Denali

Other Courses: Baja | Spanish Immersion | Lake Clark

•	Course Overview
•	About Denali
•	Course Description
•	Course Schedule
•	General Info
•	Photo Gallery
•	Tuition

Course Dates (2 classes taking place simultaneously)
June 3-16, 2009
June 3-16, 2009

Unable to attend the field course? Enroll in our curriculum only option.

Students enroll in the fall, and they receive and begin their independent study coursework at the start of the spring semester. After studying the provided material at home for a semester, the group will go to Denali for fourteen days. There in the field we apply all the concepts learned at home. We camp and hike in this beautiful park while learning about the ecology of Denali and gaining experience in outdoor leadership.

The field course starts in Wasilla, where the group meets and then heads north to Talkeetna. There students go through a course orientation. During this time, students and instructors discuss bear and moose safety, hiking safety, first aid procedures, preventing common health problems such as dehydration, colds, sleep depravation, sun exposure, and hypothermia. Students also learn how to use the gear and equipment they depend on throughout the field course such as tents, cook stoves, etc. This is also a great opportunity to spend time getting to know everyone in the group while having fun together through teambuilding and other activities.

On the morning of day three, the group drives north to begin its adventure in Denali National Park, where they see their studies come to life! Nights in the park are divided between Savage Campground, located in the tundra/taiga transition, and the Wonder Lake Campground, located near the base of Denali, with the final night spent at Riley Creek Campground. Days are filled with hiking, field lessons, teambuilding, and taking advantage of every opportunity to learn while we have a great time. Along the way, we also meet with various park employees to gain insight on park ecology, gain exposure to current park issues, and gain knowledge of career opportunities. There are a variety of people to meet with, including the park historian, an environmental educator, the Long Term Monitoring Coordinator, a park biologist, bear technicians, and the park geologist.

As we go we incorporate presentations given by students and lessons given by instructors. For example, after breakfast, an instructor may lead a lesson about how to read clouds to predict weather. During a lunch break, a student may give a presentation on adaptations of mammals to cold temperatures. While on a hike we may do a teambuilding activity. Throughout the field course we also take advantage of teachable moments, which make this a dynamic, hands-on, real-life classroom. Such moments may include stopping to admire a peregrine falcon circling overhead, observing Dall sheep as they rest high on a rocky slope, or coaching the student-leader to facilitate a group decision.

There are also many lessons built into the structure of the course. Each day, under the supervision of the instructors, two student leaders are responsible for our schedule, group decisions, group welfare, our route and more. We believe in empowering students with information and then giving them real-life opportunities to master leadership skills, outdoor skills and naturalist skills. Woven into the format of the course, we model and teach values such as teamwork, trust, honesty, integrity, respect, and friendship.

“The curriculum which tied so closely to all they would come to see and experience on the field is a big strength.”
- Parent, Denali '05, Lake Clark '05

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