Any financial assistance is greatly appreciated!

Go to this site. All funds will go directly to school costs, and trip costs (food, campgrounds, repairs, etc...)

http://www.gofundme.com/t75vn3k

Senior Project: Fostering a Connection to Landscape through Human Motion

Title:

Fostering a Connection to Landscape through Human Motion

A narrative description of the study plan, including a description of the project, clear learning objectives (both concepts and skills), and supporting activities.

I will explore how I connect with the landscape of this country. As a way to bring a culmination to my experience at Sterling College, I will ride my bicycle ~2400 miles to North Central Wyoming in the Big Horn Mountain, I will take part in a 100 mile endurance run in the Big Horn Mountains, and I will get back on my bicycle and continue exploring new places until, at the end of August, I land in my new home in Madison, Wisconsin.

This trip will be an exploration of the country’s land, and what makes a place memorable. The Culminating of this trip will be an evaluation of what places through the trip I have connected most with, and what ties these different places together.

Desired Outcomes (what I want to happen):

-To inspire and be inspired

Move through a variety of landscapes over the course of the summer via human motion

-Acquire knowledge about the country’s landscapes

-Interact with strangers in a friendly approachable manner

-To further develop my confidence in trip design and plan
-Develop a fuller view of what a sense of place is, and what makes a place

-Share my experiences in order to encourage others to interact with the environment in the ways that I’ve found meaningful

-Explore, with an open receptiveness, all types of environments (cities, towns, mountains, prairies, rivers, campgrounds, etc…)

-Delve into the factors of becoming a better person, and continue becoming a better person

Some essential questions for this project include but are not limited to:

-How do I connect to a landscape?

-How do others connect to a landscape?

-What, in a landscape, are we connecting to?

-How do towns and cities cater to human powered transportation?

-Why is it important to be connecting to the place(s) that I live or move through?

-What makes up my passion for exploration?

-How does moving through a landscape via my own power shape my experience? What am I noticing that others aren't?

-Who are the people of the country? What are their names? What do they do?

-Why am I being called to find awe-inspiring places?

Throughout my journey, I will be reflecting on these questions in journal format. I will be writing of my experiences on and off of my bike. The experiences may include: feelings of exhaustion, dramatic or dull stories, writings of the places I'm in (the mountains, plains, waterways, stores, food, agriculture, people I meet, etc...). I anticipate the human interactions I will have, are going to have a significant impact on my connection to more urban places. Once a week, I will reflect deeper on the previous week, evaluating which places have been most memorable and which I have developed greater connections to. These journals will serve as reflection tools and as tools for me to look back on to further reflect the experience after SP I and SP II.

Throughout, I will also be using a blog as an avenue for sharing my experience with others as the trip is progressing.

I will have a final paper for SP I and at the end of the trip, in the month of August I will have a final culminating paper for SP II.

Final product(s) of the study.

~4 months’ worth of reflective journaling ~75-100 entries; SP I and SP II will have differing reflection questions, SP I will have  more localized questions of the "here and now" and the SP II questions will build a larger picture of my view of human motion and the role it plays in fostering a connection to place.

~Weekly summaries of the most recent week of travel. Including miles traveled, geography, places slept, food eaten, people met, and an in depth analysis of comparisons and contrasts between places and what in those places allows for developing a sense of connection.

~SP I Final Paper. At the conclusion of SP I, I will write an essay that clearly defines the places that I have felt most connected to before and throughout my trip. In exploring these places, I hope to come to conclusions as to why they are the places I have developed deeper connection to. This broader reflection may bring some clarity to me as I leave for my 100 mile run, as I recover and as I take off for the last leg of my bike ride and begin SP II.

~SP II Final Paper: The culminating reflection. I will begin this paper while on the last leg of my ride, when I'm biking to the place that will become my new home, Madison, WI. This paper will culminate my experience as a cross country cyclist, and as a student at Sterling College. This paper will address my ride as one trip (one thing). It will look at human powered transportation (both foot travel and bicycle travel) as a means for becoming in tune with a place or places. I will reflect on the process of the trip and will explore what it means to end one journey and begin another.

