Into the Wild: The Value of Outdoor Education

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By: Aditi Adhikari

17 days. No showers, no cell service, no bed.

Sounds crazy (and a little bit dirty, perhaps...), but that's the adventure I just came back from. 

A popular spot in Nantahala called Naked Ground (also, we decided, a good name for a coffee shop)

My Experience

Let me start at the beginning. At my school, I am fortunate enough to have a Wilderness Expedition program in place that organizes and subsidizes a 10-day backpacking trip to the Smokey Mountains for sophomores. Sophs are placed into groups of seven with three leaders, and are sent on a hiking expedition that includes a 36-hour 'solo' period where they're asked to fast and reflect alone. Why? Because it's the type of valuable learning experience that you simply cannot get in the classroom; sophomores right as the cusp of maturity are thrown into an environment incredibly outside of their comfort zone where they have to work together, problem-solve, take care of themselves, and reflect on themselves and their lives.

The program is wildly popular; the 80ish spots that are available each year fill up within hours, but when I was a sophomore, my mother balked at the idea of going on the trip (What if you get hurt?! What if you get eaten by bears?!). Which, of course, meant that I had to go - even if it was just to prove her wrong. (I did not, in fact, get eaten by a bear. So I count that as a success.) After going on the trip once, I was hooked. I could not wait to go back and have another experience hiking! So, this year, I returned on the expedition as a student leader, helping head a crew of sophomores along with my co-leaders Jeff and Adri and watching them grow and develop in a way that can only really happen when you're stuck in the woods with seven people for ten days with no wifi.
I loved leading with Adri and Jeff!

As staff, we actually went down to the Smokies (the Nantahala National Forest, specifically) a week earlier in order to attend staff prep, which was basically a more intense version of the trip we go on with the sophomores. Hence, 17 days without showering instead of 10. Mmmm - eau de human.

Do you wanna build a snowman?
We had all sorts of fun on the trip, from enjoying gorgeous views from on top of a mountain to night hiking because we got out of camp too late and still had a mile to go after the sun had already set, but one of my favorite memories from this year's trip involves the weather. The first two days were rainy, then it was sunny for four days, then it was a little dreary, and then the next day we got half a foot of snow dumped on us. Half a foot. OVERNIGHT. That number would have given us a snow day for sure in the Midwest! But we were stuck in the mountains with a long, icy, uphill climb ahead of us. That day, we had to make a judgement call, and in the interest of safety, Jeff, Adri, and I chose to hunker down and stay at our campsite for another night.

But all was not lost! That day, I learned a valuable lesson in leadership: you don't always know what's going to happen, and you can never control the future. All you can do is be confident in the decisions you make, and then approach the consequences without worry; with an open heart and mind. Which is why, instead of worrying about our situation, we took the necessary precautions: contact basecamp, build a snowman, and have a snowball fight. Also eat some nutella. It's good for the soul.

Why You?

So it's not your average vacation. It's neither here nor there - neither completey educational nor completely vacation-y. It's a brand of fun that's often called "Type 2 Fun," meaning that it may suck a little while you're there, but you'll look back on it and think, "hey, that actually was pretty fun, and I learned a lot too!"

I know what really ended up convincing me to go on a trip like this two years ago was the realization
One of my favorite pictures from sophomore year:
triumphant after practically scaling the side of a mountain in the rain
that not a single person who went regretted their decision to go. They might have discovered they hated hiking, but they were still glad they had the experience. Only the people who didn't go had regrets. Because of that, I encourage everyone to have an experience like this at least once in their lifetime.

One thing is certain: it's the perfect way to develop your leadership skills, step outside of your comfort zone, build character, and learn new ways to problem-solve and improvise. Nothing out there is expendable; if something breaks, you have to find a way to make it work for the rest of the trip, and that can lead to some interesting and creative solutions. You learn how to live life delibrately, as Thoreau would put it, and you learn all sorts of things about yourself and life in general along the way.

Where Do I Sign Up?

There are all sorts of programs that offer trips like this over the summer and throughout the year. Choices abound: trips vary in type, length, and location, among other things.


Several colleges also have pre-college bonding programs for incoming freshmen that allow you to have this experience with some of the kids you'll be spending the next four years with (AKA pre-orientation)! Here are some examples:

And the list doesn't end there! Other colleges that have this sort of program include Bowdoin, UPenn, Tufts, UNC, Yale, Williams, Colby, Amherst, Indiana, Georgetown, Dartmouth, Earlham, Brown, Davidson, Colgate, and many, many more. If you're not yet convinced this is a good idea, read this! I encourage you to look into whether your college offers something like this to its students!

Staff Selfie!

Can I Afford It?

These trips can admittedly be quite expensive. Most programs have need-based scholarships available, as well as the option to rent gear at a reduced cost. If you choose to attend such a program through your college, it tends to be a lot cheaper because the school will subsidize the cost. At some schools, this opportunity is actually free! Look into the programs at your college or university before looking elsewhere, because those will probably be the most financially accessible.

Sunrise over the Smokies

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