Hi, my name is Gabby Adams! 

For my Out of Classroom Experience with GLI I had the amazing opportunity to take a course with the Wild Rockies Field Institute. I spent all of April and May backpacking and kayaking through southern Utah, while simultaneously taking classes focused on areas such as natural history, environmental systems, and political and social issues in the Colorado Plateau region. Along with four other women and two instructors, I spent the first two weeks of the course in Horseshoe Canyon. It was still early in spring so there were some freezing nights and cold windy days that quickly woke me up to the fact that a desert does not equate to endless sun and sweltering heat. We spent 13 days backpacking the length of the canyon while learning about plants, adaptations, and natural history in relation to the region. I realized throughout this early stage in the course how truly valuable it is to be living what you are learning. For instance we learned about the history of cattle and grazing in the region, then continuously saw firsthand some of the effects it has had on these canyons. And policies I learned about in past courses that I thought went right over my head suddenly made perfect sense while I laid under the stars in  Bears Ears National Monument. 

After a restock we spent the next 12 days in Dirty Devil Canyon. One which I think I can say challenged all of us. Navigating endless river crossings in our socks and chacos and sinking in quicksand made for some very long days. But to be at the bottom of the canyon with the layers of geology to teach us about the landscape’s long history was priceless. Throughout these two months I gained not only valuable educational knowledge and practical outdoor skills, but also a deeply rooted love and gratitude for the Colorado Plateau Region. Living outdoors for this amount of time away from my phone and even my support system was difficult in some ways, but it really opened up my mind to new perspectives and allowed me to love learning again. I would do this course again in an instant if I could, and I wholeheartedly recommend a Wild Rockies Field Institute course to anyone who loves the outdoors.