My Davidson | A Student Blog Photo Essay: Creating Outdoor Experiences for All Through Trip Leader Training
March 7, 2025
Kaspars Golos ’27 reflects on the confidence and self-awareness developed through wilderness leadership after his participation in Davidson Outdoors’ Trip Leader Training. Explore his photos as he learns that the best adventures aren’t just about surviving in nature—they’re about helping others discover their own capacity to lead and connect.
About the Author
Kaspars Golos ’27 (he/him) is a chemistry and classical languages double major from Richmond, Virginia. Outside of the classroom, he is involved with Davidson Outdoors, Davidson Test Kitchen and Photography Club. He also works on chemistry research and serves as a photographer with the Office of College Communications.
Last fall, I completed Davidson Outdoor’s Trip Leader Training and since then, I’ve led backpacking trips with DO, gone on numerous trips of my own, and had the opportunity to do some incredible photography during Outdoor Odyssey, one of Davidson’s pre-orientation programs.
I love the time I spend with Davidson Outdoors, so when the opportunity to mentor this fall’s trip leader training arose, I jumped on it. I loved being a trainee but I must say I loved mentoring even more. Introducing others to the beauty of the outdoors and the immense joy of sharing that beauty with others was fantastic. I learned a lot about teaching, learning, and (admittedly cliche, but true) myself.
Trip Leader Training culminates in a third trip where the trainees become the leaders. Last year, I experienced my own TLT trip three, an experience as nerve wracking as it was fun. I didn’t realize until mentoring TLT that the main thing I got from that trip was confidence in my ability to lead DO trips. It wasn’t until I saw my mentees gain that confidence that I truly understood what Trip Leader Training is all about. The hard skills are relatively easy, both to teach and to learn. Those are the skills that keep you alive. However, keeping participants alive is a pretty low bar.
The skills that TLT is really trying to teach are the soft skills –– taking care of yourself and your participants so that you can all have fun. Whether that’s conflict resolution, fostering a welcoming environment, or making time for yourself on a trip; the core skills are self awareness and confidence. On the third trip, I had the honor of seeing the mentees’ confidence and self awareness start to take off. Explore my photos for a taste of this wonderful experience.
Any good two-day DO trip starts with dinner in the parking lot followed by a hike in the dark. Here, the mentees open their bear canisters to fish out the ingredients for dinner. After dinner, they hiked for two miles to the campsite, during which time they only got turned around twice (which is very good for unfamiliar terrain in the dark).
To exemplify self care and offer a morale boost on a cold trip, I brought my pocket rocket, a compact stove that can boil a liter of water in about 2 minutes. I used it for hot drinks at nearly every meal, which was especially nice while waiting for dinner those 30-degree nights.
While waiting for dinner, one of my mentees looks up at the stars, a consistent highlight of DO trips. It is amazing how traveling even an hour into the mountains can reduce light pollution. We backpacked along the Art Loeb trail, about three hours from Davidson, and the night sky seemed to be strung with Christmas lights.
Here is my best attempt at photographing the above mentioned stars handheld with a 50mm lens. I didn’t bring my large zooms or a tripod to keep weight down because I had to carry some rather heavy gear for the group. I regret it and am sad I can’t better share how gorgeous the stars were.
Me in my cold weather outfit. DO has these fantastic aviator-looking fleece hats that keep your head and ears very nice and toasty. I highly recommend them for cold trips. I also brought my beloved personal handlamp which I refer to as pinky for obvious reasons. Fantastically bright, runs forever on three AAAs, and an excellent red light mode make it one of my favorite outdoors purchases. When I’m not backpacking, I use pinky as a reading light.
I woke up early in the morning the next day and grabbed this picture while everyone was still asleep. This was down the trail right by our campsite. I love the light and how vibrant the forest still feels even in the heart of winter.
When I’m not taking photos or adventuring outside, I love to cook, and I was very happy that my group of mentees seemed to share that love. We ate very well out in the wilderness, and this was one of my favorite meals –– a potato and onion hash with cheddar and summer sausage.
In Appalachia, some of the smallest scenes are the most beautiful. This was the pattern of plant life on a rock, zoomed in and given a slightly ethereal look by the light and some focus manipulation. I almost walked right by it but thankfully the orange caught my eye.
My group of mentees from left to right: Emily, Katie, and Everett. They were a fantastic group –– knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and overall just fun to be around.
Another example of a small and beautiful scene. The light and stripes of the mushrooms drew me in immediately, and I was left several hundred feet behind as I tried to find the best angle.
One of my favorite things is when the sun begins to dip below the mountains and the trees begin to split between light and shadow. I feel this photo captures it pretty well but there is nothing like seeing it in person. This may or may not be a not-so-subtle suggestion to go on a DO trip.
Here are the mentees attempting to determine what mountain was across from us using their maps and compass. A fun and valuable lesson on navigation, the difficulty of which plagued us at the beginning of the trip. By the end of it, they had navigation down. I still do not.
Setting up camp for our second night. We camped at a beautiful spot along the Art Loeb Trail and the sky was lit up a lovely purple at dusk. Setting up a tent in the dark can be quite a pain, but they had it down.
Eating breakfast on our last morning. This campsite with shelter and logs around a firepit made for a lovely scene and very comfortable sleep. I think I slept around 11 hours, in part thanks to my inflatable sleeping pad, camping pillow, and sleep mask. I consider them backpacking self-care essentials but my mentees made fun of my sleep setup at every possible opportunity.
Due to some navigation struggles, what was supposed to be a pretty quick 2.5 mile downhill hike back to the parking lot became a 6 mile trek. However, I think it’s safe to say we enjoyed every extra second, and I for one am very happy with this picture I got during the fifth mile.
This surprise waterfall was waiting for us about 20 minutes from the parking lot. At this point, we were beginning to get hungry and stopped for a snack right above the waterfall. I took the opportunity to climb down and grab some shots. Sadly, my dreams of a group photo were dashed by the need to get back to Davidson on time, but it was still a great culmination for a truly wonderful backpacking trip and Trip Leader Training.
