Fly into the Seattle airport where you will meet your instructors and course mates. A short drive northwest to the San Juan Islands will allow you to get acquainted and discuss the course.

We take to sea kayaks to explore the heart of the San Juan Islands. We'll learn the fundamentals of efficient paddling, open-water safety, and coastal navigation as we island-hop through this rich coastal ecosystem. Camping overnight on remote beaches, we can expect hours of fascination inspecting the abundant sea life found in the tide pools along these rocky shores.

We take a well-deserved rest day as we make a scenic drive inland, make camp, and prepare for the upcoming backpacking section.

Swap your paddles for your hiking boots and head into the North Cascades, a rugged range of mountains often called "America's Alps" because of their extensive glaciers and icefields. For the next seven days, we'll develop and perfect backpacking skills as we explore the trails, passes, and peaks of North Cascades National Park, the centerpiece of an enormous, unbroken network of protected wilderness. As we wander amid jagged peaks that rise above mist-filled valleys, each day will bring an increased comfort level for backcountry travel and a new set of indelible impressions to last a lifetime.

Eager for more adventure, we journey south into Oregon to rock climb towering walls at Smith Rock. First, we'll learn the basics of using ropes and harnesses and moving comfortably in the vertical world as we challenge ourselves on a wide array of climbs. With the rest of us cheering you on from below, you'll tackle simple top-rope climbs then move on to more rigorous multi-pitch routes, pushing your limits and discovering the allure of technical climbing in an awe-inspiring natural setting. Conditions permitting, we'll top off the experience by clipping in and experiencing mind-blowing exposure on a tyrolean traverse.

Eager to experience more of the amazing diversity of landscape that the Pacific Northwest has to offer, we'll drive east of Smith Rock into the high desert for a multi-day rafting trip down Oregon's famous Deschutes River. Known for its thundering big-water rapids, captivating canyon scenery, and exceptional riparian wildlife, the Deschutes allows a great mix of whitewater excitement and laid-back drifting. Professional guides will help teach us the fundamentals of expedition river running, from reading whitewater to the logistics of supplying and loading the rafts. At night, we'll enjoy each other's company under the clear desert skies of central Oregon as we relax in comfortable riverside campsites. But these last few glorious days will be somewhat bittersweet, as well; over the course of three weeks we will have grown quite attached to the incomparable landscapes of the Pacific Northwest and to each other, and none of us will be looking forward to parting.

Back in the Seattle area, we'll wash our clothes, clean the gear, and take well-deserved steaming hot showers. Still not ready to leave, we have one last hooray when we celebrate our final night together at a banquet dinner.