BPL'ers:

We have one slot remaining for our October Wilderness Trekking III Camp. If you are interested, pls submit a letter of inquiry with an outline of your trekking & lightweight experience to: publisher(at)backpackinglight(dot)com.

More info below -

--
When: 9.Oct.07 5:00 PM - 15.Oct.07 12:00 PM

Where: Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (fly into Bozeman)

What: Classroom instruction & 4-day trek focusing on expedition trekking skills in remote, trailless wilderness

Who: Wilderness Educators, Guides, Instructors, Land Management Agency Personnel, Aspiring Expeditioners

Curriculum: No-resupply expedition planning; food & physiology; off-trail navigation; terrain-reading, mapping and routefinding; expedition documentation and journalism; inclement weather clothing, sleep, shelter, and footwear systems; firebuilding; group dynamics and leadership.

Course Director: Ryan Jordan

Ryan,
I saw the email about the class when I got back tonight. Will you be offering it in the future again? What a neat trip/class that would be.

I also got the email today, but alas the dates are during my own planned week long solo expedition in the Lemhi Range in Idaho. I too would be interested in this in the future if I could get the dates to work. Love the A-B Wilderness, and can imagine the Froze-to-Death Plateau (just guessing) lives up to its name in October. Wonder if my qualifications would even measure up - it sounds like the bar is pretty high!?

Hopefully there will be future classes. I'm no where near experienced enough right now but do have some bigger stuff I'd like to try to do in the sort of near future. Maybe in a few years, once I finally get out of school, I'll be in a position where I could maybe do something like this. It sounds like SOOOO much fun.

Adam

Ryan,

I've changed my mind. If you still have the space, I'd like to join your class.

Thanks,

Darin

Sounds like an amazing experience, count me in as well.
Waiting to hear back on application process and if I'm excepted.

Well, I guess I'm the last one to know about this class! I wish I would have seen this post earlier! I received the email today - obviously too late.

Ryan, I sent you an email requesting information but have come to find the October dates will not work. If you can, please IM or email me (gearfreak77 at mac (dot) com) the dates of the level two and three courses next year. My primary interest is UL expedition planning and off trail navigation in moderate to fair weather. Thanks!

Mow

Edited by Mow on 08/30/2007 14:29:13 MDT.

Hi All,

1. It's very important that you communicate with me directly about the course if you want to apply, and not on the forums. Reply to the course announcement that was sent to members on 8/29.

2. We plan on Level 1, 2, and 3 courses next year, yes. The main reason for pushing the level 3 course this year is to (a) increase the pool of available instructors for future courses, and (b) it's the last of the series to have been developed.

3. The possible geographic range of WT3 - Fall 07 is roughly defined as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. WT3 flies into Bozeman because that happens to be BPL's home city, and our basecamp is here. Other than that, pretty much anything in the Northern Rockies and their satellite ranges is fair game.

Jason asked if he qualifies:

When we taught this course a few years ago to a land management agency in this format and during this season, we all agreed at the end that the primary qualification was the ability to thoroughly enjoy being completely lost wondering if you were still even on your map. It made for really fun trekking. Why? Light gear. Heavy packs would have turned that experience into an absolute crisis.

Edited by ryan on 08/30/2007 20:22:45 MDT.

Ryan,
will you be doing an article about the trip once it is complete? I am interested to read what the experience will be like.

We had a late cancellation this weekend, and so there is one spot remaining for the October 9-15 Wilderness Trekking III Course in the Northern Rockies.

This will be filled by the first *qualified* applicant.

Interested? Email ASAP: publisher@backpackinglight.com. Include a paragraph or two describing your experience and recent treks.

You're qualified if you:

1. Can hike 12-15 miles a day off trail, some or all over snow, with a 30 lb pack.

2. Can angulate / reconcile your position between field and map using a compass.

3. Have lightweight backpacking experience and three-season+ wilderness experience.

4. Are interested in being an instructor for future BPL courses.

Ryan

Edited by ryan on 09/18/2007 20:59:14 MDT.

I might have missed this somewhere, but I was wondering when the schedule for the BPL Wilderness Trekking School is coming out. The web page says January 31, 2008, but I haven't heard anything. I know it is only Feb 4th but I just got so excited by the stories and podcasts from the trip in October that I want to learn more.

Edited by jwell on 02/04/2008 12:39:24 MST.

It's now several days past the program announcement date of January 31st 2008 listed on the Wilderness Trekking School page. Is there going to be a 2008 program? If so, will additional information be shared soon?

Hi Ryan --

Thanks for your patience. We'll announce 2008 programs, and offer enrollment, to the public in the April 23 newsletter.

We'll open enrollment for members only a few days to a week or so in advance, so look for a members email about it sometime next week.

Best,
Ryan

Edited by ryan on 04/09/2008 10:44:58 MDT.