~Online display of information for the Sterling community. This will tag along with a blog that I will be doing for my Humanities work this summer so that photos, art, stories, and the like are accessible to those in the Sterling College community. I will attempt to update this as often as possible. When I have days off, I will develop posts as a way for the Sterling community to keep track of what I am doing and keep the community inspired.

~Memories and stronger legs.

Description of how the study fits as a capstone learning experience in the student's overall degree plan.

            
As an outdoor education major, the key piece missing from my education is the design and implementation of an extended trip. And along those same lines, designing a trip that follows an academic line will prove to be a culminating event. My education put me in a place of being ready to lead trips in an academic context and proving this will set a great example for future employers.

I believe in cyclical learning. My introduction to Sterling College was A Sense of Place of Craftsbury, and now I will take the concept of a Sense of Place and apply it through the use of my gained skills in trips and bicycling and broaden my sense of place. This project will be the single greatest effort I’ve put out into the world, and it is purposely for just that, to put something out into the world. Through encouraging others to partake in projects such as mine, I am living the school’s mission statement.

Timeline for both SP I and SP II.

Before leaving: route planning, gear assessment and acquisition, Bicycle tune up and assessment, food plan

SP I:

May 10th - June 13th (Sterling College -> Big Horn Mountains National Forest) (>2400 miles)

May 10th: Depart from the Sterling College Campus

10th-16th: Sterling -> (just past) Buffalo, NY 550 miles

17th-23rd: Buffalo, NY - >Indiana 550 miles

24th-30th: Indiana -> Madison WI (3-4 day layover in Madison) 300 miles

31st-June 6th: Madison, WI -> Missouri River 550 Miles

7th-13th: Missouri River -> Big Horn Mountain National Forest 550 miles

June 13th: Arrive at the Big Horn Mountains, WY.

June 13^th – 18^th: Synthesize and reflect upon experience thus far through SP I Final Paper

SP II:

June 14th - August (mid to late) (100 miler, Big Horn Mountains -> Madison, WI) 1100 miles - 3500 miles

August ~31^st: Synthesizing and Reflecting on SP II and the entire trip as a whole through the use of SP II Final Paper.

There are multiple major route options for after the race.

The first is the easier option which would be about 1100 miles directly to Madison, Wisconsin.

One other option would be about 2500 miles. this would be a loop from the Big Horn Mountains, through Yellow stone and the Tetons, south through all of Utah (and a small corner of Idaho), into AZ to visit the Grand Canyon, and then go through the northwest corner of New Mexico, then proceed through Colorado directly to Madison, WI.

The other likely option would be the most ambitious option requiring and 3500 miles on my bike. This route would take me all the way to the west coast to Northern California, I would bike up the coast through Oregon and eventually to the Olympic Peninsula. From here, I would go to Anacortez and take Adventure Cycling's Northern Tier route across the northern United States eventually back to Madison, Wisconsin.

There is also the opportunity that I stray from this slightly after gaining new information along the way. Maybe a cyclist in Wyoming tells me there’s so much beauty in Colorado that I should go bike for a month in Colorado. I want to leave the exact route of the second major leg of the summer loosely defined for the sake of finding my own path. None the less, though, I will spend this time exploring places that are new to me.

Resources to be used

-Relevant articles and stories:

-Metal Cowboy & Riding Outside the Lines by Joe Kurmaskie

-Other literature for the purpose of contextualizing my experience from others’ stories.

-Extensive field work (~4 months of traveling)

-Interviews with other cyclists, runners at my race in Wyoming, and more than likely with people I meet who are exploring the outdoors.

-Google Maps and Google Earth have already been integral pieces to deciding the best routes to take, and will continue to be useful resources.

-John Zaber and his bicycle touring experience

Criteria for evaluation, including a list of outcomes or a rubric

 SP I:

15%-Journaling and documentation (Criteria for an “A” included) Grade will be down-graded upon not meeting criteria:

A: Consistent and regular entries (>75% of days have an entry). Journal entries remain focused on the project or other relevant experiences. Many entries directly or implicitly discus the essential questions of the project. Most – all entries include depth and good input of thought and reflection.

