Paddle and hike your way to adventure

Paddle a canoe through ancient waterways. Climb to the tops of high peaks. Savor cinnamon rolls and pizza you’ll learn to make yourself on a camp stove. On this course for 16- and 17-year-olds, you’ll learn about canoeing, backpacking, and leadership so you can start exploring the wilderness. On the canoeing section, you’ll learn about paddling and loading a canoe and will explore lakes where you can see fish swimming on the bottom and beavers building dams. You’ll learn about the area’s ecology as you move from lakes and rivers to mountain ridges. During the backpacking section, you’ll learn to navigate with a map and carry a backpack, exploring the Adirondacks’ ridges and peaks. You’ll learn about the area’s ecology as you move from lakes and rivers to mountain ridges. Whether it’s your first time camping or you’ve camped before, this course has something for you.

Leadership will be an important part of this course. Helping your friend learn to pack their canoe becomes an opportunity to practice in peer leadership. Pushing yourself to meet new challenges becomes a lesson in tolerance for adversity. Helping solve an argument is an opportunity to practice communication. By the end of this course, you’ll walk away with new friendships, experiences to help you grow as a leader, and the confidence to start exploring the wilderness.