HIKES
Holistic Integration of Knowledge and Experience in Science
Holistic Integration of Knowledge and Experience in Science
HIKES is a for credit, project based, experiential learning summer program that teaches Wilderness Backpacking, Navigation, Leadership, Ecology, Scientific-Methodologies, & Field Based Geospatial Information Science . It is based out of the Central Wyoming College Alpine Science Institute in partnership with the United States Forest Service.
Hikes is comprised of three parts: Expedition Preparation, The Expedition, and Data Analysis. Collectively this experience will allow students to integrate project-based GIS ( Geospatial Information Science ) work, scientific field studies, leadership, and wilderness backpacking into a fun, skill building, educational opportunity.
Example of a GIS data collection tool that students will learn to build before going on the HIKES Expedition.
Before heading into the mountains students will spend time in town preparing food and gear and preparing for the research and geospatial data collection component of the expedition. Students can expect to spend time in the GIS lab building real world data collection applications, and at the ASI learning the key components of wilderness trip prep.
After preparing food and gear, and developing key GIS and outdoor skills, students will depart on a two-week backpacking trip in the Wind River Mountains where they will learn the fundamentals of wilderness backpacking and use the GIS tools they developed to collect data to help support the United States Forest Service in its Wilderness monitoring efforts. Students will also participate in ecological field research projects. And, we will also try and make time for fun! (swimming, hanging out around the campfire, playing games, fishing, and maybe even climb a peak!?)
Students in the field using the data collection applications they built to record the location of campsites.
After the ‘in-the-mountains’ portion of HIKES, students will take the data they collected in the field and start to analyze results using online maps and other geospatial analysis tools. We encourage students to take the work completed in this process and carry it forward into a presentation at the University of Wyoming Undergraduate Research Day in the Spring of 2025.
Above all- the goal of the HIKES program is to provide small classroom spaces, experiential learning, and hands on experiences that will be fun, help students earn college credit, and give them real world skills that will help them get jobs in the fields of outdoor education, GIS, environmental science, or land management.
Students hanging out in Camp on the HIKES Expedition
Students in the HIKES Expedition will receive college credit for two different classes (enrollment in both classes is required for scholarship eligibility):
After the expedition, students will learn to create maps to tell the story of the data they collected.
Students briefing for their day of work Wilderness Monitoring
HIKES takes place at our two Lander CWC Campuses: The Lander Center, where we will use the GIS lab to build tools and analyze data from the expedition, The Alpine Science Institute where we will prepare our outdoor gear to go into the field, and in the Wind River Mountains at a location to be determined.
Locations of the HIKES Expedition. Click on a point for more information.
The Wind River Range - So Beautiful!
The dates for HIKES 2024 are:
We will depart for the mountains from the Alpine Science Institute on the morning of July 11th and return the afternoon of the 21st.
July 23rd and July 24th at the Lander Center
*students are required to participate in all portions of the expedition*
Tentative 2024 HIKES Schedule
To enroll: Please email or call Kathryn Primrose (Education Coordinator) at the CWC Lander Center: 307- 332-3394 or kprimros@cwc.edu.
The most important thing you need to participate in HIKES is a good attitude, a willingness to work with other people, and enthusiasm to learn. You do not need to have any previous GIS, science, or backpacking experience. Your instructors are here to support your learning at whatever skill level you come in with.
Expect to spend a lot of time working with your peers on HIKES.
HIKES will be a whole lot more fun, and a whole lot easier, if you get in shape well before the expedition. Any form of exercise or training is great, but if you are looking for a great and simple training plan, start doing the following at least 2 months before HIKES:
Click the button below for a list and description of required gear. You will meet with your instructors to go over gear before we head into the mountains, and we can help you answer any questions about gear you have.
In addition to the required gear above, I highly recommend checking out my personal list of favorite items to bring into the mountains:
Finally, backcountry hygiene can be a little intimidating if you haven't done it before. Check out this great resource and associated video for tips on staying clean and going to the bathroom in the backcountry:
Oh, I forgot to mention. We'll also hike to some pretty amazing places while we're on HIKES!
Mara Gans Instructor of GIS and Expedition Science mgans@cwc.edu Phone (Call or Text): 307.855.2332
of Central Wyoming College