85%-Reflection and synthesis of the trip so far via SP I Final Paper (May 10^th – June ~13^th)

            *Rubric attached

SP II:

15%-Journaling and documentation (Criteria for an “A” included) Grade will be down-graded upon not meeting criteria:

A: Consistent and regular entries (>75% of days have an entry). Journal entries remain focused on the project or other relevant experiences. Many entries directly or implicitly discus the essential questions of the project. Most – all entries include depth and good input of thought and reflection.

75%-Final synthesis and reflection paper (trip as a whole)

            *Rubric attached

10%-Sharing of information with the Sterling College community: A blog will be started before or during SP I. This will be used as a venue for conveyance of my experience.

A: Blog is accessible to the Sterling community. The Sterling community should be able to gain a reasonable understanding of my experience through stories, posts, essays, etc… Posts should be easy to understand, and should contain most anything that the community could gain from knowing. (Note*: the blog will also contain material and posts from my Humanities I.S. but will be graded on separate criteria, from separate advisors)

3 Cr, 3xx Applied Science, Trip Planning and Logistics

Lance Parker

Summer, 2015

3 Credits, AS 3xx

Trip Planning and Logistics

A narrative description of the project, including: study plan, detailed weekly schedule, learning objectives, and supporting activities

Through the course of this study, I will create detailed plans for a solo multi-thousand mile bicycle tour. While doing so, I will analyze, assess, and improve what I have for gear to suit the needs of my trip. 

After planning the route, gear, and equipment, I will leave the Sterling campus on my bicycle. I will make my way through the first two thirds of the country and find myself having biked over 2400 miles and be in the Big Horn Mountain National Forest. 

Schedule:

May 5-10: Intensive Route planning, gear acquisition, logistics.

Create a gear list. Have copies of my planned route (Dates and where). Bicycle equipment. 

May 10th: Depart from Sterling College

May 10th - June 18th: Bicycle west (>2400 miles)to the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming.

arrival in the BHM National Forest Between June 13th and June 18th.

Some learning objectives include:

Practice and develop trip planning skills

Learn from others who have done bicycle tours

Establish an understanding of the unforeseeable (be preemptive to avoid mistakes)

Gain insight into common gear lists and trip plans of others (crazyguyonabike.com)

Develop a thorough understanding of the most necessary pieces of equipment and gear

Self-design a route that is specific to my needs

Aid in culminating my senior work with a well-established, smart, achievable but ambitious trip plan.

Resources to be used *

John Zaber – His personal experience with bicycle touring

The bicycle touring class – Budget, risk management, etc…

Local bicycle store to help ensure my bike is ready – Power Play Sports, Morrisville, VT

Bike touring : the Sierra Club guide to travel on two wheels - Bridge, Raymond; Lencicki, John.

Community members who have connections throughout the country. 

Google Earth and Google Maps

Crazyguyonabike.com – A bicycle touring online forum with detailed trips and gear lists from others

Specific products of the study *

Design of an extended solo trip via bicycle. Including but not limited to:

·         Route plan with a rationale for how I selected the route and why, miles per day, total mileage, rest days, etc...

·         Specific destinations with notes on sites of interest, resources, people to stay with;

·         Creation of a gear list that pertains to my specific needs for this specific trip, including bike maintenance kit;

·         Notes on gear that would be helpful in planning a trip with clients, for example, preferable types of bikes, recommended safety equipment, recommended weight to carry, styles of panniers, panniers versus trailers, etc.

·         A plan for food consumption: including nutritional needs anticipated on a daily basis, dietary preferences, caloric needs per day, costs, sources of food along the way, and specific food ideas to meet the demands of the above parameters;

·         A risk management plan including:

o    Communication plan should I be injured or ill, have serious bike trouble, or need to change plans for other reasons; what kind of communication I will rely on; who you would contact.  How does your communication plan differ from what it would be if I were leading a trip?  What phone numbers I will have with me.

o    What first aid supplies I will carry and what I would carry if I were leading a trip.

o    Safety equipment.

o    Other aspects of a risk management plan that you would prepare if I were leading a trip with clients.

