A photo essay – Students from a two-room public school in Ovando, Montana, start the year learning outdoors on horseback in the Bob Marshall Wilderness

Nine students from Ovando’s two-room public school ventured on a three-day horsepacking journey into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, a program blending outdoor skills, history, and nature study. This approach underscores how small rural schools can leverage local natural resources to enrich education beyond conventional classrooms.

The trip, conducted in late August 2026, included horseback riding, wildlife tracking, and traditional crafts like whittling, guided by experienced packers supported by Rich Ranch Outfitters, which donates the trip every two years. Older students helped younger peers, fostering trusting relationships without academic pressure, as teacher Andrea Tougas noted. The Bob Marshall Wilderness, the third largest in the lower 48 states, provides a unique setting for these immersive lessons. The Montana Small School Alliance, founded in 1996, supports many such rural schools, which number about 150 statewide with enrollments under 125.

This biennial horsepacking tradition continues to offer hands-on learning amid Montana’s vast wilderness.

For Montana’s rural schools, this model might illustrate how leveraging local geography and community partnerships can offset resource constraints and enhance student engagement. In a state where small schools face enrollment and staffing challenges, outdoor experiential education could help sustain meaningful learning experiences.

A Photo Essay: Montana Schoolhouse Takes a Trip into the Wilderness
By John Stember, The Daily Yonder