New Vision Wilderness Therapy Adventure Education

North Woods Adventure Education Exciting times are upon us at New Vision Wilderness with the arrival of spring! Spring is a great time for Adventure Education in our North Woods location, and brings with it many new and exciting challenges and adventure along the rivers, lakes and rock climbing routes throughout the state. The majority of Adventure Education trips occur within a short distance of our field area in the Chequamegon National Forest. These trips include day long and multi-day canoe expeditions, rock climbing, and caving.  Canoeing expeditions take place primarily on the Willow flowage, Jump River, and Flambeau Rivers. These expeditions focus primarily on communication and team work, a crucial aspect of canoeing and something which many of our clients struggle with. Canoeing provides opportunities for clients to work through the challenges of communicating with their peers by navigating the winding river. Team work and leadership are two more skills which are further developed through canoeing. Clients must assess what they need to do to get where they need to go, come up with a plan of action, and utilize each others strengths and weaknesses to reach their destination. Additionally clients are taught how to perform canoe rescues, basic and advanced paddling techniques, and for some clients, even basic whitewater canoeing techniques and skills. Rock climbing is a very exciting and empowering addition to the Adventure Education programming at New Vision Wilderness. Rock climbing trips occur across the state at locations such as Devils Lake in southern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and several different locations. Rock Climbing is an extremely challenging activity which focuses primarily on trust and empowerment. Clients must learn to first trust the person who is belaying them, trust their gear, and most importantly, themselves. Trusting the person belaying them can be related directly to the struggles they may have encountered trusting others in their lives. Trusting themselves and believing that they can scale this towering cliff and overcome their fears is very beneficial to them not only on a cognitive level but also as a part of their therapeutic journey at New Vision Wilderness.