By Shirlett Warren/nw news editor

NW Campus geology students seeking to appreciate the outdoors and learn basic survival skills can join a camping/backpacking class beginning March 19.

The class is designed to be affordable and less of an interruption for students with busier lives, said NW health and physical education assistant professor Joshua Tarbay.

“I like to call it [the course] car-top camping,” he said. “The class is designed for beginners. We’re not going to teach people how to skin a chipmunk and eat it.”

The objective is for students to learn how to enjoy camping with friends and family. Many first-time campers don’t know the challenges of a campsite. They have to learn how put up a tent, make a fire and then learn to cook, Tarbay said.

“They learn that food can be pretty bland if they don’t have seasoning,” he said.

Tarbay lived in upstate New York for years.

“People in the Northeast put a big emphasis on outdoor activities. The Adirondack Park covers one-third of New York state,” he said. “Students up there can’t get a bachelor’s degree without going on a three-week survival training course. So when I came here, I was pretty motivated to teach survival skills.”

During the three-fold course, students will spend one weekend at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose. NW geology instructor Josh Fairbanks has a questionnaire planned for students to find things along the trail that are relevant to the class.

“I’ll go to Glen Rose ahead of time and scout the area. The questions are printed in the sequence of the trip,” he said. “The students will discover minerals and rocks they’ve learned about in class and will get to take stuff home.”

The next trip to Fort Richardson State Park is geared more to hiking and backpacking.

The $52 registration fee covers backpacks, stoves, fuel, tents and entry fees into the park. Students will also get a kayaking lesson during a day trip for the third phase of the course.

“We’ll have a fleet of kayaks, paddles, life jackets and a lifeguard certified in first aid,” Tarbay said. “We even provide lunch.”

Certified lifeguard and NW aviation maintenance student Justice Smith looks forward to the trip.

“I’ve been on five trips like this so far. I’ll be going as a lifeguard and as an instructional assistant to make sure that everything goes safely, but I’m also going for fun,” Smith said.

He said he enjoys helping people learn skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

“Teaching someone how to pitch a tent or start a fire for the first time is very gratifying, and I love the outdoors,” he said. “I hike, kayak, backpack, all of it, and it’s fun making s’mores and playing Uno until 1 o’clock in the morning outside.”

For more information about the course, contact Tarbay at 817-515-7066 or at joshua.tarbay@tccd.edu.