Overview

Alaska is a land of incredible fjords, forested ocean coasts, and high alpine meadows. Your monthlong adventure will give you a chance to learn two wilderness travel skills: backpacking and sea kayaking.

While sea kayaking, you'll follow a route in Prince William Sound where glaciers flow directly into the ocean and a variety of marine animals are easy to spot. You'll learn how to handle your boat in different conditions of wind and tide, and also how to be a good leader and keep a positive attitude after a long day of paddling.

The mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the Talkeetnas, the Kenai Mountains, or the Chugach Range will be your home for the backpacking section. Here you'll start below tree line and head into the mountains along glacier-carved river valleys, reaching open high country known as tundra. The vistas here are wide, the mountains rugged, and the lessons lifelong.

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