Outdoor adventures that last an afternoon or nearly a week are available in Nicolet College 's Outdoor Adventure Series, which features more than 60 guided classes designed to help residents and visitors explore, understand and appreciate our natural environment.

Offerings include a veritable flotilla of sea kayaking and canoeing classes for beginners to experts, eight different natural history hikes and paddles, and a number of opportunities to learn about fly fishing, wildflowers and birds. The featured presentation this year will be freestyle canoeing classes with Karen Knight, a five-time national freestyle champion. The sport of freestyle is based on extracting as much grace and elegance as possible from a canoe, said Martha Schouweiler, Outdoor Adventure Series coordinator.

“It really is like dancing on water,” Schouweiler explained. “It's nothing short of amazing what Karen can do with a canoe.”

Knight will teach a freestyle solo class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 28, and a freestyle tandem class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 29. Both classes will be held on Lake Tomahawk at the Kemp Natural Resources Station. Cost is $125 for each day. Lodging at the station will also be available for $25 a night.

Just a few of the places canoe and kayak classes will visit this year include the Turtle-Flambeau, Willow, Gile and Little Turtle flowages; Isle Royale, Apostle Islands, Huron Islands, and the Sylvania Wilderness Area. Rivers will include the Manitowish, Tomahawk, Wisconsin , Turtle, Bear, and Flambeau.

To request a printed catalog of Outdoor Adventure Series classes, contact Nicolet College at 715-356-6753 or 1-800-585-9304. The catalog is also available online at www.nicoletcollege.edu . Once there, click on the Course Schedules link at the top left of the page.