Backpacking and Sea Kayaking

Backpacking and Sea Kayaking

Western Australia’s Pilbara region has it all: rugged plateaus, blue waters, and white sandy beaches. This region is one of Earth’s oldest landmasses and will be your classroom as you travel on water and on land.

You’ll begin your sea kayaking adventure in the waters surrounding the Dampier Archipelago, a group of 42 rocky islands offering scrubby eucalyptus valleys and isolated coral reefs. Here you’ll have plenty of opportunity for learning sea kayaking skills, exploring the colorful marine ecosystem, and discovering the area’s rich human history, which includes the most prolific Aboriginal petroglyph site in the world.
You’ll backpack either in the Kimberley or Pilbara, both offering ideal terrain to explore the Australian outback. The Kimberley has tight canyons, secluded waterfalls, and plateaus, while the Pilbara has escarpments, watercourses, deep basalt gorges, and cool oases. Hidden amongst this ruggedness are crystal clear rock pools and pockets of subtropical forest. Western Australia is home to a variety of birds, red kangaroos, emus, rock wallabies, geckos, and huge termite mounds.

It can be rugged and it is hot here, but the natural history and uniquely Australian setting will give you an unparalleled NOLS education.

Alaska is a land of incredible fjords, forested ocean coasts, and high alpine meadows. Your month-long adventure will give you a chance to learn two wilderness travel skills, backpacking and sea kayaking.

Your kayak will follow a route in the Prince William Sound where glaciers flow directly into the ocean and a variety of marine animals are easy to spot.

You’ll learn how to handle your boat in different conditions of wind and tide, and also how to be a good leader and keep a positive attitude after a long day of paddling.

The mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the Talkeetnas, or the Chugach Range will be your home for the backpacking section. Here you’ll start below tree line and head into the mountains along glaciated river valleys, reaching open high country known as tundra.

The vistas here are wide, the mountains rugged, and the lessons lifelong.

If you’re a practicing or aspiring outdoor educator, you know that learning to lead groups in two different skill areas is a professional advantage.

This course will prepare you to do just that, giving you the chance to learn how to lead on land and sea. Your classroom for the sea kayaking section is Prince William Sound with its plentiful wildlife and booming tidewater glaciers.

Using either Whittier or Valdez as a starting point, you’ll learn how to glide along the coast in a sea kayak and have a chance to practice your teaching skills in some of the most beautiful parts of the Sound.

For the backpacking portion of the course, you’ll be in either Wrangell-St. Elias National Park or the Talkeetna Mountains. In this land of tundra and rocky passes, you’ll work with our veteran educators to learn skills such as risk management, ration planning, and program supervision.

By the end of this expedition, you’ll be better equipped to teach, lead, and explore, whether in a boat or on foot.

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