Wilderness Writing: Using Personal Narrative to Enhance Outdoor Experience

While writing is used to enhance learning in many outdoor programs, it is rarely used as a method for focused self-exploration. A partnership between a recreation professor and a writing teacher provides the training to have both a solid outdoor program and a solid experience in personal narrative in journals and essays. Students participating in such a combined program benefit by a) learning technical outdoor skills and a process of self-discovery, and b) experiencing the complete writing process, and building a cohesive discourse community. Educators desiring to design an outdoor writing program can make goals, design a program, create a curriculum, and establish a process of program review.