Leadership Expedition to the Adirondacks

Leadership Expedition to the Adirondacks

Leadership Programs is excited to announce our second annual Leadership Expedition to the Adirondacks. Students will travel to the Saranac Lakes from September 2 - 4, 2016, where they’ll test and enhance their leadership skills on a three-day canoeing and camping trip. The expedition team will paddle during the day and camp on islands at night, covering a total distance of around 15-20 miles.

The primary goals of this expedition are:

• leadership development;
• cohort development; and,
• camping skills development.

Additional key tenets of the trip are:

• this is a "leave no trace" wilderness experience; and,
• this is a cellphone, alcohol, and substance-free expedition so students can be completely present through this shared learning experience.

On this unique expedition, students can expect to: 

• experience both adversity and the natural beauty of the Adirondacks region;
• take turns assuming full responsibility for the entire group; and,
• receive real-time feedback on their leadership and followership efforts.

In short, this is a chance to practice, rather than just talk about, real leadership.

Interested?   
If you are interested in joining this expedition, please carefully review all of the following information. An online enrollment form will go live on Friday, August 26 at 8 am at this link. While the registration deadline will be Sunday, August 28, at 11:59pm, we strongly encourage you to sign up on Friday morning as slots are extremely limited.

Leadership Expeditions

 Logistics
Dates: September 2 to September 4, 2016, with a mandatory gear check and group gear packing session at 6pm on September 1 at Sage Hall. Students must be prepared to leave Ithaca at 7am on Friday, September 2 and should expect to return around 7pm on Sunday, September 4. Transportation is provided.

Eligibility: This expedition is open to all Ithaca-based, full-time residential students studying at Johnson. Please note: you must be comfortable in deep water and able to swim at least 300 meters without stopping in order to participate. No other previous canoeing or camping experience is necessary or required.

Program Fees: This expedition is being subsidized by Leadership Programs. Students will need to cover their lunches on the drive to and from the Adirondacks, and will also be asked to pay a non-refundable participant contribution of $100 to join the expedition. All other meals, plus group gear (tents, water filters, canoes, etc.) and sleeping bag and sleeping bag pad rentals for those students who require them will be provided.Some students may have to purchase or rent some individual gear (headlamp, hiking boots, rain gear, etc.) depending on what they already own. This will be possible through a discount at Cornell Outdoor Education Rental Center; please see the attached packing list for more information on what each student will need to prepare.

To learn more about the Saranac Lakes: The expedition team will travel through Upper Saranac Lake and the Lower and Middle Saranac Lakes in the Adirondacks. A map of the planned route is below.

Graduation Credit: All full-time, Ithaca-based Johnson residential students are eligible to use up to 1.5 credit hours from Leadership Skills Program (LSP) and/or Managerial Skills Program (MSP) toward their MBA degree credit-hour requirements. Students who participate in this expedition will be awarded 0.3 LSP credits. 

File Attachments: Adirondacks Leadership Expedition Packing List.pdf