Trail Staff and Intern FAQs

Where can I get certifications?
Please visit our certification information webpage for answers to this question.

Where is Wilderness Inquiry and how do you get to all those locations?
WI's headquarters are located in the heart of Minneapolis, MN. In Minneapolis, staff prepare for their trip, load up the trailer and van with gear and participants and drive to their trip destination. We drive to all of our destinations in the Midwest, Canada as well as Utah, Wyoming and Montana. For the places that are really far away (Florida, Maine and the Pacific northwest) we set up what is called a 'remote base'. The staffing team will drive with all the gear to the destination and stay there for the duration of 2-6 trips.

WI does many kinds of trips. If I'm hired, what kind of trips will I lead?
In the summer season, approximately 80% of our trips are canoeing trips and 20% are kayaking trips. Most trips are 3-6 days in duration. There are generally 3 types of groups on trips:
• Approximately 50% of our trips are standard adult trips where people sign up as an individual or with a friend on one of our prescheduled trips.
• 25% of our trips are Family Trips where families sign up on a prescheduled trip.
• 25% are Contract trips, where an organization or individual has contracted an entire trip. These groups consist of schools, boy scout troops, corporate offices, group homes, family reunions and everything in between.

Most first year staff will spend the majority of their time on our canoe trips in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We try to vary people's schedules by including a kayak trip or a trip out west. Most of our remote bases, expedition, international, backpacking and horsepacking trips are staffed by returning staff. Sometimes staff are hired because of the expertise in a particular activity, like sea kayaking, or for their experience in a particular tripping area. We also do day events such as day trips down the Mississippi River or canoeing events at regional festivals. (See the Canoe Workshop Staff job description.) Trail staff will usually be scheduled for a few of these throughout the summer.

When does Wilderness Inquiry hire summer staff?
Applications are accepted year round. Most interviews are conducted from November to April for the summer staff. All new staff are required to attend our 10 day staff training which is held in early to mid June. We are always interviewing for interns. Internships can take place at any time during the year.

Do you hire staff for the winter season?
Usually, winter trips are staffed by returning trail staff. We will occasionally hire 1 to 2 new staff for our winter trips on a part time basis. If you are interested in working during the winter season, please indicate this on your application.

What is a typical WI staffing team?
Each trip will have 1 senior leader and 1-2 assistant leaders or interns. Some leaders come to WI with extensive trip leading experience. Some leaders come with incredible skill and ability in working with all kinds of people. We like to hire staff that have a variety of backgrounds, just like our participants. The one thing that they have in common is that they come to WI for the mission and the people.

What is WI's staff training?
Summer Staff Training is a 10-day training that is held each year in early June. The topics covered
include standard skills such as canoeing, camp craft, leadership, risk management, as well as topics
particular to Wilderness Inquiry's mission such as social integration, Universal Programming and a
variety of disability related topics. The training usually includes a 4 to 5 day canoe trip on the Namekagon/St. Croix Rivers, a Wild and Scenic Riverway in Wisconsin and 4 to 5 days of instruction at our headquarters in Minneapolis. This training is valued at $1050 and is offered to prospective employees at no charge. There is also a winter staff training for staff working the winter trips

Is housing available for staff?
WI's staff house, known as "Martha's Place," is 5 blocks from our Minneapolis office. The house is
available to staff, while WI employs them, for $5/pernight. It is usually possible for staff to trade a half of an hours work for a night's stay at the house. The staff house is available for interns at no cost throughout the duration of their internship.

Do you have internships for Therapeutic Recreation Interns?
At this time WI does not have a CTRS on staff - generally a requirement for TR majors. If you are not in need of a CTRS to oversee your internship we encourage you to apply for an internship position.

How can I obtain some hands on experience at WI before I apply?
We encourage all prospective trail staff and interns to volunteer at WI to find out more about us. One good way to do this is to sign up to be a Trip Assistant (TA.) TAs go on WI trips at a reduced cost in exchange for helping out on the trip. This is a great way to get a better understanding of what our trips are about, as well as the expectations we have for our trail staff. There is also a list of additional volunteer opportunities on our website.