Alexandra Tiger has traded her cell phone and laptop for a helmet, spray skirt, and kayak paddle. Gearing up for a practice session before tackling Class II rapids, the 15-year-old from greater Philadelphia couldn't be more out of her element. But she can't stop smiling as she sets her foot, sheathed in a waterproof bootie, into a slender blue kayak.

Tiger has been trekking through New Hampshire's White Mountains with eight of her peers during a 10-day Teen Wilderness Adventures excursion. Started in 1994, this AMC summer program for young people ages 12 to 18 promotes natural exploration and self-discovery. While safety is a top priority, there's a reason this program is dubbed "Teen Wild" by AMC insiders.

Tiger hardly considers herself the outdoorsy type; the occasional hike at Philly's Fairmount Park was all she used to muster. Nearly six hours of nightly computer time and seemingly endless chatter on her phone summarized the rest of her summer. She signed up for this adventure because her friend, Antonia Hall, was going.

On this partly sunny August afternoon, she stands near the shimmering Glen Pond, a few miles down the road from AMC's Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, and voices her concerns about the whitewater trip on the Androscoggin River planned for the next day. "I'm a little nervous," she says while buckling her life vest. "I don't want to fall out [of my kayak] too much. But I'm excited."

Like an intense yet friendly drill sergeant, 32-year-old Nate Harvey instructs the teens and their two leaders in basic kayaking skills on the pond. He's the program director at AMC's partner Great Glen Trails, an outfitter that leads training sessions for summer and winter sports. "The things we do today — as crazy as it seems — will really prepare you for some serious whitewater kayaking tomorrow," he tells his students, the majority of whom have no kayaking experience.

LEARN MORE
Visit www.outdoors.org/magazine to read journal entries written by Jack Sears during his Teen Wilderness Adventures trip.

The group successfully forms a circle of boats and everyone learns to hold a paddle properly. Next, each person practices strokes, particularly the forward and reverse sweeps — which rotate the kayak — and the low brace. Harvey and fellow paddling instructor Anders Nordblom demonstrate the latter move, used if a kayak is on the verge of tipping over. They extend their paddles to the sides of their kayaks and forcefully slap the water to make the kayaks return to an upright position. When Tiger tries it, she lets out a yell and flips upside-down.

"Boat over!" yells the crowd. Tiger detaches the spray skirt from her kayak, exits the boat, and maneuvers to the water's surface. Her long brown hair now drenched, she swims to shore with kayak in hand, properly rids it of water, and tries again. "I really don't want to go over tomorrow!" she reiterates, before watching Hall, her friend from home, flip over in a similar fashion. Laughter ensues.

"The farther away you reach with your paddle, the more stable you're going to be," Harvey says from his kayak as a curious beaver bobs up and down nearby.

Next is "Sharks," a game in which the "sharks" chase the "fishes" and touch them with their kayaks. Those who are tagged are deemed sharks during the next round, getting another chance to improve their steering.

"Fun, fun, fun!" exclaims Jack Sears, 14, after performing most of the moves correctly. He's met every drill with eagerness, and after practicing eddy turns, he's ready for one of the final challenges. The group splits up on opposite sides of the pond, and each teammate must take a turn paddling to the other side, roughly 50 feet, with and without paddles, as well as backward. A winner is declared once every teen goes, but the group is too wet, winded, and overjoyed to care.

"If you're not tired after your lap, you did your team a disservice," Harvey says, his tough-love attitude apparent. He and the other leaders are prepping the youths for more thrilling adventures — adventures they hope will lead to personal growth.

Home Away From Home
After a short van ride through Great Glen's property, the teens arrive at their tent site and set up camp around 5:00 p.m. They need no help; now a week into their trip, they've already backpacked to some of the White Mountains' premier locations, including the Pemigewasset Wilderness, Dry River Wilderness, and Mahoosuc Range. Hiking up to 8 miles a day, they've passed through boreal and hardwood forests as well as alpine bogs before camping at AMC and U.S. Forest Service shelters and tent sites. The evening's downtime is well deserved, since the group's day began at 6:30 a.m. with a 4-mile hike from Cabot Cabin — located less than a mile below the summit of Mount Cabot — down the ridge, followed by a refreshing dip at a nearby swimming hole.

"Everybody needs their shoes on," AMC leader Chad LaFlamme tells the teens as some of them walk the campsite barefoot. A graduate of AMC's A Mountain Classroom program who sports a red beard and ponytail, the 25-year-old gentle giant joined Teen Wilderness Adventures' leadership team in 2008. He admires the teamwork he sees as the teens set up their tents for the evening. "The biggest thing for them is exposure and getting them out here and making sure they're comfortable."

And comfortable they are. Like a close-knit group of siblings, the teens keep up early nonstop banter. It's hard to believe many of them met for the first time only a week ago.

"Toni, it looks like you have a bullet hole in your back," says Connor Liu to Hall.

"It's a bug bite — shut up!" she responds with a laugh.

Though the teens are spending summer vacation in a breathtaking setting, even paradise needs rules. That's why the group, as part of the program, created its own contract at the start of the trip. No inappropriate behavior, be considerate of other people's property, and don't bother Mother Nature made the list.

Taking a breather before dinner, Sears sits next to his tent wearing red, white, and blue swim trunks. Alpine experiences like this are hard to come by in his suburban home near Washington, D.C. This is his second Teen Wilderness Adventure; he had so much fun last year that he returned "for the challenge."

"Every challenge or goal I set, something good comes out of it," Sears says. "Whether it's seeing a spectacular view or saying 'I went down that rapid,' it's something I have under my belt. If you push yourself, the trip is going to be that much more fun."

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