Select weeks feature White Mountain hut overnights, white water rafting, and outdoor skills, plus focus on younger families and teens
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2008
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is adding new activities and age-specific options to its Family Adventure Camp program this summer. Families can match their own outdoor abilities, interests, and ages of their kids with a choice of 13 dates and range of experiences at five different lodge locations in the White Mountains, NH; Lakes Region, NH; and the Moosehead Lake Region of Maine.
Guided hikes and naturalist programs are offered as part of every AMC family summer camp program, along with activities such as fly fishing, canoeing and kayaking, and local history, which vary between locations. New themed programs give families the opportunity to focus on outdoor skills or try moderately more challenging outdoor adventures, including lodge-to-hut hiking and white water river rafting.
New options this July and August for families with kids ages 5-16 include:
- An overnight in the backcountry – without roughing it – at one of AMC’s White Mountain huts, part of the oldest full-service hut hiking system in the U.S. (Participants can choose Joe Dodge Lodge to Carter Notch Hut or Highland Lodge to Lonesome Lake Hut the week of July 6-11).
- White water rafting day trip on the Androscoggin River (Offered at Joe Dodge Lodge the weeks of July 20-25 and August 3-8).
- Outdoor skills focus, including navigation, camp setup, fire-making, cooking, and Leave No Trace (Offered at Highland Lodge the week of August 3-8).
- Teen break-out activities for ages 13-16, including backcountry camping overnight and advanced outdoor skills such as planning and preparedness, camp setup and cooking, and navigation. (Offered at Highland Lodge the week of July 6-11).
- Special focus on easier activities and terrain for younger families with kids ages 5-9 (Offered at Cardigan Lodge the weeks of July 13-18, July 27-August 1, and August 17-22).
- Third week added in Maine’s Moosehead Lake region, in the wilderness setting that inspired Thoreau (Offered at Medawisla Wilderness Camps the weeks of July 6-11 and July 20-25 and at Little Lyford Pond Camps the week of July 13-18).
On a typical day at AMC’s Family Adventure Camp, families start by fueling up with breakfast, followed by a morning activity such as a nature walk, stream exploration, map and compass navigation, or a hiking or paddling trip. Free time in the middle of the day allows for a leisurely lunch and time to relax, or for independent exploration. In the afternoon, the group gears up for more naturalist programs or an outdoor excursion. A social hour before dinner offers additional downtime, and the evening program rounds out the day with an evening campfire and sing-along, night hike, or movies.
Rates and reservations
Family Adventure Camp starts at $410, plus taxes, per person for adult non-members ($375 for members) and includes 5-nights’ accommodations, all meals (dinner includes fresh baked bread, soup, salad, entree, and dessert), guided programs and instruction, and equipment for paddling or climbing. Child rates apply to ages 12 and under and start at $285 per child, plus taxes, for non-members ($260 for members). For reservations, call (603) 466-2727. Families can take advantage of the discounted member rate by purchasing the $75 annual family membership. For full details, visit www.outdoors.org/adventure_camps.
For additional details about AMC other family-friendly experiences this summer, including teen volunteer trail vacations, Teen Wilderness Adventures, and special savings at AMC’s family-favorite Lonesome Lake Hut, visit AMC’s Summer Planning Guide at www.outdoors.org/summerguide.
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the nation. With 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. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment.
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