Expeditions
International Expeditions
Pan American Trails expeditions provide opportunities to share trails, landscapes and cultures across the americas. Lasting between 9 days to two weeks, most expeditions provide a complete package of lodging (or camping), food and leadership. Most importantly, while participating in an expedition you meet meet local volunteers and community members—expeditions are organized by and benefit the trail groups that are part of the network. Expeditions result in long-term relationships between people from different regions and cultures, and are an essential to keeping our network connected.
Volunteer expeditions
The first WTN Americas expedition was a “volunteer vacation” to the Sendero Pacífico in partnership with the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). The popularity of this trip led us to add a second AMC expedition in 2018, and two more expeditions in 2019, this time with the Bruce Trail of Canada.
Volunteer expeditions usually focus on trail work, with recreational opportunities mixed in. They often include a multi-day hike. Volunteers work alongside local volunteers and join locals in community events and celebrations. While trail work is the most common, there are other ways people can volunteer. In 2019 we organized a timber framing workshop to build a trails shelter along the Sendero Pacífico. In 2022, the first expedition after the pandemic, artists walked community to community, leading batiking workshops, each community designing a flag for their section of trail.
Participants pay for their food, lodging and leadership, which supports the trail and trail communities.
Trekking expeditions
Trekking expeditions focus on traversing a section of a long trail, or hiking from a central location to experience a park or protected area. While they don’t have a dedicated volunteer component, they do emphasize learning about a local trail group and community and participating in community events. Like volunteer expeditions, participants pay for food, lodging and leadership, supporting trail communities.
Professional expeditions
Professional expeditions are designed for people from the network with substantial experience to share expertise. The WTN Trails & Sustainability Task Team has developed an interdisciplinary Trail Making Rapid Assessment (TRAMP) methodology that organizes professional teams from across the network to evaluate a trail and provider a final report to trail organizations or trail communities. TRAMP considers not only the sustainable design, construction and maintenance of a trail, but also addresses questions related to conservation, ecological restoration, community engagement and economic sustainability. It uses participatory planning techniques and emphasizes community involvement.
Professional expeditions is not professional consulting. Participants are not paid for their time, but food, lodging, and international and in-country transportation is covered.
Opportunities
- Volunteering
- Trekking
- Professional exchange
2024 Expeditions
- Volunteer expedition, Cerrado, Brazil - May 18-26 2024
