Dates: June 9 – July 9, 2010
Price: $2,400 (see deadline section below for earlybird discount)
Application Deadline: currently accepting applications!
To apply: You can fill out our online application or download the application and reference form by clicking on the Apply link on the left.
Our instructors will teach you all the outdoor living skills you will need. We will teach lessons on necessities from bathing and cooking to navigating and picking out campsites. You will learn about the weather, Leave No Trace environmental ethics, and leadership topics such as group dynamics, leadership styles and communication.
While learning how to faithfully live and lead in a wilderness setting, you will also be challenged to grow in the areas of identity, community and spirituality. You will be given a course journal that will include various outdoor resources as well as readings about such things as Christlike leadership, worship, redemption, servanthood, and the practice of spiritual disciplines. You will participate in personal Bible reading and reflection through journaling. Finally, you will discuss the life of your community and set goals for your growth together.
Well, there is no typical day on LDW, but here’s a rough idea of what your trip will look like: Your Canadian adventure will begin just north of Pittsburgh, PA where you will spend two days learning the basics of kayaking, getting to know the other participants and instructors and packing for your trip. You will then drive to Ontario as a group and start your trip on the North shore of the Georgian Bay.
During the trip, you will spend some days paddling to get to a new island campsite and some days in camp. After arriving at each new location on travel days, you will explore your new home, set up camp and make dinner before the evening meeting. During in camp days, you will spend the day participating in lessons on kayaking skills, outdoor living skills, leadership or spirituality, practicing spiritual disciplines such as praying, Scripture study and solitude, and just playing.
A major event in your trip will be your day as Leader of the Day. You will be responsible to plan that day’s route, lead the group, and determine how decisions will be made. At the end of the day, you will hear valuable feedback from your peers and instructors on your leadership.
Between all of the paddling, lessons, and leading, you can expect to build strong relationships with your community through laughing and playing together and working together through the hard things that God requires of everyone who follows Him, but especially of those who are called to leadership positions. You can expect to both challenged and built up by your community daily!
You will part ways with your fellow Canadian travelers in PA as you reunite with your friends and family for a banquet celebrating your completion of the trip.
The Georgian Bay extends off of Lake Huron. The bay is about 9,300 square miles and contains tens of thousands of islands. While some islands are large and forested, others are simply large granite formations, sparsely covered by pines. The area is known for its beautiful rock, exposed by glaciers during the last ice age, 11,000 years ago.