Adirondack Experience

We are still taking applications and payments for August 2022!

New for Summer 2022!  In order to ease travel and lodging concerns, the Adirondack Experience is going to take place in Geneseo, NY.  The program is taught by Professor Griz Caudle, an Adirondack guide and expert in Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Students stay in residence halls at SUNY Geneseo and spend their days hiking, canoeing, and reflecting on their transition to college in nature. 

We are awaiting firm COVID-19 guidelines for this trip.  If you would like to prepare, we encourage all students to be vaccinated prior to the start of their trip.  And keep checking our COVID-19 dashboard for updates and guidance.

More Information

NEW for 2022

Program Costs

Fees and Room & Board

• 6 nights lodging at SUNY Geneseo
• All meals; starting with breakfast on Saturday and ending with lunch on Wednesday
• Some evening activities
• Transportation to and from program activities
• Program activities (state park fees, boats, etc)
• Services of Residence Life Program Coordinator and Geneseo faculty

Total Cost

• $400

Financial Assistance

We do have financial grants available for students to subsidize the cost of each trip through the Summer Experience Scholarship and Grants Committee. All required paperwork for participation in a work trip must be submitted with this request.

NOTE: Students are expected to pay for trip fees if they have the resources and the grants will only cover partial funding for a given trip. Any participant is eligible to apply. Just fill out the form. 

Please contact Meg Reitz (reitzm@geneseo.edu) with any questions. 

Program Cancellation Policy

Application is due by August 5.

Your payment in full is due by August 12.

Payments are nonrefundable, unless the program is cancelled due to lack of participants.  

Course Description

This year, the course will be based in Geneseo.  Students will hike in Letchworth State Park, Stony Brook State Park, and other natural settings in western New York. Stay tuned for a full itinerary!

The program is taught by Professor Griz Caudle, an Adirondack guide and expert in Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Students stay in residence halls at Geneseo and spend their days hiking, kayaking, and reflecting on their transition to college in nature. Students work on team building skills and critically reflect on who they are and who they want to become as they begin a unique journey at SUNY Geneseo.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this course, students will demonstrate the ability to:

• Apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills to place-based learning experiences
• Form connections between broad conceptual frameworks and themes (e.g., but not limited to, sustainability, politics and power, economics and social structures) and local contexts
• Engage in critical analysis and argumentation in oral discourse and written work
• Synthesize multiple content knowledge in engagement with real-world problems and issues
• Reflect upon academic experiences, assess changes in learning and outlook over time, and to make personal, professional, and civic plans based on that self-reflection

 

Who should apply?

Incoming students looking to make connections, learn about the area, and gain valuable skills and relationships that will aid them in their transition to Geneseo.

Prior hiking experience is not necessary. Participants' experience can range from those who had previously hiked for weeks at a time to students who had never set foot on a trail. Anyone with a moderate level of fitness and an interest in trying something new is encouraged to apply. Enrollment is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Housing

Students will arrive on Geneseo's campus on Friday and move-in early to their room assignment for the fall semester. Each night, they will return back to their own room.  Residence Life staff and other early arrival students will be present in the halls.

Transportation

Students should arrange their own transportation to Geneseo for move-in on Friday.

Food

All meals are provided from breakfast on Saturday through lunch on Wednesday and student meal plans start with Orientation events on Wednesday night.  Students are expected to handle their own meals when they first move in on Friday night.

Texts & Supplies

Nature / Writing by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (bring with you)

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (please read prior to arrival)

A Journal for Writing (provide your own journal and writing tools)

Grading

• Each student will read from their journal each day, sharing their thoughts with others
• A five (5) page paper on "How the Adirondack Experience has challenged my thinking and how it might reflect on my college experience"
• Participation in events throughout the fall semester

Schedule

Friday, August 19th: move-in to your fall housing assignment (10 AM - 2 PM) and dinner on your own

Saturday, August 20th: meet Griz Caudle and Meg Reitz to learn about the trip and get to know each other

Sunday - Wednesday: day trips for hiking, boating, reflecting, journaling, and "sauntering"

 

 

Application and Payment

Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis.

There are FIVE steps to your application process:

1. Please fill out your Adirondack Experience application online.  This google form holds your spot until June 30.
2. Make your deposit, balance, or full payment here. 
3. The Deposit is due by June 30; it guarantees you a spot on the trip.
4. Complete and email Medical and Consent forms by July 31 (these will be emailed after we receive your application).
5. Complete your payment in full by July 31

 

**Steps 1 and 2 must be complete to guarantee your spot on the trip.

Questions? Please contact the Department of Residence Life via phone at 585-245-5726 or email at reslife@geneseo.edu

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From previous years!

Program Costs

Fees and Room & Board

• 5 nights lodging at Paul Smith's College.
• All meals; starting with breakfast on Saturday and ending with lunch on Thursday
• Some evening activities in Lake Placid (movie night, etc.)
• Transportation to and from program activities
• Program activities (like canoeing)
• Services of Residence Life Program Coordinator and Geneseo faculty

Total Cost

• TBD for 2021

Financial Assistance

We do have financial grants available for students to subsidize the cost of each trip through the Summer Experience Scholarship and Grants Committee. All required paperwork for participation in a work trip must be submitted with this request.

NOTE: Students are expected to pay for trip fees if they have the resources and the grants will only cover partial funding for a given trip. Any participant is eligible to apply. Just fill out the form. 

