During a serene Land/Sea voyage in summer of 1973, an unexpected “SNAP!” shattered the tranquility of participant Tom Johnston ‘s ‘78 journey. In a twist of fate, a student’s routine boat maneuver cracked the sail’s boom; making it impossible to sail the 38-ton ship. Students feared they would be stuck in Lake Huron. Director of Land/Sea and Biology professor, Paul Olexia made the call to locate a spruce tree to replace the broken boom. Luckily for them, they were surrounded by the trees, but no one had an axe. Students took a dinghy out to land, armed with little more than chisels and determination, to cut down a tree. The students docked at a nearby harbor and were assisted by locals. They used their temporary fix until they got a new one later in the trip.
LandSea is an outdoor pre-orientation program designed for first-years and incoming students to spend up to 18 days immersed in the outdoors, building connections, and experiencing new adventures. Students are split into “patrols” with up to 10 peers and two student leaders; while on LandSea, they will hike, cook, canoe, and backpack together. This helps to foster close relationships and assists to facilitate a smooth transition to campus.
When Dr. George Rainsford became the 13th president of the college in 1972, he had a vision for a pre-orientation program that was wilderness education based. The Great Lakes College Association awarded Kalamazoo College $200,000 to develop the program. In 1973, 16 incoming first-year students went on the first ever Land/Sea which was held in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan where students did a combination of sailing and backpacking. LandSea is only one of a handful of outdoor pre-orientation programs that started in the late 60s-early 70s, with the intention to see if there can be impactful experiences for college-aged students to explore the outdoors.
Throughout the 50 years of LandSea, there have been six location changes due to scheduling conflicts, capacity concerns, and logistical issues. Today, LandSea has three options that vary in difficulty for students to choose: LandSea Basecamp, LandSea Expedition, and LandSea Kalamazoo. With Expedition and Basecamp being offered in the Adirondack Mountains State Park in northeastern New York and LandSea Kalamazoo in Mattawan, Michigan.
Since its establishment, LandSea has been characterized by an unwavering determination to overcome even the most challenging circumstances. Beyond fostering a strong sense of community, the lesson of perseverance is an impactful takeaway that students hold.
In the nostalgic spirit of commemorating the LandSea adventures, Outdoor Programs organized two special events during Homecoming weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the program. These events included a celebration at Bell’s Eccentric Café and an open house that provided former LandSea participants the chance to see the program’s evolution through the years. The events featured opportunities for previous staff and individuals involved with LandSea to share their experiences, peruse collections of photos and videos spanning the five decades of LandSea, and reunite with old friends.
Alumni expressed their delight at the changes to LandSea and relished the opportunity to speak about the profound impact LandSea has had in shaping their daily lives. George Seifert ‘83 who ventured into Killarney Provincial Park, spoke about how LandSea expanded his horizons. “Since LandSea I did things that I didn’t used to do, cross country skiing, backcountry skiing, mountaineering, more hiking, more biking… I have more of an appreciation for things such as the environment, which is especially important today when the environment is such a critical issue.”
The impact of LandSea for many students went beyond the trip, often retelling stories around campus and spreading the word. When Tom Breznau, then business and economics professor at K, heard about the program, he sought out then-director David Winch and expressed his desire to go on the trip. After experiencing it, he developed a profound fondness for LandSea and made a continuous effort to attend. While on a sabbatical, teaching abroad on a Fullbright MBA program at the University of Zimbabwe, Dr. Winch attempted to pass on the leadership of LandSea to his protegee Breznau. Initially, he felt he might be too occupied, but by 1991, Brezau was the director of LandSea, a position he held until 2010. Before Dr. Winch’s departure, Breznau mentioned that Winch imparted to him “The LandSea way,” which he sees as “A way to live, to connect, a way to pay attention, a way to fully enjoy without harming the environment and the animals and everything that’s out there.” Breznau’s takeover of LandSea allowed him to focus on growing the program, which he regarded as fostering leadership development. He introduced a more rigorous leadership retreat, a component that remains an integral part of LandSea’s curriculum to this day.
Another LandSea enthusiast, Katie Kopecky ‘13, shared how LandSea played a pivotal role in realizing her childhood dreams of hiking the Appalachian Trail was possible. As an incoming student, Kopecky saw LandSea as an opportunity to explore her interest in backpacking. Due to the intensive training of LandSea, she was able to make major strides in this goal throughout her time at K. Just last year, Kopecky achieved her dreams by successfully hiking the Appalachian Trail. She credits LandSea with being a significant factor in motivating her to pursue her life-long aspiration, stating, “LandSea was very instrumental in encouraging me to go for this dream that I had always wanted to do!”
While LandSea offers inspiration, it also presents challenges. Nature can be unpredictable, with strict schedules, and students cannot let the weather dictate their experiences. Greta Farley ‘22, LandSea coordinator, recounted a day as a participant when she saw a big summit ahead and it had been raining all day. Doubts loomed as to whether the patrol would even get to see the view due to the clouds and rain. Despite that, the group persevered, with smiles and laughter, they navigated the hike. By the time they reached the top, all the clouds had dissipated, and were rolling over the peak. For Farley, the moment left her “Ecstatic with pride, it was beautiful, it was cool, it was hard, and we had all done it together. What I remember about the day is not the difficulty or the pain or exhaustion, it was the joy and the support, and just how magical it felt.”
The experience of less than pleasant weather was also shared by Maya Arau ‘27 who recollected her three-day overnight canoeing trip. “The second day of it, even though it was pouring rain, and it was completely miserable. I feel like that was just one of the most rewarding days of the entire program because it kind of just made us all come together more. It was such a bad day, but something about it, it is just one of my fondest memories.”
With endless lifelong friendships made, miles hiked, and meals eaten together, the true impact of LandSea is found in anyone who participates. The director of Outdoor Programs and LandSea, Jory Horner reflects about how notable the anniversary is, “It’s a milestone, it shows in ways, how far we have become, I also think it’s remarkable looking back at student experience over time, although the venue has changed, the activities have changed, and the students have changed. When you see how people talk about LandSea throughout those 50 years, it’s remarkable how similar the experience is.”
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