Outdoor Leadership
Mapping a Future through the Mountains
Out on the snowpack that glazed the Three Sisters Wilderness, a group of a dozen backcountry
skiers had toured in for a weeklong expedition. The guides had pitched camp and were
working hard to set the tone, whipping up that trusty elixir of enthusiasm and organization
that keeps a trip humming. The food was on-point, the itinerary dialed-in. All in
all, a textbook day for mountain guides.
Happiest of all was Tim Peterson, associate professor of the Outdoor Leadership program
at COCC, acting as an observer and consultant for the group. In fact, the “expedition”
wasn’t really a paid expedition at all, but rather a simulated ski trip comprised
entirely of his students, most playing the part of guests. “By lunchtime, I had this
thought—I don’t need to be here,” Peterson recalled. “They’re so into it.”
Getting students to that place—where interpersonal ease, strong leadership qualities,
outdoor ethics and technical know-how all run seamlessly together—is the mission of
COCC’s Outdoor Leadership program, the oldest program of its kind in the state.
Designed in the cohort style, the training starts in the fall and takes place over
three successive terms. It’s open to 24 students, who often split into two groups
of 12 for activities. This tight-knit size fosters teamwork while allowing for personal
growth. Students lean on each other, they lift each other up, endure together, explore
together.
The cohort phase is combined with a year’s worth of prerequisite studies—completed
in advance—to earn an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree, one of COCC’s more
popular and versatile degrees. Students go from learning algebra one year to alpine
climbing the next. It makes for a well-rounded, rigorous model.
When the cohort first gets underway, they gather everyday—rain or shine or pumping-down
snow—on a woodsy ridge beyond the library on the Bend campus. Here, in the “outdoor
classroom,” amid a small clearing ringed with young conifers, a portable whiteboard
is the only hint of a traditional classroom.
The curriculum immerses students in subjects like ecology, resource management and
risk psychology. They learn how to facilitate group experiences, how to survive in
the wilds and how to administer first aid in the backcountry. Some options allow for
a specialty focus, on, say, teaching rock climbing or leading mountain bike trips.
Students get their first taste of being true leaders at a weeklong outdoor school
for local elementary schoolkids at Shevlin Park. It requires devising classes and
managing the school, with basic ecology and Leave No Trace themes as the primary lesson
plans.
Excursions, of course, are instrumental to the program. These include the mock expedition—where
students make the itinerary, take care of the logistics and manage the group—plus
a full billing of outdoor trips. At places like Todd Lake and Meadow Camp, they’ll
practice paddling techniques, study avalanche zones and deploy climbing anchors. Ongoing
discussions on things like wilderness ethics and land stewardship are threads that
continually run through the lessons.
The hands-on, out-in-the-elements aspect of the education has a way of connecting
with students. “I’m not really a school person,” shared Evonne “Vonny” Dobson, on
a recent bright spring day at the outdoor classroom. “I never really knew what experiential
learning was.” The program, she discovered, was a way to bring out her strengths,
help her succeed. She’s now considering recreational therapy as a career path.
Most graduates, according to Peterson, launch straight into careers with entry-level
positions (though for some, this is a second or even third career). For this year’s
students, those opportunities include working for the U.S. Forest Service, Zion National
Park, Bend Park & Recreation District and guiding rafters down Pennsylvania’s turbulent
Lehigh River. The ability to travel and take on new challenges seems to rank high
among grads.
So does making a difference in the world. Up in Wrangell, Alaska, Jonas Crabtree works
as an expedition coordinator for a wilderness therapy program. Crabtree finished the
COCC program in 2014, went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from OSU-Cascades, and
now oversees intensive, two-month oceangoing canoe voyages. “We are a big team with
one mission—helping youth succeed,” he said. “It’s challenging, yet rewarding.”
That theme is inextricably linked to the outdoor ed world—it has such transformative
powers. Kelsie Meithof, a new grad, discovered that the physical and mental hurdles
of the program helped her push aside her anxiety issues and persevere. “The Outdoor
Leadership program is unique because it isn’t just about learning things,” she explained. “The program is about learning yourself.”
For these outdoor leaders, the skills they build and the strengths they harness will
stand them in good stead on any mountain ledge—real or symbolic—that they encounter
in life. It’s an expedition of a lifetime.
This story was originally published in 2018; the program is currently following social
distancing, mask usage and all other health-related precautions as required by the
state. “We have had to adjust the sequence of curriculum and courses," said Jessica
Russell, associate professor of Outdoor Leadership and chair of Health and Human Performance.
"We are still able to have in-person outdoor lab session for classes, including weeklong
expeditions, mixed with some online and/or remote coursework.” Visit Outdoor Leadership for the latest program info on in-person instruction and expeditions.