From Planning to Open Water: PWSC’s Kayak Capstone
by Vicki Heisser |
Every year, PWSC Outdoor Leadership students take on a capstone that asks them to
do something real. This year, it’s a 14-day kayak expedition from Whittier to Valdez—planned
and led entirely by the students themselves.
As Dr. Benjamin Rush put it, they didn’t just show up for this. They built it. Route
planning, gear prep, over 300 pounds of food—it all came together because they put
in the time. Big thanks to Dennis Humphrey, Shannon Stites, and Jay Stevens for helping
make it happen. It doesn’t come together without people showing up like that.
This isn’t their first step into it. They’ve already moved through Alaska Backpacking,
Wilderness First Responder, and Beginning Sea Kayaking. Now they carry those skills
with them, out into Prince William Sound, where things tend to get real in a different
way.
They leave on Tuesday, May 5, and if all goes as planned, they’ll land back in Valdez
on May 18.
You can follow along and track their movements: