Greetings from another Delta Jet! I have loved meeting hundreds of students from 11 different trips since I last wrote. I may recount some of these adventures later. I remain incredibly impressed with our Adventure Treks students and instructors this summer. We are having a lot of fun! Who knows summer may have finally come to the Northwest, too! I thought I’d share some observations and thoughts as I enjoy my time with teenagers…

My blackberry has a pull on me that is both seductive and addictive. I have to set firm limits. But I still find myself resisting sneaking a peek when conversing with others. The Smart Phone has fundamentally changed how we run Adventure Treks and that has been good. Believe it or not we used to communicate back and forth by answering machine in the early 90’s. Cell phones were expensive, used only for emergencies (like our use of Sat phones now) and could only reach you within your area code. Back in the “old days” My instructors also needed to know how to read a map (they still do in the backcountry) but one couldn’t plug the destination into the “Tom Tom” in their van and instantly know (with 95% accuracy) reasonable directions, the location of the nearest grocery store for “freshies” and where we could get the most affordable fuel. Putting “expert” information directly in the hands of our instructors has significantly cut down phone calls to the office and our regional directions and let us focus more on serving our students. Instant communication has consistently helped us make better decisions. To this extent, technology is great!

While knowing where the cheapest gas is important especially this summer, I worry about the effect this technology is having on our kids. This generation of kids are “digital natives” which means they never knew a life without the internet. With the rapid change of technology each 3-4 year cohort is growing up with a different digital world view.

As we tried to facilitate “get to know you” conversations between shy 13 year old boys nervously beginning their first AT trip, yesterday, I was not surprised that the first question some were asking each other was “what video games do you play?” (It was already a given that they had all seen Harry Potter) This is a much more frequent question, than students asked each other 5 years ago and a different question then they asked ten years ago.

On the final night on an Adventure Treks trip, we have to be very careful about how we return technology to our students. We strongly discourage them from checking in with their outside friends or checking texts and Facebook until they get to the airport. They can call home and load their AT friends into their address books and Facebook accounts but as soon as they check their messages and email, we have to work hard not to “lose them” as they fight the return to their digital world. I always hate to watch this happen, as I am naturally much more partial to a world where everyone is communicating face to face and this communication is enhanced through immersion in nature.

A typical teenager sends over 3000 texts per month (4000 per teenage girl and 2500 per boy) there’s been a 6% rise in 2010 over 2009. That averages to over 100 texts per day. Voice usage is down and a plurality of teen say the number one reason they own a phone is to text. 43% of teenage girls actually sleep with their phone and many check email and texts in the middle of the night.

Obviously all this texting comes at a cost. It means when texting or checking emails we are probably multi tasking (though this generation can multi task much better than I) which means focus may be drifting from where it’s indented to be. I question whether constant communication by text will affect teens’ ability to communicate when conversations become difficult. I remember communication with my camp friends by letter. Those days are long gone and that is a good thing. Facebook strings keep our AT students connected and in a much better and more current way than the letter did 35 years ago.

A conversation with a nervous girl one opening day in Portland sums up my fear of our reliance on digital communication. “Can I please bring my cell phone on the van with me?” she implored. “No we are cell phone free form this point on,” I said trying not to sound too flip. You have so many wonderful people to meet in the van, I would hate for you to be distracted. These people are going to become some of your best friends. “

“But there are bound to be some awkward silences, the girl responded, when I feel them, I can text a friend from home and then I won’t feel so awkward.”

Are kids still learning to communicate face to face? Are they able to empathize with others and listen to and understand a different point of view? or are they relying on their hand held devices as a digital security blanket. Can teens effectively communicate in 160 character blocks? Are we losing nuance, body language and often the courage to look people in the eyes and reflect back their feelings? These are valid questions but the research has not yet been conducted. In a time of rapid change, we are in a real life experiment and we won’t know the answers until the damage may already been done.

I also worry about video games. Kids are getting softer. We see it in the field. Over the years, we have had to make our backpacks less challenging. It is a generalization but students are not in as good a shape as they were 10 years ago. Data is also coming out beginning to show that excessive video game use affects brain development in adolescent boys and can affect motivation and decision making.

I feel that the Adventure Treks experience is a great antidote. Three weeks away from text messages and electronic games has a soothing effect. Our evening meetings give every student a chance to address issues face to face. There is time to listen, empathize with others and communicate in the same ways we have been for the past ten thousand years. Life immersed in the elements can give real life consequences and thus learning opportunities.

