Alaska Leadership Course

Alaska Leadership Course is rated a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 is the easiest) and is designed for students who are ready not only to tackle challenging hiking, but also to push themselves as leaders and learn both the hard and soft skills needed for outdoor leadership.

In addition to long days on the trails, participants on Alaska Leadership Course should be excited about learning new skills, as each day will bring new lessons in leadership and outdoor skills. Students will be asked to put these new skills to the test throughout the trip, especially during the final hike when each student co-leads the group for a day.

Your trip will be significantly more enjoyable if you have a good level of fitness and well broken in boots. We cannot overemphasize the importance of well broken in boots. There have been students who have had to leave their trips because of blisters from boots that were not broken in. The training guidelines below are designed to help you properly break in your boots and develop a solid fitness base.

Five weeks before your trip: Wear your boots for 15-30 minutes a day to walk around your house or neighborhood so your boots will begin to conform to your feet.

Four weeks before your trip: Take three 30-minute hikes or walks in your boots.

Three weeks before your trip: Take three 60-minute hikes or walks in your boots.

Two weeks before your trip: Take three 1-hour hikes or walks in your boots with a backpack loaded with 10% of your body weight.

One week before your trip start: Take two 2-hour hikes or walks in your boots with a backpack loaded with 15-20% of your body weight.

This is considered to be one of our most challenging trips and although no previous hiking experience is required, most students will have camped before and will be in good physical condition. Your enjoyment of this trip will hinge on several factors:

1. The quality, duration and intensity of your preparation. Your health, safety and well being on the trip will depend on your pre-trip preparation.
2. Your desire to hike and learn new skills. This trip is designed to help every student reach their leadership potential while exploring the rugged Alaskan wilderness.
3. Your commitment to teamwork and the group. A trip such as this requires compromise, patience and selflessness. Support your trip leaders and your trip mates and you’ll find that you have a great experience!

Train hard for the trip, be prepared for a challenge and come ready to be an important member of a close-working team.

“We always had enough food and the quality was great because we cooked all of the meals ourselves and made each one the best we could!” Sarah Tonry, Whitinsville, Massachusetts