AMC's Teen Wilderness Adventures: 10-Day Multisport Adventure - Backpack, Kayak, Climb (Ages 13-15)

Go beyond the basics on this 10 day Multi-Sport adventure. Spend the first 4 days mastering the skills needed to travel confidently in the back country, exploring the rugged and scenic terrain of the White Mountains, camping in back country tent sites, and bonding with your group. Spend the next three days learning to paddle a whitewater canoe, with excitement progressing each day as your skills improve. Finally spend two days learning technical rock climbing skills on the classic granite ledges of New Hampshire, learn climbing technique, belaying, and climbing safety skills. By the end of this 10 day adventure, you will have developed competence in multiple skill sets, made new friends, and developed comfort in a variety of mountain environments. For ages: 13-15 General Itinerary: The participants will meet each other and the AMC instructors on the first morning at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. We will spend the morning getting to know each other, covering logistics and expectations, and thoroughly checking our personal gear and all group equipment. After lunch we will make any final equipment adjustments and head out for four days of backpacking in the White Mountain National Forest. On the 5th day, we will transition to base-camping for our three day kayaking section, followed by two days of climbing. The group will end their trip back at Pinkham notch. Backpacking ~ We will hike four to eight miles a day over mountainous terrain, through hardwood and boreal forests and past alpine bogs. Some of the places we may explore the Pemigewasset Wilderness area. We will camp at AMC or U.S. Forest Service shelter sites, designated tenting areas, or at our own low-impact campsites in these wild and beautiful areas. Kayaking~ Plunge through the rapids of the Androscoggin while you learn and develop paddle strokes, read the river, roll, and make maneuvers through swiftly moving water. Spend three days developing personal skills on the water, returning to your riverside basecamp in the evenings. During the first paddle day you will start on flat water to learn or refresh the foundational skills and gradually move on to Class I, II and possibly III whitewater. Rock Climbing ~ The two-day rock climbing section of this trip will be spent with the AMC and Eastern Mountain Sports Climbing staff learning standard rock climbing techniques. We will learn about proper equipment use, how to belay, as well as the correct way to move over rock. After a morning of introduction, we'll spend two days top roping at climbing sites such as Cathedral Ledge and White Horse Ledge in North Conway. EMS will provide all rock climbing equipment needed