Third in our series of course profiles in the Outlander course.

The Outlander is the first of our new Challenge Course series. Designed for experienced people who want to test themselves in a realistic situation but also have the safety that traveling as a group provides, our challenge courses will push well beyond the comfort zone.

The Outlander is a summer F-F-F course. We’ll be foraging, fishing and fasting as we travel by canoe on seldom-used routes of northern Maine carrying minimal gear, including only the clothes we’re wearing and a small tool kit. We won’t be traveling for the sake of distance, but rather to seek out different resources along our journey.

Each night is a different shelter, each day a search for food and materials to make a comfortable existence.

Such an experience offers advanced students learning experiences that can be had in no other way. Participants rely on their skills and the bounty of the forest to provide for their needs and comfort, not a pack full of goodies.

The following is recommended list of skills for those contemplating participation on a Walkabout:

• be competent poling, paddling and lining a canoe in class 2 whitewater
• know 100 plants and how to use them
• have completed a seven day fast (water only)
• be able to light a fire quickly under any conditions, including soaking rain
• have built and slept in 4 different kinds of shelters
• know how you function under stress, lack of sleep, dehydration, etc., with the idea being that it is better to know how you react to such circumstances in advance than to learn in the bush where the consequences for you or the group could be severe.

This is a recommended skills list, not a requirement. The more skilled you are, the more enjoyable the experience will be.

Details:

• Dates: 7/17-7/22, 2011
• Maximum Size: 8
• Registration Deadline: 5/1/11
• Tuition: $800
• Register online here
• More information is on our Outlander course page