Once you really get into this sport, the world becomes your health club.
Students hike 15 miles as final for hiking class
By Robert Eiton Special to the Kansan
George Lottes offers KU students a window into the great outdoors.
Lottes teaches backpacking, HPER 108, to the student who takes an interest in life off the beaten path.
The one-hour hiking course does not cover much ground toward graduation. However, credit is not what most backpackers are looking for. Students in the class say they take backpacking for various reasons, but all share an interest in the outdoors.
"Everyone can learn something, but the class is geared to people who have very little experience." Lottes said.
Whatever their wilderness wisdom, all students get a chance to learn from Lottes' experience. Lottes is a wilderness expert who also instructs the Marine and Naval reserves. He is a Vietnam veteran who has taught backpacking at various schools since 1974. It is the only course he teaches at KU.
"I took the class in the fall to refine my backpacking skills because I plan on taking future trips," said John Baker, Prairie Village junior.
Some students say they take the backpacking class to make friends.
Garrett Sullivan, Leawood senior, who
took the class in Fall 1995, says, "The class helped me to meet new people from the University in a different setting outside the classroom."
The class is usually composed of 30 to 35 students who meet once a week in Robinson Center. The students analyze one aspect of backpacking in each class. One week they study styles of campfires. Another week, students learn what to look for when shopping for hiking boots. Campfire chats and the art of cooking s'mores also are included in the syllabus. Eventually the class is ready to test what they have learned in an overnight expedition to Perry Lake.
The students meet for the final examination at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning for a 15-mile hike. It is the only trip the class takes outside the classroom.
They drive 30 minutes to the lake, put on their packs and line up. After 10 miles and hours of field testing their classroom knowledge, the group is ready to make camp.
The class studies what foods are best suited for specific purposes. Baker's group made spaghetti on their hike and followed it with a dessert of s'mores.
After dinner, the exhausted adventurers retire to their tents. The last day of class begins with a five-mile trek to waiting cars.
April, 1996 The Hill
Alternative Sports
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