Continual use of the tool of reflection throughout the trip to assess and evaluate my initial trip plan with regards to distances, resources along the way (people, town or state parks, great places to camp, good sources for healthy food, public libraries, etc…), planning for rest days, hazards along the road, problems with the route.

Method of evaluation and assessment * 

My advisor seeing, evaluating and giving feedback on my trip plan and gear plan.  

An assessment of my journaling throughout the trip (which will be mailed to my advisor) 

and on a final reflection paper on the trip as a whole through the lens of planning and logistics.

50%   Trip Plan:

-Risk management plan (effectiveness and sufficiency)

-Route feasibility (Possibility/probability for me; e.g. time and distance)

-Sufficient planning (enough places to stay, accuracy of budget, road choice)

-Notes on what would look differently if I were with a group of clients

-Adequate food plan

30%   Gear Plan:

-Bicycle repair kit (sufficiency)

-Camping gear (choices and why)

-Bicycle (quality, likelihood of surviving the trip)

-What would change if I were with a group of clients (e.g. what types of bikes, different gear, etc…)

20%   Final Reflection Paper:

-Analysis, assessment of the trip plan, its effectiveness and sufficiency.

-Improvements that would be made if I were to do the same trip

-What went well?

-Now what? Where/how can I take this experience further?

Mail, phone and email will be my primary means of keeping in contact. 

Description of how the Independent Study fits into an overall degree plan

As an outdoor educator I will need to know that I can create detailed plans for trips so that I can create safe, meaningful experiences for other people. This study will help me build these skills to a degree that I have yet to be able to practice. This will be an incredible learning opportunity in regards to planning a trip, partaking in the trip, and then reflecting on the plan and enactment of the trip.

6 Cr, 4xx Humanities: An Active Aesthetic

Lance Parker

Summer, 2015

HM 400 I.S. 6 credits

An Active Aesthetic

A narrative description of the project, including: study plan, detailed weekly schedule, learning objectives, and supporting activities.

Over the course of four months (May, June, July, and August) I will document a summer's worth of bicycling throughout the country. 

This Journey will take me from the porch of Dunbar, Craftsbury Common, Vermont, south on route 100 along the Green Mountains, south to Bennington, VT. From here I begin my journey west along route 20 taking me from Bennington, through Syracuse and Rochester, to Buffalo, NY. From Buffalo, I will bike the entire coast of Lake Erie just past Cleveland, Ohio where I will cut south slightly to cross Ohio, Indiana and a portion of Illinois. From Peoria, Illinois, I will bike north, eventually linking into the Badger State trail which will bring me to Madison, WI. I will spend May 27^th – 30^th in Madison and leave on May 31^st. From Madison I will go virtually due west across Wisconsin crossing the Mississippi River, crossing northern Iowa (and the Missouri River), Through the plains of Southern South Dakota, through the Badlands, and the Black hills, and into Wyoming, to the Big Horn Mountains, WY.

After getting to Wyoming in mid-June, I will participate in a 100 mile foot race through the Big Horn Mountains on June 19^th and June 20^th.

After recovering from this race I will continue on my bicycle. This leg of the trip may vary in length and route depending on what I feel is most suitable at the time. The 3 major routes are: most ambitious: to the west coast and back (~3500 miles), the least likely route being a straight shot back to Wisconsin. The most likely route will be an exploration of Yellowstone, and the Tetons, over to Idaho, south through Utah into Arizona to the Grand Canyon. From the canyon, I will head east through New Mexico, north through Colorado through the Rockies. From Colorado, I will shoot straight back through Nebraska and Iowa to Wisconsin. None the less, the end of the trip, no matter which route I take, I will be landing in Madison, Wisconsin in August.

The mission of the course is to explore, through a creative and artistic lens, the idea of what it means to be on the road, and develop a variety of skills in order to more effectively communicate and share this experience with others.

