Outdoor Skills

Editor’s Note: This post begins our Outdoor Skills Essentials series, created for anyone who wants to become more capable and prepared in backcountry environments. Each post introduces practical concepts and skills that contribute to thoughtful preparation, responsible participation, and greater confidence while living and traveling outdoors.

Long before a group reaches the trailhead for a challenging day hike that concludes at the peak of one of Colorado’s 58 Fourteeners, there’s a ton of work to do. That also goes for a multi-day backcountry expedition such as the ones we offer here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE). 

Gear needs to be sorted, the route studied, weather checked, meals planned, and group equipment divided among packs. Participants also need to consider water sources, potential campsites, clothing, travel time, and what conditions or wildlife they may encounter along the way.

All of this happens before anyone takes the first step on the trail, yet each decision from that point onward contributes to what happens once the group starts moving.

At NCOAE, outdoor skills begin with this type of preparation. Participants learn skills and put them to use in environments where their decisions affect how they live and travel in wilderness. Before those decisions involve navigation, campcraft, climbing technique, or other skills in the field, participants need to think through where they’re going and what they’ll need, as well as how they’ll contribute to the group.

Outdoor Skills Begin With an Expedition Mentality

Our Outdoor Skills Essentials curriculum introduces Expedition Mentality as a “mindset of planning, preparing, and acting in order to sustain the emotional and physical safety and comfort of self and community.”

A backcountry experience (even one lasting less than 24 hours) puts people in an (more…)