The ultimate classroom is the world itself, especially if you are learning geography. Seven Buffalo State students had the chance to study a small, beautiful piece of planet Earth in a one-credit, geography field course, the Alpine Field Experience, offered by the Geography and Planning Department in September. They hiked to the top of Mount Marcy, which, at 5,344 feet, is the highest peak of New York State’s Adirondack Mountains.

“This one-credit field course focused on how geography—an understanding of place—is influenced by elevation,” said Stephen Vermette (pictured), course instructor and professor of geography and planning. Karen Wehn, lecturer of earth sciences and science education, joined Camille Holmgren, assistant professor, and Veryan Vermette, lecturer, both of geography and planning, to complete the faculty team.

During the four-day adventure, the students learned about alpine climatology, elevational changes of biomes, gneiss rocks, and basic geographic skills, including the use of compasses, GPS, and topographic maps. “As with the other experiential courses we offer,” said Vermette, “the students’ field notebooks served as the academic core of the course. Students used their notebooks to record key points of in situ lectures, make observations, record data, journal about their experiences, and draw maps, graphs, and diagrams.”

The first day, the group traveled to the Adirondacks High Peak region. That evening, the faculty members gave students an overview of the geology, climate, and biology of the Adirondacks. The next day, they hiked 2.5 miles to their second camp, where students spent the day learning and practicing a number of field skills such as using GPS, coring trees, mapping a lake with only a compass, and identifying tree species with an identification key. On day three, the group tackled their toughest assignment: hiking to the summit of Mount Marcy.

“Interestingly, you can travel to an Arctic biome by traveling 1,500 miles north,” said Vermette, “or by walking up a mountain a few thousand feet. Once we reached the top of Mount Marcy, the plants were similar to what you would find in Alaska and Northern Canada.” Before returning to campus, the class drove to the top of Whiteface Mountain. “It took us about five hours to hike up Mount Marcy and only ten minutes to drive up Whiteface,” said Vermette.

The climb to the top of Mount Marcy was the ultimate challenge for the group, and reaching it was “a personal victory for all concerned,” according to Vermette. He added, “The different skills and perspectives offered by the course instructors was critical to the success of this course, as was the eagerness of the students to be challenged.”