BACK-COUNTRY COURSES
PEO 351 – Backpacking (Fall & Spring)
This course is designed for students with little or no backpacking experience. The course includes classroom sessions and a three-day outing to the Oregon Coast. The focus is on learning the basics of backpacking, with an emphasis on packing a pack, improving hiking efficiency, using a backpacking stove and cooking basic meals, erecting a tarp and/or tent shelter, camping and traveling using Leave No Trace (LNT) ethics, and practicing map and compass skills.
Prerequisite: Wilderness Survival (no exceptions)
PEO 353 – Back-Country Cuisine (Fall)
In this one credit course, students will learn how to plan menus, package food, and implement leave no trace cooking and baking techniques utilizing backcountry stoves and cooking systems. The class culminates with a weekend day outing where the class cooks amazing food, then gets to feast!
PEO 356 – Back-Country Navigation (Fall)
Class sessions focus on reviewing backcountry navigation skills and preparing students for a demanding three-day backcountry outing. We follow an exciting and challenging route in rugged country that requires the use of intermediate and advanced map and compass skills, night navigation, and GPS use. The route is mostly off trail, near Three Fingered Jack.
Prerequisite: Backpacking
PEO 392 – Back-Country Survival (Spring)
If you hike, ski or climb in the mountains, the chances are that eventually you will have to spend an unplanned night (or two) in the field. This course provides the skills and training that enables backcountry travelers to survive a night or two in a makeshift shelter with only the contents of items carried in a day pack.
Prerequisite: Backpacking
PEO 356 – Snow Camping (Winter)
This two-credit course includes classroom sessions and a three-day outing in the Oregon Cascades. Classroom topics include trip planning and preparation, cold weather clothing and equipment requirements, snow shelter construction, and a review of cold injuries, thermoregulation, and LNT ethics. The outing provides an opportunity to learn and practice winter camping and travel techniques, snow shelter construction and backcountry route finding techniques.
Prerequisite: Backpacking
PEO 362- Mountaineering (Spring)
This Two credit course includes an exciting three-day wilderness outing includes opportunities to develop snow climbing skills, practice glacier travel techniques including crevasse rescue systems. This is a challenging outing with a considerable amount of time spent in the Three Sisters Wilderness. A five-week preparation course on campus will allow students to learn the skills necessary for the outing.
Prerequisite: Backpacking, (Snow Camping or Winter Navigation), Outdoor Rock
PEO 391 Winter Navigation (Winter)
This two-credit course is designed for anyone who ventures into the backcountry during the winter months. Class sessions consist of lectures on a range of topics relevant to avalanche safety, and prepare students for the outing through the Cascades. The three-day outing emphasizes backcountry safety and hazard evaluation. You’ll have opportunities to travel and navigate in the mountain environment and conduct searches using beacons and probes.
Prerequisite: Backpacking
PEO 399 Avalanche Safety
This two-credit course is designed to convey the information and skills necessary for safe travel in avalanche prone terrain. Classroom sessions include a series of lectures on weather, snow morphology, hazard evaluation, route selection, travel safety, equipment and rescue techniques. The three-day outing component provides hands-on practice in a variety of avalanche safety skills and techniques including snow pit analysis, hazard estimation, avalanche beacon use, and rescue techniques.
Prerequisite: Backpacking
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
PEO 411 – Leadership Dynamics (Fall)
This course examines factors and variables that help students become more effective leaders and team members. Students learn how to lead and debrief adventure activities, and discover how group dynamics, communication, and other factors play an integral role in shaping the personality and character of teams.
Prerequisite: Wilderness Survival
PEO 412 – Leading in Nature (Spring)
This is a great opportunity to learn about the natural history of the region. Course topics include ecological concepts, teaching in outdoor settings, natural history, and environmental interpretation. The highlight of the course is a set of one-day outings focusing on the natural history of coastal and oak savannah ecosystems.
Prerequisite: Wilderness Survival
PEO 413 – Field Leadership (Winter)
The course examines the roles and responsibilities of leaders, field leadership tactics and methods, risk management planning, and camp craft skills. The three-day outing includes a driver training component, a night hike to a campsite on the Oregon coast, and learning modules emphasizing the development of field leadership skills.
Prerequisite: Backpacking
WATER BASED COURSES
PEO 325 – Swift-water Safety (Spring)
This course is designed for backcountry travelers interested in learning how to safely negotiate shallow and deep swift water streams. Topics include knots, rigging, and rope management techniques; shallow and deep-water crossings, zip lines and pendulums.
Prerequisite: Wilderness Survival
PEO 399 – River Stand up Paddle boarding (Spring)
A great launching point for the aspiring paddle-boarder. Our basic skills standup paddle-board class will prepare participants to confidently explore our region’s moving waterways. In the class you will learn basic paddle strokes, maneuvers, balance, and safety, all while enjoying the beautiful Oregon rivers.
PEO 399 – Keelboat Sailing (Spring)
In this one credit course you will learn the skills to skipper a sloop-rigged keelboat of approximately 20 to 27 feet in length by day in light to moderate winds (up to 15 knots) and sea conditions. Knowledge of basic sailing terminology, parts and functions, helm commands, basic sail trim, points of sail, buoyage, seamanship and safety including basic navigation rules to avoid collisions and hazards.Student will have the option to test for the ASA keelboat certification.
WILDERNESS MEDICINE
PEO 399 – Wilderness First Aid (Fall and Spring)
The WFA is the perfect course for the outdoor enthusiast or trip leader who wants a basic level of first aid training for short trips with family, friends, and outdoor groups. It also meets the ACA guidelines.
PEO 399 – Wilderness First Responder
The WFR is the perfect course for anyone working in a position of leadership who want a high level of wilderness medical training for extended backcountry trips or expeditions. The WFR is 72+ hours long, and is a comprehensive and in-depth look at the standards and skills of dealing with: Response and Assessment, Musculoskeletal Injuries, Soft Tissue Injuries, and Medical Emergencies. CPR certification is also included.
ROCK CLIMBING
