Receive a WRT Wilderness Trip Leader Certificate
Visit the SUNY Cortland Study Abroad website for the application.
A transformative wilderness experience. SUNY Cortland is partnering with Wilderness Rescue Training to offer a backpacking trip in the magical Sierra la Laguna mountains of the sunny Baja peninsula. In Baja, the spine of the sierra rises from sea level to 6,000 feet, offering breathtaking views of the Sea of Cortez. Huge canyons provide shade and water and conceal cave paintings created by the people who lived there long before the peninsula was explored by Jesuit missionaries in the 18th century.
College credit and life-long leadership skills. You will master outdoor living skills and walk away with the expertise to lead your own backpacking trips anywhere in the world. Baja California Sur is beautiful, friendly, safe, and rarely visited by Americans.
Cultural immersion. In these mountains there are small substance farms, or ranchos, hidden far from the nearest road. The rancheros that live there lead self-sufficient lifestyles, raising goats and tending orchards. We can learn a lot about living close to the land from interacting with these off-the-grid families. While exploring Baja, you'll also have ample opportunities to practice your Spanish language skills, although knowledge of Spanish is not a prerequisite for this course.
How do I sign up?
Answers to all of your questions, from getting credit to getting to the airport! Information on interest meetings, scholarships, and packing lists.
Where is Baja?
Baja, the earth’s second-longest peninsula, offers over 1200km of the mystical, ethereal, majestic and untamed. The middle of nowhere is more beautiful than you ever imagined, and people are friendly, relaxed and helpful.
This course is offered only to students in the SUNY system. If you are interested in creating your own Custom Backpacking trip, please send an email to wildernessrescuetraining@gmail.com