Please contact Meg Reitz (reitzm@geneseo.edu) with any questions. 

Program Cancellation Policy

A non-refundable $150 deposit is due by June 30 to guarantee your spot.  The program is organized and planned in such a way that many of the costs are paid ahead of time as a means of guaranteeing housing/food/activities. 

Your payment in full is due by July 31.

After July 31, there will be no reimbursement for program costs.

Course Description

The Adirondack Experience is our longest-running summer experience program. It began in 2005 and has been providing life-changing and long-lasting friendships and connections for students since its inception. The four-day program is for first-year students based in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York.

The program is taught by Professor Griz Caudle, an Adirondack guide and expert in Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Students stay in residence halls at Paul Smith's College and spend their days hiking, canoeing, and reflecting on their transition to college in nature. Students work on team building skills and critically reflect on who they are and who they want to become as they begin a unique journey at SUNY Geneseo.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this course, students will demonstrate the ability to:

1. Apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills to place-based learning experiences
2. Form connections between broad conceptual frameworks and themes (e.g., but not limited to, sustainability, politics and power, economics and social structures) and local contexts
3. Engage in critical analysis and argumentation in oral discourse and written work
4. Synthesize multiple content knowledge in engagement with real-world problems and issues
5. Reflect upon academic experiences, assess changes in learning and outlook over time, and to make personal, professional, and civic plans based on that self-reflection

Who should apply?

Prior hiking experience is not necessary. Participants' experience can range from those who had previously hiked for weeks at a time to students who had never set foot on a trail. Anyone with a moderate level of fitness and an interest in trying something new is encouraged to apply. Enrollment is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Housing

Students will arrive on Geneseo's campus on Friday and move-in early to their room assignment for the fall semester.  On Saturday, all participants will drive together to Paul Smiths, NY and will stay at Paul Smith's College. Rooms are bunk-style at Paul Smith's. Room assignments are single sex, unless requested for upon applying.

Transportation

Students should arrange their own transportation to Geneseo for move-in.  The Department of Residence Life will provide transportation to Paul Smith's College from Geneseo on Saturday.  If you cannot move in early, you are welcome to meet the group at Paul Smith's College no later than 5pm on Saturday, but you must arrange your own transportation to and from Paul Smith's College.  We can help arrange carpooling if that is of interest to you.

Food

All meals are provided beginning with lunch on Saturday night through lunch on Thursday afternoon.  Students are expected to handle their own meals when they first move in on Friday night and then on Thursday night after they return from the mountains. Your fall meal plan will start with the new-student dinner on Friday night.

Texts & Supplies

• Nature / Writing by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (bring with you)
• Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (please read prior to arrival in Lake Placid)
• A Journal for Writing (provide your own journal and writing tools)

Grading

• Each student will read from their journal each day, sharing their thoughts with others
• A five (5) page paper on "How the Adirondack Experience has challenged my thinking and how it might reflect on my college experience"
• Participation in five events throughout the fall semester, including a weekend with Professor Caudle, scheduled on the trip

Schedule

Day 1: arrive on campus, move into your halls and rooms for the fall semester

Day 2: drive to Paul Smith's from Geneseo; move into residence hall; Team building games, campfire, establish itinerary for Adirondack Expedition study, begin journals

Day 3-4: Breakfast at 7:30 am, pick-up for the day's adventure at 9:00 am, Lunch 'in the wild' (provided), dinner at the College and Journal/Readings at 5:30 pm.

Day 5: drive back to Geneseo, settle into halls; New Student Move-In, Meet your new roommate!

Sample Daily Itinerary

Canoe trip in the St. Regis Wilderness Canoe Area: we paddle across quiet lakes and streams and portage to remote areas where the sound of the breeze and the call of a loon is all you hear...

Capturing thoughts in our journals...climbing a mountain to escape and sense the wonder of mountain vistas...hiking with naturalists at the ADK Visitors Interpretive Center...Swimming in the clear, cold mountain streams...Challenging out sense of adventure in a ropes course...Discovering wildlife habitats, seeking that which can't be seen...

Application and Payment

Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis.

There are FOUR steps to your application process:

1. Please fill out your Adirondack Experience application online.  This google form holds your spot until June 30.
2. Make your deposit, balance, or full payment here.  The Deposit is due by June 30; it guarantees you a spot on the trip.
3. Complete and email Medical and Consent forms by July 31 (these will be emailed after we receive your application).
4. Complete your payment in full by July 31.

**Steps 1 and 2 must be complete to guarantee your spot on the trip.

Questions? Please contact the Department of Residence Life via phone at 585-245-5726 or email at reslife@geneseo.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I need a special backpack? No, a regular backpack will do.   
• Will I need to bring a sleeping bag? Yes, the college will provide towels and a pillow, but no linens.  You may want to bring an extra towel for swimming on the hike.
• How much extra money will I need? You do not have to bring extra cash, but you will have the opportunity to purchase souvenirs.
• Will carpooling be available? With your permission, we will give out student emails or phone numbers based on zip codes to anyone who is interested in carpooling.

Reflections and Tips from Past Students

Read past student reflections.

Helpful packing hints from students who have participated in the past:

• A change of clothes and shoes for the evening as you may get dirty during the days excursions.
• A light jacket for on the trails.
• Don't forget your camera.
• Bug Spray and sunscreen.
• Layers!