Field Philosophy Programs
Thinking with wilderness
Philosophy goes wild
Making sense of the world by engaging with it
01
Re-situating philosophy
If the ultimate subject of philosophy is the question of life – what it means to live and, subsequently, how one ought to live – then the proper place of the philosopher is not removed from the world, thinking about it abstractly, but rather engaged in the world – engaged with life – such that one may come to know what it is, in all of its details. Only after one has come to fully live life, may understanding and direction arise.
03
Engaging with the big questions, in the field
At Headwaters, we seek to engage with the big questions of our time. Our field philosophy programs are designed to do just that. Each course revolves around a particular topic of inquiry and takes place in a wilderness setting, establishing the conditions through which we think: engaging with these topics on an island campsite results in far different insights than doing so in a classroom, for the campsite implicitly invites nonhuman beings, and the wild place itself, into the conversation. We live with wilderness, read, think, write, and discuss, enabling a unique experience of philosophical practice that is unlike any other, for it takes place in the field, transforming from a solitary experience into a relational one.
02
The philosopher as wilderness traveller
If there is a better way to fully live life – to come to deeply know the world – than travelling in community with wilderness, we have not found it. Stripped of the ephemerality of technological culture, what remains is only that of inherent and immutable value: living beings and their relations, in which is located the essence of life on this planet.
04
A rare gift: the chance to think
Philosophy may sound confusing, or like it is limited to those with particular background knowledge. On the contrary, we find that everyone has the capacity to engage in philosophy, as it is nothing but the love of wisdom tied to the practice of intentional thinking. In a culture sorely lacking in slow, unhurried thinking, we find that our field philosophy courses offer an opportunity to consider important questions and to find deeper meaning. An opportunity that is missing in the day-to-day. Absolutely no prior knowledge is required, only an openness to experience, to think, and to share.
What the Wilderness Trip Aspect of Our Field Philosophy Programs Looks Like
All of our trips are traditional. The lakes, rivers, and portages we travel constitute an interconnected trail system that has been in use by the living beings of the land for thousands of years: we voyage on ancient paths, never the first to have done so and hopefully never the last. What we see has been seen and what we experience has been experienced, but to us it is new, and so long as the wilderness remains free and our hearts remain open, we shall be pioneers of the spirit.
A Day on Trip
We travel shorter distances, with more days spent at camp and fewer on the water, than we do in our Wilderness Voyages, in order to give more attention to the philosophical component of the programs.
How we live, however, remains the same as our Wilderness Voyages: We travel by canoe and wooden paddle, we portage on foot. We cook on an open fire that we made ourselves, preparing each meal communally. Our food consists of homemade recipes long perfected for the canoe voyage, with fresh baking savoured when we please. We sleep in tents. We awake when our bodies are rested, rather than by the clock. We gather blueberries from the land and our water from the lake. We travel as according to how the weather dictates. We take rest days whenever we find a good spot. We live without haste, for the trip itself is the point.
Summer 2026 Field Philosophy Programs
To find out more about what our programs are like, take a deeper dive into the Headwaters Experience and the Headwaters Philosophy.
All of our summer 2026 trips are beginner friendly, with no prior experience necessary.
The Ontario Wilderness Leadership Symposium is a unique event designed to support the development and leadership of outdoor educators, including wilderness guides, teachers, camp staff, and canoe trip leaders. Starting from the understanding that all education, at its core, is about building good people, OWLS looks beyond the "hard skills" of outdoor education work. Join a community of peers, along with experienced mentors, in this co-learning event and focus on the deeper questions that are rarely asked. Illuminating the often-murky waters of educational practice, OWLS will examine such questions as: what is outdoor education? How is the campfire a site of learning? Why are wilderness trips such potentially powerful experiences, and how do we ensure that they are for our students?
Taking the form of a 3-day canoe trip in Algonquin Provincial Park, OWLS is a unique experience. With the trip itself – and the natural world – as our co-teachers, we invite you to join us in June and be part of Ontario’s next generation of outdoor education leaders.
Spots available: Yes
Dates: June 11-14, Algonquin Provincial Park
For: All varieties of outdoor educators
Organized by: COEO
Foundations: Thinking About Wilderness
Custom Location
While travelling by canoe we will examine the concept of wilderness. Through readings and discussions, and direct experience in a wild place, we will ask questions such as: What is wilderness, what is its history? Why is it important? How ought we to act in regard to its existence (or lack thereof)? Can humans ever become part of wilderness?
Spots available: Yes
Dates: Custom (pick your own!)
Ages: 15 and up
Program Cost: Varies
Building an Ecologically Just World: A Project for Educators
Custom Location
Climate change, species extinction, habitat loss – the environmental crisis demands an educational response, a path forward beginning with the re-imagining of how we teach and learn. While travelling by canoe in Algonquin Provincial Park, we will utilize the collective wisdom of our group to think about, tease out, and experiment with educational pedagogies and practices for an ecologically just world. This program is designed for practicing and aspiring educators of all types (classroom teachers, outdoor educators, guides, coaches, mentors, and administrators). Consider it professional development of the most authentic kind, as the wilderness setting shares lessons and inspiration that the classroom never can.
Spots available: Yes
Dates: Custom (pick your own!)
Ages: 19 and up
Program Cost: Varies
If you're interested in a custom canoe trip, please do get in touch, we love hearing new ideas! Whether you're an individual, a family, a group of friends, a school, or an organization, it would be our pleasure to create a meaningful wilderness experience together. Custom programs can have as many or as few participants as you like – they're all about what works best for you or your group, and we'd love to help you make it happen.
Spots available: Yes
Dates: Custom (pick your own!)
Ages: 8 and up
Program Cost: Varies
"Our life is frittered away by detail […] let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand"
~ Henry David Thoreau