I will use multiple avenues to broaden my view of how I can relate to place. These avenues will include but are not limited to the following:

-Photography (digital point and shoot):

As someone who has not had much formal photography lessons, I will take what I have learned and apply it with some theories of visual aesthetics such as the rule of thirds, balancing the picture, leading lines, view point, background, framing, and depth.

I will focus on a progression of these skills in order to have a clear sense of growth in my capability to effectively convey messages through photos.

-End product: A series / multiple series of themed photographs from my trip.

I will set out on a sort of “quest” to tell the story of my summer through photographs.

I will explore some nature photographers such as Ansel Adams and Patrick Zephyr in order frame my ideas around what makes a photograph appealing.

-Creative writing & Introspective journaling:

            I have had some practice and work in the realm of journaling as a tool for reflection and creative writing as a form of sharing ideas and passion. I will practice working these together into a single piece of work that will be both a reflective tool as well as a form of expression.

            On as daily of a basis as I can, I will practice the art of travel diary. This work will include prose and short-form poetry such as haiku, translating my journey from experience into accessible reading material for an audience.

I will use Basho’s Journey as a tool to help me understand how someone uses the practice of Haibun (Prose and haiku) specifically in autobiographical format to share with an audience their journey. In doing so, I will share my journey.

            Writers to refer to:

-Basho: Basho’s Journey

-Mary Oliver

-Various forms of place based arts:

            I am only somewhat familiar with place based specific arts. I have practice in basic two dimensional arts and the art of wood carving. I find value and power in the idea of using what is around me to create the art that I will be creating though, so I will explore this.

            In an attempt keep me grounded and focused on the landscape that I am in, I will rely on what I bring with me on my bike, and what I find, to make art. From the use of pigmented materials to create two dimensional arts, to carving wooden tools that may be of use for me. When time is present enough, I will create art within the world I am in, photograph it and leave it for the next adventurer to enjoy or for mother-nature to take down.

            Andy Goldsworthy may be of some inspiration for this project. I will explore some of the work he has done and attempt to apply the practice to my bicycle trip.

Learning objectives are as follows;

-To broaden how I choose to connect with the world around me while on a solo bicycle trip: honing skills to observe, interpret, and translate my experience that I may not have otherwise taken advantage of.

-To develop a greater capacity to capture a moment both in words and in picture, as Jody put it: “Intentionally develop my perception”

-To develop a spectrum of skills that will help allow me to remain present

-Deep thinking / reflection

-Feeling

-Awareness

-To create a collection of creations that help illustrate what my solo trip was like: documentation and preservation of an experience into static artifacts for safekeeping, future reference and sharing.

I will be covering roughly 550 miles a weeks on my bike, excluding weeks that include lengthy visits to certain places, such as a 4 day stay in Madison, WI, a 2 week stay in the Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming, and some later in the summer. Throughout these days I plan to address these avenues of translation most days, in order to keep documentation of my trip. I will float between different avenues depending on what I’m being inspired by and how I am being inspired.  Naturally there will be many days that I choose to address multiple avenues. And there will most likely be days where I can't find the passion to pursue any of them; these days I may focus my energy on becoming more present, I will explore the work of Andrea Olsen to learn some exercises that she offers for practicing development of self and place.

Resources to be used

The open road:

Much of my inspiration will come from the people, places, and life that I see around me. To provide context for my experiences, I will attempt to relate them to my audience through other peoples’ works and through accessible means of translating.

            Peoples’ work that I will use:

            -Basho: Basho’s Journey

            -Andrea Olsen: Body & Earth

            -Andy Goldsworthy

            -Mary Oliver

            -Ansel Adams

            -Patrick Zephyr

Specific products of the study

Journaling: 75(+) days of journaling: Introspective stories, prose, Haiku, etc… Culminating with a polished Travel Diary that illustrates to a reader my journey throughout the summer: this will be available for the Sterling College community to read

Photograph documentation: 3-5 organized and clear series of themed photos. These will be independent of one another and may follow the themes of specific types of buildings (such as a series of photographs of the countries churches), road themes, people, trees, etc… Each theme will have a clear and identifiable theme with a write up about the themes and the process of documenting. The theme will represent a full spectrum of environments that I travel through.

