Our Outdoor Leader Semester group of 11 students spent the past 9 days on the Pacuare and the Sarapiqui rivers receiving their Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT) certification. They also began their training for their International Rafting Federation (IRF) raft guiding certification. The Pacuare has been named in the Top 10 Most Beautiful Rivers for rafting worldwide. While camping on the Sarapiqui, a stray dog adopted the group and was named Joleen. Joleen slept with the students every night and barked at anyone who came too close. There were several broken hearts when the students had to leave the river, including Joleen’s we suspect. The group is looking forward to returning to that river later in the course in the hope that Joleen will be waiting for them. The river phase ended with guide training that included an overnight expedition on the Pacuare.  Students camped by the river and the group tried their hand at building their own shelter. They are now back at our basecamp in San Ramon de Tres Rios, with classroom and hands on practice as they study for their Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification. The group celebrated Valentine’s Day by making cookies during breaks from class time. Stay tuned…more to come.