From average teenager to "hardcore" outdoor enthusiast

Editor's Note: A very reluctant Jessica, 17, spent 22 days in July on a Teen Wilderness Adventure with seven other teenage girls. What follows is her first-person journal account — edited for length and clarity — of her days spent backpacking, canoeing, and rock climbing. Most Teen Wilderness Adventures are coed, and all adventures differ based on variables such as weather, participant enthusiasm, and locations. Jessica's experience is unique and should be read as a snapshot of a single event. The account is characteristic of experiences teens may have on an adventure, but cannot be taken as a guarantee of an exact experience. Her opinions are her own and do not constitute the opinions of the AMC. The AMC cannot be held responsible for situations resulting from readers' acting on any of her opinions or replicating her experiences on their own.

Backpacking
June 30 — Supposedly this is going to be good for me. I'm not really into group things. I suppose I will be after this. Our leaders are Liz and Scott. Scott's funny. We repacked all our stuff, got yummy treats, and got into a van. [On our hike,] it was straight uphill. Rock steps. It was killer hard. I'm going to throw myself off the side of a mountain. It's pretty here, but I'd rather be here with my family. We're in Maine. I hope there isn't poison ivy in Maine! The girls are so nice. Eventually I'll get used to this wilderness thing. I hope. We're in a "pristine" wilderness. Pristine means primitive. I have to take this one day at a time. And keep my wussy complaining to myself. I really hope I can get through this...

July 1 — I filled up on water, but I need to be more serious about that because I ran out. This isn't soccer camp where you must push yourself nearly to the brink of death five times before you're allowed water. The trail was super steep. Both up and down today. I peed in the woods for the first time! Lillie gave me tips. I tried not to squat in poison ivy. It rained mucho. We had to do that whole lightning drill thing. It was cold and wet. There would have been some beautiful views had there not been so many clouds and fog. I felt a bit in danger because it was steep downhill on the side of a cliff and it was super slippery. I made it, though! We walked about four miles. It was harsh. My shoulders and hips are killing me! It rained all last night. I had trouble sleeping because I was afraid everything in my pack was being drenched. I'm so glad it didn't soak anything in my pack. Whew. I'm actually beginning to enjoy this. We're all getting along, chatting, Scott's keeping us laughing. I'm so dirty and it's only the second day! Mommy better send me mail!

July 2 — It was bitterly cold when I woke up. The wind was blowing like crazy. Mom would have died. It was like the beginning of a cold March. This is NOT summer! Argh. But it was actually a blessing in disguise. So instead of going through the "hardest" part of the AT, we had the choice of staying here (which I was all for); or we could go the trail anyway, which would be quite dangerous; or we could go a long way. Nellie pointed out that if we don't walk, we'll freeze to death. She is so smart! So we walked 10.5 miles today. Yeah! Today, during dinner, Scott said he was so proud of me because he knows I'm kinda new to backpacking and I pulled through. It's because they made me go first in line on the trail in order to keep the group more together. I didn't want to be holding up the fast people, so I tried to fly down the mountain and keep up with Liz. I can't believe I made it 10.5 miles. I wanted to stop because I feel like one big bruise. I miss Mom, Dad, Guppy, mattresses, showers, not hurting, and such. But I'm going to pull through! Go me!

July 3 — When I get home, I'm getting a hot shower, going to Burger King, eating French toast, and lying in my bed under the covers. Me and Jane had to cook. Bean burritos. Ew! They were soupy. And beany. And burned on the bottom. And gross. I only ate half. Oh, a bit of advice for the future: Duct tape is the most useful thing in the world. Summer broke a pole in our tent. It's been duct-taped. And it prevents blisters. It's a miracle worker!

July 4 — Today Lea was Leader of the Day. We had pancakes for breakfast. They tasted funny because they were whole wheat, but they were like the best thing I've ever tasted. They were so delicious. They'd probably taste like crap if I wasn't hungry and in the middle of nowhere. It took forever to get to camp. But when we did finally get there, me and Nellie got water. We had to fill like 15 water bottles. They were awful to carry up to the tent. The pond was gross. I'm going to die when we go canoeing. But at least I won't have to carry any weight! For dinner we had tortellini. It was so good. I had thirds. Then we had no-bake cheesecake for dessert. It was more like pudding. But it was still delicious. It was a very good food day. At our Snarfel, we discussed the goods and bads of the day. I can't believe we didn't get to see fireworks. Ugh. It rained. Ew. But I'll sleep through it because earplugs are great. When I get home, I'm eating bread.

Next:
Wilderness First Aid