University of Puget Sound Students Explore Washington’s Backcountry in PacTrail

Students

Students spent a week engaged in outdoor education while hiking across the Olympic Peninsula.

This summer, a small group of University of Puget Sound students spent a week backpacking across the Olympic Peninsula, challenging themselves physically and mentally—and learning about the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest in the process.

The brainchild of Registrar Michael Pastore, the PacTrail program was envisioned as a Washington-based equivalent to Puget Sound’s long-running PacRim program. Instead of traveling around Asia, PacTrail participants hiked a section of the Pacific Northwest Trail, which connects Glacier National Park in Montana to La Push on Washington’s Pacific Coast.

“I love using the wilderness as, essentially, a classroom,” said Hannah Robideaux ’17, program coordinator for the Sound Policy Institute, who used her extensive experience as an outdoor educator and river guide to design and lead the PacTrail trip. “There’s something so tangible about being there and seeing these ideas in practice. It gives students more space to think about how they’re engaging with the world around them.”

PacTrail is offered as a course open to all students to fulfill their experiential learning requirement. The program is facilitated by the Sound Policy Institute, a Puget Sound initiative that brings the campus and wider South Sound community together for experiential teaching and learning about environmental issues.

PacTrail students display a Puget Sound banner at the summit of Mount St. Helens.

PacTrail participants backpack on the beach on Washington's Pacific coast.

PacTrail students cook over a driftwood fire on the Washington coast.

Prof. Dan Sherman and Hannah Robideaux ’17 at the summit of Mount St. Helens.

PacTrail students gather around a campfire on the beach the Washington coast.

A PacTrail student raises their hands in victory at the summit of Mount St. Helens.

The new program encompasses outdoor skills, leadership development, effective communication, and an exploration of geology, ecology, and environmental policy. Starting at Bogachiel State Park and ending at Third Beach, the group traversed nearly 80 miles of challenging terrain, from logging roads to single-track trails and even some bushwhacking. Along the way, they learned from professors Dan Sherman, Kena Fox-Dobbs, and Professor Emeritus Peter Wimberger about land-use policy, geology, and the region’s unique flora and fauna.

Arriving at Strawberry Point, a large rock formation three miles south of Third Beach, the group faced strong winds and used their newly acquired knowledge to improvise a wind barrier to protect the campsite.

“It was really ingenious. The students just took charge and found a solution,” Robideaux said.

The PacTrail program offers students more than just outdoor adventure. The pilot program provided an opportunity to connect with the Pacific Northwest's natural beauty, gain essential outdoor skills, and foster effective teamwork. Robideaux hopes the program will continue so that more Loggers can benefit from this experiential learning opportunity, regardless of their background or area of study.

The group concluded their adventure by climbing Mount St. Helens. “Some of these students didn't initially identify as physically active at the start of the program,” Robideaux said. "Yet, in just a week, they summited a mountain. It showcases the resiliency of the mind and body—a truly beautiful thing.”

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