Kirk Rasmussen
Paddle a canoe through ancient waterways. Climb to the tops of high peaks. Savor cinnamon rolls and pizza you’ll make on a camp stove. On this course for 14- and 15-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 bottom and beavers building dams. 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 you’ve camped before or it’s your first time, 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.
“I will never forget being leader of the day, for it was difficult, but as a team we succeeded that day. That experience will always stay with me and serve me when I face obstacles, big and small.”