Yellowstone Expedition

Expedition Overview

Dates: August 2 - 22, 2020
Age: 16–18 years old
Group size: max 8 students/2 instructors
Length: 21 days
Tuition: $4,410

This expedition includes a Wilderness First Aid course. During this 16-hour course students will have an opportunity to receive a national recognized certification from Aerie Backcountry Medicine.

Through a partnership with the University of Montana Western and the Montana University System’s One-Two-Free program, students have the opportunity to earn 2 college credits from this MWS course at reduced or zero cost. Contact MWS for more details about this opportunity!

Questions? Send us an email.

Packing List 
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Expedition Highlights

Backpack in the mountains of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem
Packraft and canoe the Yellowstone River; the longest free flowing river in the lower 48 states!
Learn swift water rescue techniques
Adventurous white water paddling experiences
Experience abundant wildlife and pristine ecosystems

Expedition Description

The Yellowstone Expedition is designed for 16 to 18 year old students to provide them an opportunity to experience the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem both on land and on the river. Students will spend the first week of the expedition backpacking through vast valleys in a remote mountain range and learning fundamental backpacking and camping skills. During the second and third week of the expedition students will get in their packrafts and canoes and paddle down the scenic and iconic Yellowstone river. This part of the expedition will provide them opportunities to learn how to paddle both expeditionary canoes and inflatable packrafts and will expose them to basic swift water rescue techniques. Students will have the opportunity to learn fly fishing skills and spend a day fishing with licensed fly fishing guides. From beginning to end, students will also engage in lessons about place-based ecology, leadership and communication, gaining formal tools they can then practice with their expeditionary team. For more information about MWS core curriculum and expedition progression see Expedition Life.

Expedition Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Teamwork and communication skills

Learn positive communication skills with diverse group members to create a healthy community, build trust, and make sound decisions in the backcountry together
Develop an expedition philosophy, apply it to the course, and understand how it can transfer back to the student’s home environment

Safety and wilderness based decision making

Backcountry hazard evaluation and risk reduction guidelines and tools
First aid awareness for backcountry settings: identification and treatment of common backcountry illness and injuries
Learn to collaboratively make decisions in remote environments that prioritizes individual and group safety

Conservation Ethic

Use basic observational and interpretive skills to demonstrate an understanding and respect for the natural environment
Discuss the history, facts and potential solutions to pertinent environmental and social issues affecting the wilderness in the expedition area
Reflect upon and discuss the conveyance of wilderness conservation ethics into personal life and build a capacity for commitment and stewardship to wild places

Backcountry camping and navigation skills

Use safe backcountry kitchen practices to cook nutritious meals on a camp stove or fire
Demonstrate an ability to select an appropriate campsite and set up a shelter while minimizing the impact on the ecosystem
Understand and demonstrate how to stay healthy, warm, and comfortable in the backcountry
Understand and demonstrate techniques for camping and traveling in bear habitat
Use various navigation and route-finding tools and methods for on and off trail travel
Travel efficiently in the alpine environment using map and compass skills

Technical Skills

Packrafting, Canoeing and Fly Fishing

Inflating, deflating, packing and securing equipment in an inflatable packraft
Reading water and understanding hydraulics in swift moving water
Swift water rescue skills
Packraft and canoe control and paddling skills in swift moving water and rapids
Students will have the opportunity to learn fly fishing skills and spend a day fishing with licensed fly fishing guides.

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Yellowstone

expedition