Elderhostel Programs
In keeping with Far Flung Outdoor Center’s goal of “all things in the Big Bend”, our programs for Elderhostel, Inc. is an excellent example of combining outdoor fun with natural science and wilderness skills learning opportunities.
Elderhostel, Inc. is an organization specializing in educational travel programs for people who are, generally, over the age of fifty-five. The exception to this is the Intergenerational and / or Family programs – and Far Flung is operating three of those! This is a program for a child and an adult. For intergenerational, the adult is usually a grandparent, aunt, uncle or family friend.
Annually, Elderhostel, Inc. offers over 8,000 programs in 90 countries. Far Flung Outdoor Center is proud to have been associated with Elderhostel, Inc. for the past eight years in offering programs in the Big Bend area. Far Flung Outdoor Center currently has twelve programs listed through Elderhostel, Inc.
Please see below for more information. Please find listed below our upcoming programs for the spring and summer of 2007. For more information, we encourage you to go directly to the Elderhostel webpage – www.eldherhostel.org. This is their home page so just type in the program number and you will find detailed information regarding pricing, accommodations and the program itinerary. All program registration is handled through Elderhostel, Inc. – but you are also welcome to call our staff at 800-839-7238 if you wish additional information.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS - 2007
Hiking In The Big Bend – Program Number 11958
January 14 – January 19, 2007
January 21 – January 26, 2007
January 28 – February 2, 2007
One of the most remote, wildly beautiful, and peaceful places in America – the Big Bend National Park is often a surprise even to native Texans. The daily hikes will cover a variety of landscapes – from mountain peaks, desert springs, and river trails. Throughout the week, field studies will be interwoven with the hiking. Geological history spanning millions of years, the search for edible plants that allowed human inhabitation for thousands of years, and a discussion of the “brief” era of the dinosaurs (a mere 20 million years) will add to the appreciation and mystic of what the early Spanish explorers called “El Desloado” – the empty land. Maximum group size is limited to twenty.
Birds and Botany of the Big Bend – Program Number 7418
February 4 – 9, 2007 WOMEN ONLY
February 11 -16, 2007
February 18 – 23, 2007
With the most bird species recorded in any national park – some 450 – plus 1200 known plants, truly the Big Bend is on top the list for naturalists. The week will take in the huge diversity of the park, from the Rio Grande River to the Chisos Mountains. We will visit Daniels Ranch and the Hot Springs on the east side of the park, the Cottonwoods and Lajitas Bird Sanctuary along the river, as well as "birding in the Basin" of the mountains.
Field studies will involve not merely the identification of birds and plants, but delve into the interconnection and dependence of the two. The promise of spring wildflowers only adds to the flavor of the week. The best of local guides, in an area where most everyone’s passion is the out-of-doors, will lead daily field trips. Maximum group size is limited to twenty.
Migrant Birds of the Big Bend – Program Number 14564
April 15 – April 20, 2007
April 22 – April 27, 2007
April 29 – May 4, 2007
There is a reason birds – and birders – flock to the Big Bend National Park in the late spring. Two keys areas of the national park, the water corridor of the Rio Grande and the unique habitat of the 7,830 foot Chisos Mountains, are a vital part of the spring migratory route. Because of this Big Bend National Park has recorded some 450 species. We typically accumulate a list of approximately 125 birds, such as the Painted Bunting, pyrrhuloxia, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Elf Owl, & Lucifer Hummingbird. There will be at least two opportunities for early morning / early evening birding during the week. The field study will be lead by some of the top local birders in the Big Bend area. Participants may anticipant daily walks of up to 3.5 hours on uneven ground and unmaintained trails. Participants need to bring their own binoculars / scopes / books. Participants interested in tackling the full-day hike to Boot Canyon (2,000 elevation gain) in order to see the Colima Warbler may do so on their own on Saturday following the program. Maximum group size is limited to twenty.
A Very BIG Bend Intergenerational Outdoor Adventure – Program Number 14631
June 24 – June 29, 2007 Intergenerational
July 1 – July 6, 2007 Family
July 8 – July 13, 2007 Intergenerational
Special Note: Intergenerational means one adult (grandparent, aunt, uncle, family friend) per one child aged nine to twelve. Family means one or more adults plus one or more children aged six to twelve.
This program is a true Elderhostel “one of a kind” opportunity! Many visitors to the Big Bend catch a glimpse of the Rio Grande or the Chisos Mountains; few have the chance to experience both in an in-depth manner. Combine that with the opportunity to spend the week with some of the area’s top guides, and this is truly a unique program. During the week our guides will blend the natural sciences of geology, botany, and archeology with wilderness skills in both the mountain and river ecosystems.
We will canoe the Rio Grande for two-and-a-half days, camping for two nights in a truly wild setting. Our route on the Rio Grande will follow magnificent mountain ranges and canyons. Free time activities along the river might include side hikes, fishing, swimming, or water gun escapades. Stars and campfires allow for astronomy, story telling – and some-mores! Following our river adventure we will head for the Chisos Mountain Lodge in the heart of the 8,000’ mountains for the Big Bend National Park.
At the Lodge for two nights, we will have a day to tackle a 5-mile hike in the mountains. Besides just plain fun, this program takes the educational themes of natural science to the immediate field experience of the wilderness. It is likely to be a week no one, adult or child, will ever forget! Maximum group size is limited to eighteen.
