Summer 2012
This is an 8-day river expedition on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon designed for university/ college level educators and grad-students. We will run just over 240 miles of wild-river, hike up side canyons, visit archeological ruins, learn about the unique desert ecology of the canyon, and learn about its 1.9 billion years of geologic history. We will rise with the sun, sleep under the stars, travel at the pace of the river, and spend our days according to the rhythms of nature.
In addition to traveling through wilderness and seeing its beauty, we will be exploring the deeper lessons of wilderness; experiencing the Grand Canyon as both classroom and educator. As we travel down the river, we will be building a model learning community of educators, actively and creatively working on a
vision for equity, social justice, education, and sustainability. Toward the end of the trip, we will begin discussing how we might translate the lessons learned from each other, from nature into action when we return home.
Wilderness has many aspects and qualities that make it an ideal environment for learning how to create equitable, sustainable community.
No one person or group of people can lay singular claim to wilderness. It’s a place where we not only see, but experience beauty. Wilderness is a place where we are challenged to face our fears of the unknown. We rely on the people around us for support and comfort in wilderness. Both in the natural ecosystem of Grand Canyon, and within our traveling community, diversity is vital to health and survival. In Wilderness, we experience the world around us as
it intends itself to be, instead of under the control of human intentions. We have a common sense of harmony and original experience in wild places. Human beings who journey into wilderness with open minds, an acceptance of unknowing, curiosity, and humility are transformed and empowered to affect change. The wilderness, and in particular, the Grand Canyon experience is an ideal environment for building a model learning community. We will actively build this kind of community on the river and discuss approaches to bringing the lessons of our journey home to our communities and institutions.