Now our mission is to make the Adventure Treks experience, the best, most relevant and most fun experience in a young person’s life, so that they can see that there are some alternatives in a technology driven world!

Greetings from 30,000 ft. Another red eye… This one from Portland heading home to NC to see my own kids, go rafting with the Blue Ridge Experience students and check in with our office. It’s been an exciting two weeks on the road meeting our incredible Adventure Treks students and helping our instructors open trips and set students up for success. I have visited the Cal Adventure, British Columbia 1, British Columbia 2, Cascades Challenge, Pacific Northwest Experience 1, Leadership Summit and both Alaska trips. Meanwhile our regional directors Ben Mirkin, Niki Gaeta and Stephen Gardiner are supporting trips and getting to know students in their regions.

Summer has come to the West at long last. It seems like high pressure has finally set up and every trip has enjoyed a beautiful last couple of days. Many groups caught some rain (British Columbia 1 and Leadership Summit even got snowed on) in the first few days of their trips but everyone has dried out. Several students have some great “war stories” of the rain and snow they “survived.” It’s experiences like these that build the resilience that kids need. 35 years later, my best memories from camp are of the challenges I faced and pushed through, not the easy times. Challenges successfully overcome, breeds more success.

The snowpack is ridiculous this year. In some places it is 650% of normal for this time of year. We have been busy modifying backpacking routes. Even the back ups to our backup plans didn’t consider 150 year record snow depths. While some of the backpacks may not have been as rigorous as we would have liked, first backpacks are all about building a community and fostering a sense of belonging to something bigger than one’s self. We have a great group of students and they genuinely like and respect each other. The students and instructors have set up a great rapport on every single trip.

Today, I just finished staff orientation with the Alaska 2 and California Challenge 2 instructor teams. Both are very strong teams and they are now scouting their trips and preparing to meet their students next week.
Adventure treks is off to a great start. Thanks for your support! We are doing all in our power to create incredible and indelible experiences for your child. I hope you are enjoying the updates / treks checks. we are enjoying getting to know your child!

Have a great Fourth of July
Best, Dock

Hear from our instructors: we’re exited to see you soon!

As I fly to the west coast to begin the Adventure Treks summer, three of my own children begin their own camp experiences.  Everyone is excited and it certainly gives me the opportunity to put myself in the shoes of the Adventure Treks parents whom I serve.  My two oldest daughters, Audrey and Ella, ages 9 and 10 are headed off for three weeks to Camp Green Cove. My own camp experience began at the brother camp to Green Cove in 1972.  My youngest daughter, Ava who is 7 begins an 8 day overnight at Gwynn Valley, a wonderful camp which specializes in younger children.  Charlie my four-year old is bemoaning the fact that his is left at home with Mom… too young to qualify for even day camp.

We have had many conversations in the past week as they prepare for camp with nervous excitement.  My advice to them is: Have a lot of fun, represent your family well, help out, be your best self, be kind to everyone, make the most of every minute of the experience, stay safe and embrace new challenges and people.  I am excited to hear their many stories when we all get together again.

I also get the chance to reflect on what Jane and I want from their experiences.  Camp certainly comes with a big financial sacrifice, but we also know it’s the best money we can spend on our kids.  First we want our kids to be safe.  And all we can do is hope that everyone will make good decisions. It’s out of our hands.  We also hope they will have a lot of fun, they have worked hard at school this year and they need a fun break. . We are excited for them to have their own experience, away from our micro managing. It’s time for them to experience standing on their own, though we hope it will come with careful guidance from their counselors.  We’d be delighted if they stepped up a little in self responsibility which might translate into helping out more at home. That might be too much wishful thinking!

We are ecstatic that we can temporarily suspend our constant battles with all that we find inappropriate with the Disney Channel and pop radio. (And these battles only get more intense as kids grow older)  I can’t wait for my kids to experience three weeks without the internet, pop culture, computer games and TV! We are excited for our kids to be outside, challenge themselves, have constant adventures on their personal frontier and live simply and healthily. We are eager for them to meet great role models, folks a lot “hipper” than we are, but folks we desperately hope will communicate our values. And we hope they will make a lot of new friends, friends from all over the country and friends whose parents have raised them with similar values.

As you look forward to your child’s Adventure Treks experience, I’m certain you share many of the same goals for your kids. At Adventure Treks, we want to be your partner.  Parents can’t raise children by themselves. We promise to use the Adventure Treks’ opportunity to help your kids grow.  We want your experience with us to be as successful for you and your kids as I hope camp will be for my kids.

We look forward to being of service this summer.

Best regards,

John Dockendorf