FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2007
Multi-day Experiential Program Is One of Many Educational Options for Youth
Two local students were among the participants in outdoor adventure programs offered by the Appalachian Mountain Club this summer. Brooke Wenzel of Berlin, N.H., and Kyle Balon of Gorham, N.H., developed outdoor skills while participating in the AMC Teen Wilderness Adventures program and Youth Explorations program, respectively. Brooke backpacked and rock-climbed in the White Mountains and went sea kayaking off the coast of Maine. Kyle camped, hiked, and went rock-climbing in Crawford Notch.
“I liked being out in the middle of nowhere and getting to try rock climbing and sea kayaking,” said Brooke, 16, who participated in an AMC Teen Wilderness Adventures 14-day experience in July. “I will remember my two instructors and the friends that I made on this trip.”
Brooke’s trip included five days of backpacking in the White Mountain National Forest’s Pemigewasset Wilderness, where she hiked the famed 4000-foot peaks, the Bonds. Her program also included three days of rock climbing with International Mountain Climbing School of North Conway and six days of sea kayaking with Great Glen Trails on Muscongus Bay in Maine.
Brooke’s mother, Louise Frechette, said her daughter enjoyed the 2-week program. “She had a ball. She loved both of her instructors and the people she met. The instructors had a really big impact on her. She’s still talking about the trip,” she said.
Twelve-year-old Kyle took part in AMC’s Teen Wilderness Adventures/Youth Explorations program this season, where he spent two nights at the AMC Highland Center at Crawford Notch Shapleigh Bunkhouse and two nights at Sugarloaf Campground in the White Mountain National Forest. He hiked Mt. Willard, Mt. Jackson and Mt. Webster as part of the multi-day program, which also included rock climbing on Elephant Head in Crawford Notch and in North Conway with International Mountain Climbing School.
“I really liked everything about the trip, especially the food and rock climbing,” said Kyle. The instructors were really funny and knew a lot about the outdoors.”
“He loved it,” said Kyle’s father, Robert. “He had a great time. The Teen Wilderness Adventures program gives kids a chance to meet a lot of different people from different places. I’m glad that the AMC has this program available to youth,” he said, noting, “Kyle returned from the trip talking about the different knots he learned and about the rock climbing equipment. He’s turning into a regular mountain man.”
One of Kyle’s instructors, Gorham native Patricia Zornio, was equally enthusiastic. “The course was fantastic. We incorporated map and compass lessons, Leave No Trace low-impact outdoor ethics, how to use a camp stove, how to set up a group campsite, and how to belay in rock climbing,” she said.
Teen Wilderness Adventures are designed for participants to learn valuable wilderness skills and to develop essential life skills at the same time. This unique combination fosters an appreciation for the environment, develops self-esteem, instills a spirit of adventure, and promotes teamwork, friendship, and a sense of community through memorable wilderness experiences.
AMC’s Teen Wilderness Adventures program is open to teens and pre-teens, age 12 to 18, AMC members and non-members alike. Thanks to the generosity of a program supporter, AMC is able to offer scholarships to Teen Wilderness participants to help offset program costs.
More information on the program is available online at www.outdoors.org/education.
Teen Wilderness Adventures programs are among several educational programs available to local youth.
Through its Community Partnerships for Youth program, AMC works in partnership with local schools and community organizations for the education and development of youth, with a focus on making the outdoors an integral part of students’ learning.
From January to August, AMC instructors provided outdoor skills training and other educational opportunities to more than 700 local young people in area communities and at such AMC locations as the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and the Highland Center at Crawford Notch.
AMC provides local community programs focusing on natural history and Earth sciences, cultural history of the White Mountains, outdoor skills and physical education, trail maintenance and stewardship, leadership and team-building, and first-aid training in collaboration with local youth educators. Providing trip support and use of outdoor equipment are other services the AMC offers.
AMC has partnered with several area schools, organizations, and community centers to provide these educational programs, including Gorham Middle School, Hillside Elementary School, Lancaster School, Milan Village School, Colebrook School, the Gorham Girl Scouts, the Jefferson Boy Scouts, and the Gorham Family Resource Center.
Also, for 30 years, AMC’s A Mountain Classroom program has brought outdoor learning to schoolchildren, using the organization’s lodges and backcountry huts as venues for nature-based education. More information on AMC Teen Wilderness Adventures and AMC’s Community Partnerships for Youth is available from AMC Education Programs Coordinator Emily Mitchell at emitchell@outdoors.org or (603) 466-2721, ext 125.
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the United States. With more than 90,000 members in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region. More information on AMC is available online at www.outdoors.org.
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