The Greatest Classroom

Zack Steel
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What is the most memorable class you’ve ever taken? It was likely taught by a brilliant and inspirational teacher expounding upon a fascinating subject full of nuance and complexity. But did that class also make you feel awe, exhaustion, and a little fear? Did it soak you to the bone?

​For the past two years I’ve had the privilege of guiding for UC Davis’ Grand Canyon Class. Formally known as Ecogeomorphology, which to paraphrase Truman Young (2016 professor of record), means we talk about ecology and geology and pretend they are the same thing. But what’s unique about this class is that our lessons are given while seated upon a raft, hiking through eons of geologic history, or relaxing on the beach at the end of a long day. During this 17-day rafting trip down the Colorado River, graduate students, faculty, and river rats teach one another about the billions of years of geology that shaped the Grand Canyon, the millions of years evolution spent on its endemic species, and the dozens of years humans have endeavored to change all that. The class provides us with a chance to learn within and beyond our chosen disciplines while in a beautiful place, but it also gives us much more.

Dropping into 205 mile rapid. Photo Credit: Avi Patil

There are increasingly few places where we are forced to truly live in the moment and in a place. On a raft on the Colorado is one of these rare places. Cell phones, the Internet, and even snail mail (remember that?) are not options here. And thank God. Without these distractions you must focus on what’s in front of you, be it a talk on the loveably hideous Humpback Chub, avoiding the hole at Lava Falls, or the acoustic guitar playing softly below towering canyon walls. With this focus comes enhanced experience and a solidity of memory.

The best courses – the best experiences for that matter – are those that challenge you and push you outside your comfort zone. When such a course takes you into the wilderness, this challenge is not merely intellectual but physical, emotional and perhaps spiritual. Through my trips down the Colorado River, I’ve learned a lot about the geology of the Colorado Plateau, the biology of the desert, and the ongoing political and social struggle over water and its management in the West. However, the entirety of these experiences is what makes these facts stick in my mind, and more importantly is what makes me reflect, both on what I’m learning but also on life and my place in the world. 

The contributors of this blog, and I presume many of its readers have chosen careers inextricably linked to the natural world. Yet most of our days are spent behind a desk, coding, writing, and trying not to read the latest political news. My infrequent opportunities to escape to places like the Grand Canyon are chances to break from the daily monotony, but they also remind me why I chose to be an Ecologist. What’s more, such trips make me better at it. They give me time to think, question, and be inspired without the normal diversions.

Students exploring the Deer Creek "Patio"

The UC Davis Grand Canyon class provides unique experiences for dozens of graduate students each year and I’m convinced it’s a highlight of each of their graduate carriers. While the Colorado River is a special part of my personal experience, it and this class are not alone in their ability to inspire students and scientists. Other examples of successful experiential learning programs are the Semester in the West at Whitman College (my alma mater), The Super Course at UC Santa Cruz, and a course once taught by our own Casey Peters called Natural History of California. While the likelihood of being thrown into a freezing river during one of these courses is regrettably low, they all allow for invaluable experiences that a typical class cannot offer. Additionally, they can inspire an increased personal connection with nature, and encourage students to take an active role in improving humanity’s relationship with the natural world. We should promote the continuation and expansion of such field courses or any analogous efforts that get us out from behind a desk and into the wilderness.
 
Thanks for reading. Now go outside!

Half of the 2015 class and guides below Lava Falls. Among the pictured: naturesconfluence's Mark Schwartz (2015 professor of record), Ryan Peek, Dena Spatz, and me.

​Other links of potential interest:
- An amazing website documenting the 2016 class and an earlier post and photos  by Kat Kerlin and Joe Proudman. 
​- A Capital Public Radio story about the 2016 class.
- The Ecogeomorphology courses over the years.
- A video about the Grand Canyon that's currently touring with the Banff Film Festival.
​- More posts by this author