Hiking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, camping. For Wilkes Adventure Education (WAE), these fun and thrilling experiences are all par for the course. WAE is one of several Student Development programs available at Wilkes, using adventurous, alternative learning approaches to build essential skills such as teamwork, communication, goal setting, problem solving, conflict resolution, trust building, group bonding and leadership. Over fall break in October, 10 Wilkes students, ranging from first-year to graduate, along with one alumnus and Adventure Education coordinator Jill Price, took a trip to New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. On the agenda were several days full of exploring and bonding through a shared love of learning, adventure and the outdoors.
Located along one of the oldest rivers on the continent, New River Gorge National Park is a 70,000-acre sanctuary that boasts beautiful scenery, various recreational opportunities, diverse wildlife and rich, natural and cultural histories. The park is located about seven hours away from Wilkes and was chosen by WAE students, with input and guidance from Price. Working with students, Price held planning meetings to identify shared goals, organize activities, fine-tune the logistics and prepare for the trip. “For some students, it was their first time camping,” says Price.
On their first night, students stayed at Virginia Horse Ranch while they began to familiarize themselves with the park. The following day, the group worked to find and set up a campsite and begin their adventures. Activities over the next few days included hiking beneath New River Gorge Bridge, as well as to various lookout points, rock climbing and challenging whitewater rafting on the Lower Gauley River’s class four and five rapids.
For first-year geology student Andrew Miscavage, a native of Royersford, Pennsylvania, this year’s trip presented an opportunity to challenge himself and broaden his horizons. “I was a little hesitant to go on this trip, since I had never been camping before. There was a lot that I had to push through, but looking back on the trip, I would do it again without thinking twice,” he says.
Price believes Miscavage’s experience is part of what WAE is all about. “Magic happens outside of your comfort zone,” she says. Price is quick to stress, however, that WAE goes beyond challenging students, and provides an opportunity to try new things and tackle a wide range of activities for all skill levels and interests. “Some students like the extreme, but some are there to play a game of chess or just to take time to pause and enjoy life.” Price believes that simply going on the trip is an act of courage. “How brave is it for a student to go on a trip with people they don’t even know and commit to four days living outside?”
Simon Farrell, a senior chemistry major with a physics minor from Perkasie, Pennsylvania, has been involved with WAE since he was a first-year student. What he loves best about the program is connecting with others who share his love of the outdoors, and using the opportunities WAE provides to explore new things. “Since my freshman year, I’ve gained more experience and confidence by doing things I wouldn’t have a chance to do otherwise. During this fall break, I went whitewater rafting for the first time and learned how to lead belay while outdoor rock climbing,” he says. “The best part of the trip for me was to see how all the new people involved in WAE are getting out of their comfort zone, trying new things and working together in a larger group.”
Seasoned WAE helper, Lucas Kline ‘17, MS ‘23, from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, has been involved since 2017. He envisioned his role on this trip as that of an experienced leader, one who could help younger participants learn to develop their own leadership skills. “WAE has always sought the goal to cultivate student leaders,” he says. “You get involved in the group at any stage in your education, and by being around Jill, WAE upperclassman and alumni, you learn how to team build and other various aspects of leadership. You can’t be an effective leader on the outside if you aren’t living the life of a leader internally.”
Looking back on the trip, Price describes the experience in one word: gutsy. She is continuously inspired by students who are boldly curious about the world around them and who push themselves to try new things. She is proud of the program, seeing that it is accomplishing what it is designed to do: allow students to learn, grow and become leaders. “It is all about the exposure for students – new people, places, things and cultures – and to challenge themselves in ways they never thought possible,” says Price, also adding the critical component to respect nature and all environments we share.
Students and alumni are already looking forward to the next WAE trip in the spring. For any student and Wilkes graduate who is interested in being part of WAE or wants to stay updated on future trips, please reach out to jill.price@wilkes.edu.