Art work: Pieces of art work will follow the themes of the photo documentation. 3-5 series of supporting art work that furthers the audiences understanding of the places I see and the experience I will have.

At the end of my journey, in August, I will collect my thoughts and synthesize my experience of documenting my trip in this way and will provide access to my work to the Sterling community. This will also be shared with the greater public, through an online platform such as Flickr or another social media base.

In conjunction with my Senior Project, I will be searching for an appropriate place to present to an outside organization (outside of Craftsbury), and give a presentation to that audience. The goal behind this presentation and blog will be to bring other people to a place of understanding how mindfulness has affected my human experience of travelling.

Method of evaluation and assessment

The mission of the course is to explore, through a creative and artistic lens, the idea of what it means to be on the road, and develop a variety of skills in order to more effectively communicate and share this experience with others.

The following is criteria for grade “A” work. Anything short of these standards will be downgraded upon narrative explanation from Advisor.

30%- Photography:

40%:    Good habits of record keeping

A.      Meets or exceeds criteria for quantity: 3-5 series of photographs that represent the entire trip and not just portions (e.g. the story can be told through what I produce). Other non-series related photos are relevant.

40%:    Progression of skill development

A.      There is a clear, noticeable progression in the work or a clear explanation for why the progression is not noticeable. The progression should be visible through a chronological view of the work. Use of the basic rules of photography are explored and reflected on. Capacity to convey messages through photos improved throughout the trip.

20%:    Distribution of materials/ communication with advisor

A.      Advisor has a very clear understanding of when, why and how, they will be receiving work from me. Materials are organized in delivery. There is a clear strong effort for timeliness.

30%- Creative writing & Introspective journaling:

40%:    Good habits of record keeping

A.      Meets or exceeds criteria: 75 journal entries, finished and polished collection of stories, represents the entire trip and not just portions (e.g. the story can be told through what I produce)

40%:    Progression of skill development

A.      There is a clear, noticeable progression in the work or a clear explanation for why the progression is not noticeable. The progression should be visible through a chronological view of the work. Effort has been put forth consistently to produce high quality work.

20%:    Distribution of materials/ communication with advisor: blog and mail

A.      Advisor has a very clear understanding of when, why and how, they will be receiving work from me. Materials are organized in delivery. There is a clear strong effort for timeliness.

25%- Place based arts & other creations:

40%:    Good habits of record keeping

A.      Meets or exceeds criteria: 3 – 5 themes. Finished and polished collection of pieces. Representative of the entire trip and not just portions (e.g. the story can be told through what I produce)

40%:    Progression of skill development

A.      There is a clear, noticeable progression in the work or a clear explanation for why the progression is not noticeable. The progression should be visible through a chronological view of the work. Effort has been put forth consistently to produce high quality work.

20%:    Distribution of materials/ communication with advisor: blog and mail

A.      Advisor has a very clear understanding of when, why and how, they will be receiving work from me. Materials are organized in delivery. There is a clear strong effort for timeliness.

15%- Presentation of project

A.      Accessible and thorough sharing of work: photos and stories will be added to the blog when possible. Posts are productive in updating and thoughtful in display. Final products will be fully available for Sterling eyes.

Plan for keeping the advisor informed of progress *

Some email, phone, mailing work in.

Description of how the Independent Study fits into an overall degree plan

As a student who has very closely stayed within the realms of the outdoor education major, I recognize and am acknowledging the value of stepping outside of that comfort zone to broaden my scope at Sterling. With this in mind, a multimedia humanities project is just that tool I envision to do this. I will emphasize the use of skills that I have not spent a great deal of time developing. I believe a good education is a transferable education; I will prove this summer that the skills and values gained over the past three years have given me the capacity to transfer my knowledge into a realm I have not spent much time in: the arts.