Activity Level

Beginner
Total beginner and can meet the standards below. Class Time: 2-4 hours per day Distances: Can walk/ hike/ paddle 3 miles in a 2-4 hour time period on the surface and elevation types listed below Surfaces: Flat, even "on trail" or calm water paddling Water Exposure: None unless it's raining Altitude: Course location may be at elevations up to 7,000 ft Elevation Change: Little to none Equipment Used: Hiking shoes, hydration and day / fanny pack
Active
New to outdoor adventure but participates in a regular exercise program 2-3 times per week which includes cardiovascular and active movement training. Very few committing areas where paddling, rappelling or climbing may be required. Class Time: 4-6 hours per day (possible camping) Distances: Hike/ paddle up to 5 miles in a 4-6 hour time period on the surface and elevation types listed below Surfaces: Steep, even "on trail" hiking. Some beginner climbing or rappelling on steep rock faces and or water falls or calm water or class I currents if paddling Water Exposure: Shallow wading or stream crossing Altitude: up to 8,000 ft Elevation Change: up to 2,000 ft per day Equipment Used: Kayaks, hiking shoes, hydration, small pack, harnesses, ropes and helmets
Moderate
Some outdoor experience and regular fitness program 3-4 times per week which includes cardiovascular and active movement training. Several committing areas where paddling, rappelling or climbing will be required. Class Time: 6-8 hours per day Distances: Hike/ paddle up to 8 miles in a 6-8 hour time period on the surfaces and elevations listed below some camping living in the back country Surfaces: Steep uneven "on and off trail" hiking with some scrambling using hands for pulling and balance. Some beginner to intermediate climbing or rappelling on steep rock faces and or water falls. Some waves or class II currents if paddling Water Exposure: Waist deep wading and or multiple shallow stream crossings with a pack on Elevation Change: up to 3,000 ft/day Altitude: up to 10,000 ft Equipment Used: Kayaks, hiking / climbing shoes, hydration, small pack, harnesses, ropes and helmets, fall protection gear and advanced layers, simple rope systems for climbing and rappelling
Vigorous
Some outdoor experience and regular fitness program 4-5 times per week which includes cardiovascular and active movement training. Very committing program with no options for early egress but certain obstacle evasion points along the course. Class Time: 8-10 hours per day Distances: Hike/ paddle up to 12 miles most days and live in the back country Surfaces: Very steep uneven "on and off trail" hiking with a lot of scrambling using hands for pulling and balance. Intermediate to advanced climbing or rappelling on steep rock faces and or water falls. Abundance of waves or strong Class III currents if paddling Water Exposure: Must be able to swim under supervision in Class I current with a backpack Elevation Change: up to 4,000 ft/day Altitude: up to 14,000 ft. A doctor's release may be required Equipment Used: Hiking and climbing shoes, hydration, small pack, harnesses, ropes and helmets, fall protection gear and advanced layers, PFD, advanced rope systems for climbing and rappelling
Strenuous
Very experienced with outdoor adventure and regular fitness program 5-6 times per week which includes cardiovascular and active movement training. Very committing program with no options for early egress or obstacle evasion at any point. Class Time: 10-14 hours per day Distances: Hike/ paddle 12+ miles per day on the surfaces and elevations listed below and be able to live in the back country Surfaces: Very steep uneven "on and off trail" hiking with a lot of scrambling using hands for pulling and balance. Intermediate to advanced climbing or rappelling on steep rock faces and or water falls. Abundance of waves or strong Class IV currents if paddling Elevation Change: up to 4,000 ft/day Water Exposure: Constant, deep pools, fast current swimming up to class II possibly unsupervised for brief moments. Altitude: may exceed 14,000 ft A doctor's release may be required

Adventure Details

Survival School   (Activity Level - )

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you found yourself stranded in the wilderness with no immediate assistance available? This could happen to you! Do you have what it takes to survive when the situation seems hopeless? This fast paced three day school will give you the basic tools to survive in the wilderness when help is more than just a phone call away. We will cover the basics of acquiring shelter, water, fire, and food as well as techniques for maintaining a positive psychological point of view of your situation. Whether you're in the desert or a forest, providing and acquiring your basic needs to survive with minimal resources can make the difference between living or becoming a Discovery Channel special. Our goal is to teach you to survive in harmony with your surroundings rather than fighting them. In the countless instances where man has battled nature, man has yet to win.

This class is designed for people with basic or no knowledge of survival skills. This class takes a low tech approach to survival and emphasizes using near by available resources and basic tools to prepare you for a survival situation. We cover basic bushcraft - how to locate a suitable location for a shelter and the basics of shelter building. How to locate water sources as well as purification techniques. Basic fire starting - both with items from a survival kit as well as with a bowdrill. Recognizing potential sources of food and how to go about acquiring them.

You will learn basic navigation techniques with and without a map and compass as well as how to familiarize yourself with your surroundings without losing your way back to your shelter. We emphasize the principles of survival like not over-exerting yourself and burning excess energy and simultaneously putting yourself at further risk. How to avoid sweating and dehydration. This course is for the average person in almost any physical condition. The art of survival is knowing what to do, how to do it, as well as when it can best be done.

Price: $405 - $495 Days: 3 Locations: Phoenix, Joshua Tree National Park, and Sequoia National Park 2009 Mountaineering Schedule Gear Checklist Meet The Instructors

DAY 1: We begin with a basic discussion of survival principles as we hike out to our training camp. Here we will learn the basics of shelter. Where is the best place to build as well as techniques for using a tarp, poncho, or emergency blanket. Then we will look at how to best use what nature provides for you to build a more primitive shelter based on your location and natural resources. We will then break for lunch and evaluate the drawbacks and benefits of shelter types and their construction as well as basic awareness of local wildlife - both as a threat as well as a potential food source. The afternoon session will find you learning to search for water - even if none appears to be readily available. We will discuss how to treat water with natural means as well as with what chemicals you might have in a basic survival kit. Evening will bring basic fire preparation and starting techniques. We answer the question of how to prepare your fire building materials so your fire will light quickly and stay burning with minimal maintenance as well as determining what to look for in fire building materials. We then cover basic first aid and wound protection to prevent a minor injury from becoming life threatening. DAY 2: While day one provides for your immediate needs, day two begins by providing for your intermediate needs. We start with identifying available local food types and how to gather them. We will cover identifying and gathering local plants and how to prepare them for consumption. After lunch, we will cover basic trapping techniques, how to prepare wild game as well as drying and preserving meat for storage. Then we will get into more advanced fire starting techniques using survival oriented fire starting techniques like flint and steel, magnesium sticks, and end the day with bowdrill techniques for fire starting. In the evening, we will cover camp maintenance and safe food storage principles to help avoid attracting potentially dangerous wildlife and also to keep your food out of the mouths of opportunistic critters. The physical and psychological aspects of personal hygiene are covered to round out the evening. DAY 3: Day three will start with basic navigation. We will show you how to identify local terrain features and familiarize yourself with the area surrounding your camp without getting lost again. You will use natural features as well as a compass to determine direction and location. We cover proper signaling techniques to draw attention to your camp and make yourself more visible to rescuers and facilitate your own rescue. We'll show you how to use a signal mirror and whistle to alert passerby to your position. After lunch, we will begin to break camp and learn to determine how long to wait for help to arrive before striking out and rescuing yourself and why this should be your last course of action. Alternative navigation techniques will be used to guide you back to the vehicles where your journey will end.