Sea Kayaking in the BahamasAn Eco-Travel Seminar

December 30, 2014 – January 6, 2015

A Program of the Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary

Sea Kayaking in the Bahamas:: An Eco-Travel Seminar

A Program of the Center for Lifelong Learning

at Columbia Theological Seminary

December 30, 2014 – January 6, 2015

What a way to end 2014 and begin 2015! Join us for this eco-travel seminar, where we will spend five days sea kayaking through the Bahamas. We will camp on the islands, learn about environmental ethics, and take time for spiritual renewal.

We will spend one night on each end of the trip in a local hotel, which will serve as our point from which we embark. Our first morning together will be spent developing sea kayak proficiency before paddling to the first camp site.

We hope that participants will discover something about:

vThemselves, as they spend days away from the comforts and expectations of our culture

vTheir traveling companions, as they learn – yet again – to live in community with others

vThe world around them, as they explore the wonders of creation

vThe fragility of the natural world, as they learn about the impact of human beings on it

vGod, as they experience and reflect on the complex ways all these things interact within God’s sovereign grace

Participants must be of at least average fitness, able to swim, and willing to live “off the grid” for a week. Experience in backpacking/camping and/or kayaking is helpful but not necessary.

Participants should also be willing to live intimately with others in shared hotel rooms and in two person tents. A sense of adventure is helpful.

Mark Douglas, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, has been on the CTS faculty since 1999 and teaches on a wide variety of subjects. A child of the Colorado Mountains, An or-dained PCUSA minister, Mark has long been interested in environmental issues. He helped to form environmental groups while a seminary student and now as a faculty member. Mark serves on the board of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light in Atlanta. He has published articles on ethics and the environment and teaches regularly on environmental issues. An avid athlete and outdoorsman, Mark has spent his lifetime skiing, hiking, camping, horseback rid-ing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and generally trying to keep up with his longtime friend and former pastor, Steve Harrington.

Trip Leaders

Steve Harrington has been Senior Pastor at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) since 1990. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on the power of the wilderness to transform life and renew the spirit. For 31 years he has been leading wilderness adventure trips throughout the U.S. and around the world. Steve has worked as an instructor for The National Outdoor Leadership School, Outward Bound schools, and Higher Rock Wilderness Adventures. Steve is ACA-certified as an open water sea kayak instructor and as a top rope site manager for the American Mountain Guides Association. Through the Wilderness Medical Institute and the National Ski Patrol, he has advanced medical training for the backcountry. He is a master educator for Leave No Trace, Inc., and a member of the Backcountry National Ski Patrol.

Program Fees $ 1,280 per person, (double occupancy in the hotel). All rooms are poolside, and come equipped with two double beds. Enrollment limited to 14 participants.

The program fee covers the costs of the course itself, including each individual’s share of the essential gear and supplies (kayaks, tents, food, fuel, sanitation, emergency supplies, etc.), and hotel lodging for the first and last nights.

A $200 deposit toward the program fee is due at the time of registration.

Other CostsParticipants will cover their own costs for travel to and from Georgetown (GGT) in the Baha-mas, meals on arrival and departure days and in the hotel, and trip insurance (optional but recommended).

Participants will bring their own clothing, toiletries, and other sundry gear. Those confirmed for the trip will receive a list of required, recommended and optional gear, a detailed itinerary, required reading, required travel and medical documents and other trip details.

We will provide hotel contact information for those who wish to make arrangements to spend extra days in the Bahamas before or after our trip.

Health and Safety Matters: All wilderness experiences carry risk – some due to the health of participants; others due to the conditions in which participants find themselves. Participants will be required, therefore, to complete and submit a medical form, along with other required forms.

We will be kayaking in remote settings. To minimize risk we will kayak and camp inside the Bahamas bank, where the water is warmer and calmer than in the sound. Most people of average fitness can successfully complete the trip. The group will learn the skills and best practices for kayak camping and open water travel in a safe and encouraging environment.

There will be a VHF Marine radio for emergency communication as well as a satellite radio and an emergency locator beacon.

Deadlines and Essential Information: October 30, 2014 Registration deadline - $200 deposit due November 10, 2014 Confirmation of final course list; Submit required travel and medical documents November 30, 2014 Balance of program fee due

Upon registration and submission of deposit, each participant will receive the following:

Required travel documents, including medical forms, to complete and return as soon as possible and not later than November 10.

Gear lists, including

v Required personal gear to bring v Recommended personal gear to bring v Optional gear to bring v Optional gear to rent from the trip outfitter, Out-Island Explorers

Course itinerary and reading list

Each participant must schedule his/her own flight to and from the Bahamas(GGT) and provide a copy of his/her travel itinerary to the trip leaders.

Register now.

Questions about the trip? Contact Steve Harrington at steve@svpc.us

Questions about the program or reading? Contact Mark Douglas at DouglasM@ctsnet.edu

Sea Kayaking in the BahamasAn Eco-Travel Seminar