Wilderness Ventures’ programs develop peer leadership skills, teach skill proficiency and give students positive associations with the most spectacular environments on the planet. With a commitment to ensuring that more young people are able to get into the outdoors before distracting teenage priorities have the danger of inspiring an often-lifelong disconnect with the outdoors, Wilderness Ventures has developed a set of program offerings that specifically cater to adventurous 6th graders — students just shy of entering their teenage years. By providing age-appropriate, introductory-level wilderness adventures in both the greater Yellowstone region and the Pacific Northwest (areas where they have conducted wilderness adventures for the past 37 years), Wilderness Ventures is able to offer inspiring and substantive experiences that are sure to keep students coming back to the magic of the outdoors throughout their entire lifetimes.
“For these introductory-adventures, we’ve crafted all of our activities, their intensity and duration, specifically for adventurous 6th graders,” says Wilderness Ventures’ Founder and Program Director, Mike Cottingham, “We have a long tradition of inspiring lifelong association with both the fantastic environments that our groups visit and with the outdoors in general. These 6th grade programs will ensure that yet another generation of young people is able to carry the positive lessons learned in the outdoors with them through their entire lives.”
The Pacific Northwest Explorer Adventure embarks on an exciting, 16-day journey into the wonders of the San Juan Islands, the Olympic Penninsula and Mount Rainier. Students sea kayak the waters of Puget Sound, spy whales from aboard a special whale watching vessel, explore one of the last remaining wilderness beaches in the US, whitewater raft two famous rivers and explore the snowfields of Mount Rainier — all in a supportive and well-supervised atmosphere that has been pedogogically and practically tailored for students completing the 6th grade.
The Yellowstone Teton Explorer Adventure uses the backdrop of the dramatic Teton M0untains and famous Yellowstone National Park for 16-days of introductory activities that are as diverse as the environments of this beautiful region. Begining and ending in the Old West town of Jackson Hole, this wilderness adventure gives students the opportunity to whitewater raft two mountain rivers, trek among the famous geysers and thermal features of Yellowstone, embark on an exciting chuck wagon adventure (complete with horseback riding, authentic Western dining and live entertainment), bike ride under the magnificent Teton mountains and enjoy nights camped under the most brilliant star-filled sky imaginable.
