About
the Course
If you want to combine the use of map and compass with the challenges
of mountain travel, we have a course just for you: The BOSS 14-Day Mountain
Navigator.
The course starts with a 5-day intensive in wilderness skills and map and
compass work. Our goal: each student will be proficient in all aspects of
map reading, including map color & symbol significance, contour lines
/ intervals, scale, margins, and trail selection. We'll learn declination,
magnetic fields, and how maps and compasses should be used on the trail. We'll
learn UTM, Lat. & Long, and Township & Range navigation systems, and
how each offers different advantages and disadvantages when it comes to successful
navigation.
Then the fun begins as the staff steps back and provides only coordinates
to the next destination. From this point on, you will need to successfully
navigate across Boulder Mountain (elev. 11,000 ft) to reach your food, water
and the next cache's coordinates.
The final challenge: a 3-day solo expedition to test your hiking, navigation,
and orienteering skills.
On all BOSS Field Courses, students learn the basics of map reading, navigation and orienteering. However, not all Field Courses provide students with enough time to master the details of land travel. Therefore, we've created this Explorer Course specifically to help students master the use of maps and compasses on the trail. The 14-Day Mountain Navigator Course combines the low-tech desert travel of our Field Courses with the challenge of mastering navigation and orienteering skills across the wooded Aquarius plateau of Boulder Mountain.
Course
Content
Skills taught on the 14-Day Mountain Navigator Course vary with each group's
needs and desires. However, we hope to teach everyone the basic and advanced
skills of navigation, orienteering, and mountain travel so that each person can
comfortably teach these skills to others. We will also be teaching the basic
primitive skills needed to be comfortable in any wilderness environment: fire
construction, shelter construction, water procurement and purification, campsite
selection and other skills taught on our Field Courses will be covered.
| Phase | Length | Description |
| Orientation & Group Expedition | 4-5 days | 1/2 day of introductions, skills & safety instruction, and equipment review and sales followed with 4-5 days of instruction and acclimatizing to the alpine environment, eventually arriving at a camp/cache. Mountain-travel skills, fire construction, shelter, observation skills, navigation, orienteering, and water location are learned. |
| Student Expedition | 4-5 days | 4-5 days of instructor-free travel as students put their newly-learned skills to use. Each group is responsible for arriving at the final destination using a predetermined route. |
| Skills Practical & Refresher | 1-2 days | Before the upcoming Solo Expedition, the instructors will debrief and review the Student Expedition phase. This allows us to evaluate each student's skill and, if appropriate, move on to the next challenge of the course. |
| Solo Expedition | 3-4 days | Having successfully completed the student expedition, each student will face the challenge of 3-4 days alone on a specific route through the desert. Caches along the way will provide you with food, water and coordinates to the next cache. |
| Final Challenge / Graduation | A final challenge may be thrown in, and then a celebratory graduation ceremony. | |
About
BOSS
Since 1968, BOSS Courses
have set the standard for low-technology camping and desert hiking techniques,
where instruction
is conducted without the intrusion of modern technology in environments that
allow course content to be experienced first-hand. Our commitment to quality
and to our core philosophies has earned BOSS its reputation as the
survival school to go to when you want to learn from the best in the industry.
Mountain
Navigator vs. Canyon Navigator
Both courses offer intense
instruction in wilderness navigation culminating with a 3-day solo expedition
through the backcountry. The Canyon Navigator occurs
primarily in the slot canyons and low-lying mesas of the Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument, which means slickrock, sagebrush, and elevations from
3,000 to 6,000 ft. The challenge often comes from not knowing if you or
your group will get boxed in or cut off in a landscape marked by erosion.
The Mountain
Navigator occurs primarily in the pine forests and aspen meadows of the
Dixie National Forest, which means basalt cliffs, ice-cold lakes, and elevations
from 6,000 to 11,000 feet. The challenge often comes from not being able
to see much due to trees, or being able to see everything yet not knowing
where you really are. Both courses offer you an incredible opportunity — if
you need more help deciding, please give us a call.
A special consideration: Based on feedback from past students, you may want to consider arriving in the Boulder, Utah area a few days before the course so you can acclimatize to the altitude. Boulder Town is at approx. 6,000 feet above sea level, and this course typically travels between 9,000 and 10,000 feet above sea level. Therefore, if you have concerns about being out of breath, a few days camping in the area may be helpful. Please give Jenny Stein a call or send her an e-mail for more information about arriving earlier than the course.
Less
is More
In line with the BOSS Positive
Impact Camping philosophy, the Mountain Navigator Course has a decided emphasis
on using only renewable, natural resources. Tents, sleeping bags, stoves,
backpacks and many other "required" pieces of outdoor equipment
are replaced with their low-tech counterparts: a poncho, a blanket, a campfire.
The motto here is "Know more, Carry less" and we'll explore how
traditional cultures lived comfortably without all the modern gadgets like
watches, radios, cellphones, etc (which are not allowed). Come learn how back-country
travel can be a less intrusive and more harmonious experience.
Course
Location
This course will begin at BOSS's
Durfey Creek Basecamp on Boulder Mountain, and will then move to various other
locations on the mountain. All 14 days of the course are in the field, where
students will learn traditional living skills and the arts of orienteering.
Note: Participants on this course will be hiking at elevatinos from 8,000 to 11,000 feet above sea level. Therefore, for some students, we suggest that you acclimatize to the altitude (if necessary) by arriving before the course starts.
The
BOSS Challenge
On the BOSS 14-Day Navigator
Course, students hike long distances over the rugged terrain found in Southern
Utah's mountains, sometimes 10 or more miles in one day. The combination
of high exertion and moderate rations usually leaves students 5 to 7 pounds
leaner at the end of the course. However,
please note that rations on the Navigator course will be larger than those
on our Field Courses, and there will be no Impact phase at the beginning
of the course.
Health & Safety
BOSS requires that all Explorer Course
applicants undergo a complete physical examination and receive their physician's
approval in writing prior to final acceptance on the course.
Please keep in mind, despite your physician's approval and BOSS's acceptance of you on the course, there are no guarantees. Health and participation risks (inherent and otherwise) remain. Ultimately it is up to you and your physician to determine if this BOSS course is an appropriate choice.
Age
The average age of BOSS students is in the mid-30's.The key to Explorer Courses
is a student's maturity. Due to the physical aspect of the Navigator Course
and the risks associated with a solo wilderness trek, students younger than
18 must come with a parent or legal guardian.
Food
& Diet
All
students are provided with BOSS food packs which consist of basic staples
such as lentils, rice, millet, carrots, potatoes, onions, oatmeal, 7-grain,
flour, powdered milk, etc. During fire-ban seasons, these rations are modified
to include instant soups and meals which do not need a fire to be eaten. Either
way, the food packs will provide a student with approximately 1500 calories
per day — enough to keep you healthy and active for the duration of the
course. Students who wish to supplement their diet with wild edibles and hunting
or fishing catches may do so in a responsible manner (permits may be required
and can be purchased in advance). Students with allergies or dietary restrictions
should contact our office for additional information.
2008 Dates & Prices
| 14-Day Mountain Navigator |
MN-6 |
June 22 - July 5, 2008 |
Utah |
$1865 |
Course dates and prices are subject to change. Space is limited on each course, and registrations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Please go to the Registration page for more information.
