Wilderness MayX

05/23/2025

Furman Students leaning about cross cut saws!

05/29/2023

05/28/2023

05/16/2023

Our fearless Wilderness MayX TA's Rachel, Sophie , and Andrew heading out before it starts raining to set up tents at camp.

05/16/2023

05/14/2023

Students learning about Wilderness First Aid in the classroom at Hermosa before striking out on their first wilderness backpacking trip.

05/13/2023

The Wilderness MayX class from having dinner on the front porch their first night at Hermosa.

This is the first program we've had at Hermosa administered by Natural Curiosity. We are so fortunate for the privilege to continue using this amazing location thanks to all of our amazing supporters! We are looking forward to beginning renovations and all the programs that will now be possible here in the future.

The Wilderness MayX program is a Maymester course taught by Dr. Travis Perry in the department. This is a program where students learn about Wilderness and the skills needed to safely recreate and work in wilderness areas. Students will spend 3 weeks learning wilderness first aid, orienteering, horse/mule packing, and get certified to use cross-cut saws. They will learn about wilderness stewardship and how wilderness areas were created while making three backpacking trips into the Aldo Leopold Wilderness, an area that was part of the world's first designated wilderness - the Gila.

07/23/2019

Furman News article highlighting the Wilderness MayX 2019 Program!

May Experience (“MayX”) is an optional three-week term following the spring semester. Here are three highlights that showcase the variety MayX offers.

06/29/2019

One of the students remote trail cameras captured a video of a black bear (Ursus americanus) turning around on the trail after having its fur collected in a "hair trap" set by Wilderness MayX students.

We saw bear tracks along almost all of the trails we were hiking on, but only one student actually saw a bear on a distant hillside. Remote trail cameras are a powerful tool to observe animals in their environment in a non-invasive way. And it is always interesting to actually see the animals you are sharing the Wilderness with, even if it is only in a photograph or video.