Experiential Programs
Wilderness
In keeping with The Bush School's focus on experiential learning, Middle and Upper School students enjoy building friendships along with their outdoor skills in the Wilderness Program. Started by MS history teacher Rob Corkran in 1973, the Bush Wilderness Program has acquired a supply of equipment to take advantage of Seattle's proximity to Olympic, Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks as well as other natural areas.
Peak experiences have included expeditions up Mount St. Helens, Mount Baker and Mount Stuart. Currently, teachers lead Middle School excursions on several weekends each month—such as mountain biking in the Methow Valley and kayaking in the San Juan Islands—while Upper School trips tend to offer longer, more ambitious trips such as the annual Yellowstone ski trek and spring break rafting on the John Day River.
In any of these adventures, students can apply their learning about geology or meteorology, or simply revel in the amazing experience of physical exertion in a glorious setting. Celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Bush Wilderness Program was the theme for Bush's annual George Taylor Dinner in 1998; many alums gathered to recall the great memories of their Wilderness Program trips and affirm the value of these experiences as an important aspect of their education.