Wilderness
Adventures
by Shiv Sehgal
Spend a summer baby sitting your pesky little brother, cooped up in a house wishing you were somewhere else? Think no more! Nature's wonderland awaits you. Not only could you be experiencing extreme sports, seeing amazing country, but you could also learn about other cultures. No, this doesn't mean taking notes for school, it means hiking through remote villages and vast frontiers, camping out under starry skies, away from home with other teens experiencing the great outdoors.
Outfits like Adventures Cross-Country (Mill Valley, California) or Long Acre Expeditions (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) can put the thrill into your summer. Both wilderness adventure organizations have been in business for about 20 years, however, Long Acre Expeditions will take kids as young as 11 and 12 years of age and up, whereas, Adventures Cross Country takes kids 13 and up. Both feature strength and stamina enhancing as well as confidence building adventures to such places as Hawaii, southeast Alaska, various spots out west, Costa Rica, Australia and Fiji, British Columbia and beautiful New England. Conceived to give teens great experiences and memories that will last a lifetime, these trips also develop an I can do it confidence. Travelers experience rock mountain climbing, mountain biking, white water rafting, and more, but they also have the opportunity to plan the meals for the group, pitch their own tents, make the fires, and learn from their peers.
Yosemite National Park, California
Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska
