Sam has never done anything like this, as sports have taken up most of his summers, but this summer he wanted to do an adventure instead! He turned 18 when hiking through the mountains of Alaska and loved every minute of his time there. I know this will be a trip he will never forget, and the friends he has made will last a lifetime. The community was a family to him. He came home with nothing but great stories. We couldn’t be happier. Thank you for believing in him and taking him on, even though he has never done anything like this before. You took a chance on him, and we are so glad you did—he needed this trip in more ways than one. I think we get a new story out of him every day. It is so much fun to listen to him tell these stories. Adventure Treks takes amazing care of their students!

Adventure Treks was an amazing outdoor adventure for Jamie. She came back with a great appreciation for the natural world. She also connected with new friends on a deeper and more real level than most of her high school peers. She loved her group in Alaska. Half of them she already knew from California Challenge, and she said all the new kids were super nice and that there was no drama. She also really liked the instructors this summer.

Every year, Adrienne has had incredible and challenging experiences and made meaningful friendships. She loves Adventure Treks trips and people; they are truly the highlight of every year. After experiencing a rugged Alaska trip this year, our daughter came home with a greater sense of confidence in herself and satisfaction in what she and her group had accomplished. She has stories to tell that will last a lifetime. More important, she has deep friendships around the country that will last a lifetime. This year, upon her return, she really seemed to grow emotionally. When asked to help around the house, or do a favor for someone, instead of complaining, she says “sure!” I feel so proud of her and how mature she has become. The instructors went above and beyond on this journey. Our daughter was so impressed with them and has the utmost respect for all of them. Every year, she loves her instructors, and this year, she said it was the best group of instructors yet. We cannot thank them enough.

Alana had a great time. Alaska was beautiful, and she really loved the camaraderie among the group members. She was very impressed with all the instructors. She felt that the group was very tight-knit despite the kids coming from all different places and having different personalities. She felt that the kids worked together to make the trip as great as it could be.