Wild and Well in Alaska

COURSE DESCRIPTION

For four unforgettable days, Alaska becomes your guide, your classroom, and your catalyst for personal renewal. Wild & Well in Alaska is an immersive wellness experience that blends breathtaking adventure, cultural connection, and restorative practices—all designed to help you feel grounded, energized, and deeply alive. This is not a sightseeing trip. It’s a full-body, full-heart encounter with one of the most powerful landscapes on Earth.

Throughout the course, we will explore the 7 Pillars of Wellness—physical, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental, intellectual, and occupational—and discover how each one is shaped, supported, and awakened by the northern landscape.

Take mindful walks, using simple practices to calm your mind, support emotional balance, and reconnect with your body.

Explore how Alaska’s dramatic light, seasons, and elemental forces influence resilience, rest, and the rhythms of daily life—and what these patterns can teach us about our own wellbeing.

Hear stories and perspectives informed by Alaska Native traditions, with a focus on respect for land, community, and reciprocity—with deep care to honor the people and cultures of this place.

Try hands-on wellness practices—breathwork, reflection, creative expression, and nature-based grounding techniques—that you can carry home into your own life, wherever you live.

You don’t need to be outdoorsy or experienced in wellness practices—just open to being present. This course is designed as a reset: a chance to feel the difference that true connection to nature and culture makes, even in a short time. Students leave with a personal mini-toolkit for grounding, reflection, and balance, plus a lasting sense of connection to the land, the people, and all seven dimensions of wellness.

KEY EXPERIENCES

Hike on the Matanuska Glacier
Walk across ancient blue ice, surrounded by towering formations, while learning grounding techniques and presence practices in this otherworldly landscape.
Relax and Reset at Alyeska Nordic Spa
A place that offers a restorative, nature-immersed wellness experience tucked into the Chugach Mountains of Girdwood. This adults-only spa features a traditional Nordic hydrotherapy circuit, inviting guests to move mindfully between hot pools, saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges, and serene outdoor relaxation spaces. Surrounded by forest and mountain air, the spa provides a powerful setting for grounding, reflection, and rejuvenation.
Visit with reindeer
Spend time with these gentle Arctic animals, explore their natural history, and reflect on their cultural significance in northern lifeways.
Soak in the healing waters of geothermal Chena Hot Springs
Let mineral-rich warmth melt away tension as you relax under wide northern skies, reflecting on rest, recovery, and what it means to truly slow down.
Try to catch the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
When conditions allow, we’ll venture out into the night to look for the northern lights—an awe-filled chance to practice wonder, stillness, and quiet connection with the sky.
Go dog sledding
Feel the power and joy of an Alaskan sled dog team, learning about partnership, trust, and rhythm as you move across snow-covered ground.
Engage in reflection circles, storytelling, and values-based wellness practices
Inspired by Alaska Native traditions of respect, reciprocity, and relationship with the land (shared with care and cultural awareness), these circles help you integrate what you’re experiencing.
Explore seasonal and environmental wisdom
Learn how light, weather, and landscape shape wellbeing in northern environments—and what lessons you can carry back home.

REQUIRED WINTER CLOTHING

Alaska is very cold in the winter, and you MUST be prepared for the weather in order to take the class. Bringing warm clothing is essential and required. Here is a list of necessary clothing:

Base layers
Warm, heavy down jacket
Insulated snow pants
Wool socks
Snow boots
Scarf and warm hat
Warm gloves
Ski goggles recommended for some activities
Hand and foot warmers strongly recommended HotHands warmers

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is mandatory for all days of the Alaska class. You may not arrive late on the first day or depart early on the final day. Please book flights that allow you to attend all scheduled class hours.

This is a long-weekend, intensive course, and days will be full. Please bring comfortable shoes, appropriate clothing, water, and snacks. We expect you to arrive well-rested and prepared to participate fully, learn, and enjoy the experience.

WINTER SCHEDULE

DAY 1: 10:00AM – 7:00PM
DAY 2: 8:00AM – 8:00PM
DAY 3: 9:30 AM – 12:00 MIDNIGHT (includes Aurora viewing)
DAY 4: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE

Tuition fees
3 x nights of shared accommodations with 1-2 other au pairs at a Clarion Suites, Extended Stay OR similar Hotel
4-night cruise to Bermuda (September 20-24)
Shared inside cabin accommodation (4 nights)
All cruise taxes and pre-paid mandatory gratuities

WINTER: 1 night in Anchorage, 2 nights in Fairbanks, SUMMER: 2 nights in Anchorage, 1 night in Denali.

3 x continental breakfast
Local transportation costs to and from all activities
Shuttle flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks or Fairbanks to Anchorage as part of the class (Winter class only)
All activities including entrance fees to museums, spas, cultural centers and national parks

NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE

Airfare to and from Alaska
Transportation from airport during arrival, and to airport during departure
Lunches or Dinners.
Registration fees (platform and processing fees)

This 72-hour course consists of in-person instruction as well as required pre- and post-assignments completed through Google Classroom. You will receive a Google Classroom invitation approximately two months prior to the course start date. Please register using a Google-compatible email address (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, or Yahoo), as all course communications and your course completion certificate will be sent to this email. Invitations may be filtered to spam/junk folders. If you do not receive the invitation, you are responsible for contacting us to request access.

Pre-assignments will be posted three weeks before the course begins and require approximately 18 hours to complete. These assignments must be completed before attending the in-person sessions.

Post-assignments will be posted during the course weekend and also require approximately 18 hours to complete. Successful completion of these assignments is required to receive the course completion certificate.

Course completion certificates are emailed within a few days of the official course end date, provided all required assignments have been successfully completed. Students have four weeks to complete post-assignments. If you require your certificate earlier, please indicate this during registration; and provide necessary documents.

$1, 295 + registration fees | IN-PERSON | 72 Hours (equivalent to 6 credits)

Contact Information

Office of Continuing Education
161 Newkirk Street, Room E504
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201) 360-4224
CEFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE