magine spending 30 days in the Colorado wilderness, snowshoeing through four feet of snow along the Continental Divide, climbing steep rock walls, crossing rushing creeks while carrying all your food, clothing and necessities on your back, and paddling down a raging river. That’s what 10 recreation, parks and tourism students did last summer — and they did it well.

Every year recreation, parks and tourism department chair Gary Nussbaum takes a group of students for a month-long trek through the wilderness. The 2001 Wilderness Institute was what Nussbaum calls a “high-octane” experience. The goal of the program was to expand students’ personal boundaries, help them meet nature’s challenges and reach beyond their comfort zone and teach them how to be leaders and cooperate with others in challenging conditions for extended periods of time.

RU students Johnny Garrett and Mike Hotze drove more than 1,600 miles to meet the group in Colorado Springs. “I felt excitement and fear all wrapped into one like a Ho-Ho,” says Garrett. “In Colorado I would be with a group of people that I didn’t know and eating foods that I had to carry on my back. I would be learning how to rock climb, guiding a raft through white water and backpacking across some of North America’s most awesome mountains. Besides, this was a nine-credit course.” says Garrett.

“We would be out in the wilderness with the same group of people for 24 hours a day, seven days a week for a full month. That was a little intimidating,” says Hotze.

This trip was an emotional, physical and intellectual challenge for students and could be a life-changing experience for some. Nussbaum and four staff members planned the general routes the group would follow as well as an evacuation plan if anything went wrong. “I’m the course director and ultimately responsible for what happens on the trip. I take that very seriously,” says Nussbaum. Students spend several months getting ready for the excursion and learning what to expect.

The first adventure began in Eleven Mile Canyon, where students were introduced to rock climbing. Nussbaum taught them the basics of rock climbing, such as tying knots, setting anchors, using and caring for equipment and climbing multi-pitches. While in the canyon, the group had their first taste of Colorado weather. “We started cooking dinner in around 70-degree weather,” says Garrett. “By the time we were eating the temperature had dropped to 41 degrees and a 50-mile-per-hour wind had brought snow in.”

The second leg of the institute was a 10-day trek on the Colorado Trail/Continental Divide. “This is when we put into practice what we learned in other classes such as outdoor living skills, leave-no-trace skills, orienteering and navigation,” says Garrett. The students had to carry food, water, first aid supplies, tents, sleeping bags, clothing — both summer and winter due to the unpredictable weather — snowshoes, books, journals and personal supplies.

Each day’s hike would range from two and a half to 10 miles depending upon the difficulty of the terrain. The worst experience for Hotze was during this period. “We climbed through snow for four hours. I didn’t necessarily want to quit, but I wanted that climb to be over,” says Hotze.

Nussbaum remembers that day well. “Mike was sitting on the trail when I came by and said ‘Mike! What’s the matter?’ Mike sat there with his head down and muttered ‘I’m not moving.’ But then he got up and got moving,” says Nussbaum.

“I see myself as their cheerleader and counselor,” says Nussbaum. “Very little gets me down. By and large, yah, it’s snowing, yah it’s cold, but don’t stand around and whine about it. Do something.”

The third portion was white water raft guide training. The students challenged the class II - IV rapids of the Arkansas River for five days, each taking turns at the helm. They were taught hydraulics, proper commands, use of the paddle, safety and nautical terms.

The program was carefully planned to be challenging but not overwhelming. “It’s all in the sequencing. We would climb 1,000 feet at a time. It was strenuous, but not so strenuous that the student’s drive was squashed,” says Nussbaum. During a mountain ascent, student Elissha Moore’s asthma gave her trouble. “Elissha and I created a strategy to climb the next 14,000-foot peak safely,” says Nussbaum. “Waiting for sunlight to warm the air and attempting the summit a day early, Elissha and staff member David Coronato were able to attain the summit.” The total elevation loss and gain of the hike was 8,800 feet.

“Dr. Nussbaum helped us get through,” says Miller. Miller was a staff assistant during this year’s institute after previously completing it as a student. “When I was a student he made it possible for me to meet the challenges in a comfortable way. When I was out there, I wasn’t in it for the grade, but the experience. He is able to relate to the students and get them positively involved in the activities,” says Miller. “Now, I see him as a professor and respect him as a friend. The best part about him is his enthusiasm about what he does and teaches. That carries over to what we learn. He’s always there for the students in his office and on campus. It doesn’t end when you get back from the institute.”

“We spent a month of our lives together,” says Nussbaum. “So inevitably you would get to know someone in a different way than if you just had them in class. But when we are back in the classroom, I have to remind them that we’re in a different environment.” He doesn’t have to offer the institute and take a month to trek through the wilderness with a bunch of young people. He does it because he enjoys it. “Besides loving the mountains and being out there, it keeps me young.”