LANDER, Wyo. — Beryl Shepley, 18, of South Paris, recently completed an 80-day expedition in the Southwest U.S. with the National Outdoor Leadership School.

The Semester in the Southwest is divided into four sections that take students from the canyons of the Rio Grande to the ponderosa of the Gila Wilderness. In this sunny environment, students learned backpacking, climbing and canoeing skills.

Students first completed a Wilderness First Aid course. Then the next sections began. Each section lasted two to four weeks. The sections were backpacking, rock climbing and canoeing, concluding with a backpacking student-led expedition. Between each section of the course students either passed through NOLS Southwest’s facility or stopped at a campground in Texas, Arizona or New Mexico.

During the first section, backpacking, students practiced outdoor living skills, wilderness travel techniques, minimum-impact camping, leadership and teamwork. The hiking section took place in Galiuros and Santa Teresa Wilderness of Arizona. As the section progressed, hiking days got longer and the group traveled off-trail and learned to lead peers. Students learned about the natural world, human history, astronomy or backcountry baking and cooking.

The canoeing section took place on the Rio Grande where students had the opportunity to experience wilderness travel on water. The river section launches from Big Bend National Park and finishes more than 100 miles and two weeks downstream. This portion of the Rio Grande flows in a gradual progression from flat water to occasional class II or class III rapids. Some of the rapids were run in canoes, while the more difficult stretches were portaged.

The Chihuahuan desert region is rich in human and a natural history. As students traveled down the winding desert river, they did some land-based explorations of side canyons and the Chihuahuan desert. Students learned water risk management, river dynamics, border issues, scouting and river rescue during this section.

More than three weeks of the Southwest semester were dedicated to the climbing section. Students explored Cochise Stronghold. Students learned to be responsible, competent and confident climbers. Some of the skills covered included basic risk management, movement on rock, rope handling, knot-tying, belaying, top-roping, multi-pitch climbing, rappelling, anchors and protection placement. Students also learned techniques like cliff rescue, bird watched and went for day hikes.

The course culminated in a student expedition in which the students lead their own multi-day expedition in the Gila Wilderness within the course. Before heading into the field, the group planned their rations, group gear and route.

Shepley graduated from her NOLS course prepared to lead an expedition of her own. The course equipped students with the outdoor skills to safely and responsibly travel in the backcountry, coupled with the leadership skills to do so with others.