Wilderness Orientation is a fun adventure filled with exploration. Wilderness has been the introductory program of the school since the 1970's - well before it became widely embraced by colleges, universities, and other K-12 schools who have recently created their own versions to orientate students to their communities and provide an important community-oriented transitionary experience for their students. Our program is designed to introduce all new students to the school’s values of respect, responsibility, and excellence through a ten-day backpacking trip. Wilderness Orientation also serves the vital role of creating a shared collective experience through service, teamwork, challenge, and adventure all before the start of the academic school year. The skills taught on Wilderness Orientation not only benefit students on subsequent outdoor adventures but also provide valuable lessons and strategies that will help them better approach everyday life at CRMS and beyond.

Important Information

Click on the links below to review important information about Wilderness.

Wilderness Gear List
Wilderness Fitness Preparation
CRMS Bookstore Equipment Price List
Wilderness Q&A blog

Meet your leaders

Alex Perkins

English Faculty

Alex Perkins

BA, University of Montana

MA, Middlebury College

Appointed 2012 What do you do on campus? I teach Freshman English, am an advisor,…

Daniel Pittz

Modern Language Department Chair, Modern Language Faculty

Daniel Pittz

BA, Spanish Literature, University of Colorado

MEd, Curriculum and Instruction, Arizona State University

MA, Spanish, Universidad de Salamanca and New Mexico State University

Appointed 2004 What do you do on campus? I teach Spanish, level 3, and this…

Eliot Taft

English Faculty

Eliot Taft

BA, English & Environmental Studies, Bowdoin College

Appointed 2019 What do you do on campus? I teach English, and I like to…

Josh Weinstein

Mathematics Faculty

Josh Weinstein

BS, CU Boulder

Appointed 2022 Josh grew up on the Front Range of Colorado and rapidly developed an…

Kayo Ogilby

Science Department Chair, Science Faculty

Kayo Ogilby

BS, Liberal Arts, Evergreen State College

MA, Secondary School Science Education, Columbia University

CRMS Great Teaching Chair in Science 2010/11

Appointed 1996 What do you do on campus? Favorite campus pastimes: Teaching 2 sections of…

Peter Benedict

Mathematics Faculty, River Program Manager

Peter Benedict

BA, Outdoor Education, Prescott College

MS, Math Education, Montana State University

Appointed 1998 What do you do on campus? I teach math, Run the River program,…

Co-Leaders

Beth Krasemann

History Faculty

Beth Krasemann

MAT, History - Brown University

BA, History - Williams College

MA, Holocaust and Genocide Studies - Gratz College (in progress)

Appointed 2022 Beth grew up in Portland, Oregon, hitting the Cascade Mountains for adventures in…

Calvin Bates

Arts Faculty

Calvin Bates

BA, Economics - Middlebury College

Appointed 2022 Calvin joined the CRMS faculty after spending a year teaching and coaching in…

Charlotte Oakley

Teaching Fellow

Charlotte Oakley

B.A., Philosophy - Williams College

Appointed 2022 Charlotte was born and raised in Washington DC and recently graduated from Williams…

Keelan Bozman

Music Faculty

Keelan Bozman

BS, Music - Queens University of Charlotte

BS, Biology - East Carolina University

Appointed 2022 Keelan Bozman is a performer, educator, and outdoor enthusiast. He first started playing…

Rachel Morse

Teaching Fellow

Rachel Morse

BS, Cognitive Psychology, University of Utah

Appointed 2023 Rachel was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah where she grew…

Veronica Wolff

Mathematics Faculty

Veronica Wolff

BA, Mathematics and Art History, Williams College

Appointed 2023 Veronica grew up in Northern Virginia and attended Williams College, where she studied…

Volker Krasemann

Mathematics Department Chair and Science Faculty

Volker Krasemann

BA, MS, Physics - Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universitat Greifswald (Germany)

MS, Physics - Montana State University

Appointed 2022 Volker is a proud relic of the Cold War. He grew up in…

Wilderness Assistant Volunteers (WAVs)

Abee

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Abee

CRMS, Class of 2024

Isla

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Isla

CRMS, Class of 2024

Kate

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Kate

CRMS, Class of 2024

Matt

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Matt

CRMS, Class of 2024

Tiernan

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Tiernan

CRMS, Class of 2024

Tiffany

Wilderness Assistant Volunteer

Tiffany

CRMS, Class of 2024