As parents, it can be hard to imagine sending your child away for two to four weeks in the summer. Not having direct, continuous communication with your kids is rare these days, and often it’s parents who are more nervous about going to camp than their kids! (Here’s a great article about how parents can […]
“And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.” – Albus Dumbledore I knew that some filming in Harry Potter movies had taken place in Scotland, but I didn’t realize how much of an influence this country had on the series’ setting! Soon after our scouting trip to […]
Earlier this fall, Dmac and I took a scouting trip to Norway. WOW—what a SPECTACULAR place! When planning or debuting a new trip, it’s important that we visit these new locations to meet with our in-country guides and check out all aspects of the itinerary ourselves. Check out our scouting trip gallery below! It was […]
I was reading through college essays the other day, shared by current and former Adventure Treks students who’d written about the impact their AT experiences (climbing Mt. Shasta, backpacking in Alaska, etc.) have had on their lives. I then came across an essay on letgrow.org by a student named Finn Fox. One quote in particular […]
Recently, I read Habits of a Happy Brain by Loretta Graziano Breuning and Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke. Both of these books made me sit up and reevaluate my interactions with my phone and social media, and the ways in which we as a society seek gratification. In Habits of a Happy Brain, the author […]
One of the reasons that Adventure Treks travels to beautiful outdoor spaces—and why so many of those landscapes have become designated recreation sites like national parks—is because nature often inspires us to feel awe. Experiencing awe can lead to significant benefits in our lives and communities, especially for teenagers. As an Adventure Treks instructor, I […]
Recently, our office team was discussing the varying levels of independence we were given as teenagers. During my youth, I was often dropped off in a nearby national forest with a friend and a mountain bike. Long before the days of cell phones and GPS trackers, my parents told us what time and where they’d […]
If you’re anything like me, the next-best thing to going on an epic adventure is reading about someone else’s! At the same time, I can only handle so many memoirs about climbing Everest before I start to wonder what else counts as adventure, exploration, or going beyond a “normal” life. Below are some of my […]
Fall is the season for pumpkin spice, colorful leaves, and apple picking, but it’s also the season for college applications! For Adventure Treks students with college in their future, a unique and well-written personal essay is an important part of the process. Adventure Treks students are talented, active, and community-oriented people with busy lives and […]
You are all signed up for Adventure Treks this summer—WOOHOO!!! You picked your destination, you’ve started packing, you’ve booked flights, and you can’t wait for the adventure to begin! Even so, you may be feeling some butterflies in your stomach about arriving to Adventure Treks, especially if this is your first trip. Perhaps you’ve never […]