This summer I experienced what was no doubt my wildest adventure yet. Along with a group of eleven others, I canoed on 16 lakes, did 16 portages, and traveled over 16 miles (on foot and via canoe) in total, all in the vast, untouched wilderness of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. My group carried 60-pound packs and 60-pound canoes during portages every day. We cooked food over the fire, camped in the wild under the midnight sun (it never got dark – not once!), went swimming (once in a lake with leeches!), played fun games, had a bear sighting, and two saw-related injuries (luckily, neither of them called for an evacuation). We learned about leaving no trace, the importance of teamwork, and lots of tips, tricks, and jargon surrounding canoes and canoeing. My team had many great adventures, and made many great memories. Overall, it was a wonderful trip!
Here’s how it all started:
Earlier this year I had the strong urge to do something super adventurous and exciting out in the wild, like a multi-day backpacking trip in the mountains. I longed to climb high up in the mountains that I see out my window but are just out of reach. The past winter had been rather unusual (we got snow early in October, but not much after that, and the temperature was rather warm for winter), and more than anything else I was looking to do something exciting outdoors. That’s when I remembered about Alaska Geographic, a non-profit organization that educates the public about public lands and runs the most amazing expeditions out in the Alaskan wilderness for Alaskan teens. I had heard about the organization from my dad, who had read about it in a magazine on Alaska. I immediately found the Alaska Geographic website and read through the listed 2025 teen expeditions. Canoeing in Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, backpacking along the Denali Highway and the Alaska Range, traveling to a place in the Arctic Circle – each expedition sounded like something the characters in Explorer Academy, my favorite book series, would do! Unfortunately, highlighted text at the top of the page alerted me to the fact that the application deadline was a month prior, and that any new applications would be waitlisted.
Nonetheless, I read through the course details for each expedition and marveled at the spectacular pictures. It was my greatest desire to take part in one of those expeditions, and just reading through the course details for each trip made me excited. I was ready to apply for an expedition, but also highlighted in yellow was the statement that all new-student applications require a nominator, such as a teacher or coach, to be considered. I decided to reach out to my contact teacher, who readily nominated me. Once I received word my contact teacher had nominated me (which I’m very thankful for!), I worked on filling out my application. The backpacking trip was my first choice expedition, since I love hiking (and what can be more fun than hiking and camping combined?), closely followed by the canoeing trip, since I love canoeing right about as much as hiking. I then listed the last trip I was eligible for (there was one other expedition, but it was specifically for teens ages 13-15, and I no longer fall in that category), which was an expedition up to the Arctic Circle, which sounded quite thrilling – after all, how often is it that you get to go on an expedition in the Arctic Circle?
After submitting my application, I hoped and prayed that I’d get accepted on an expedition, and without getting my hopes up too much, I fantasized about what it’d be like if I were to be accepted on a trip – what if I got an email a few days before the start of an expedition saying that I got a spot on an expedition? I decided to re-read the entire Explorer Academy series, since I was in a very adventurous mood, and those are the most adventuresome books I know of.
Days and weeks passed, and every few days I’d check my email to see if I’d gotten anything from Alaska Geographic. It wasn’t until the afternoon, right after my graduation ceremony, that I did. I was rather tired and a bit sore (I will never, ever wear high-heeled shoes for more than an hour or two again), and checked my email out of habit. The first email in my inbox was from Alaska Geographic. I held my breath as I opened the email and was careful not to get my hopes up. I could hardly believe it when I saw that I was an accepted student for the Yaghanen Swan Lakes Canoe Trip! I immediately opened up the welcome packet and filled out the remaining paperwork to confirm my spot. I was so excited I could hardly breathe! With the packing list in hand, I was itching to start packing, but there were still twenty-three days until the start of the expedition. At that moment, twenty-three days felt like forever! In those few weeks leading up to the expedition, I finished reading the entire Explorer Academy series, went swimming most days, and practiced canoeing almost every day… well, I suppose I practiced some sort of hybrid canoeing, since I used kayak paddles rather than canoeing paddles (my younger sisters wouldn’t accompany me on my little canoeing trips since they were afraid of the bugs, so it made more sense to use kayak paddles).
To spare you all from reading a super long blog, I have broken up my canoeing expedition story in to different parts. Be sure to read Part 2 (coming soon!) to hear about the first few days of my canoeing expedition!
Dare to explore!
Vivienne
