Kootenay students looking for adventure can Go Wild! This summer
By Wildsight
This summer brings back an engaging educational experience for teens that’s been sidelined since COVID-19 hit.
Go Wild! Is a six-day Kootenay-based adventure and outdoor leadership program for youth. With loaded backpacks and two experienced, certified wilderness guides, 14 teens will have the opportunity this July to experience the great outdoors as they may never have before.
Go Wild! isn’t just a backpacking trip: it’s an education in backcountry camping and hiking that will open the door to a lifetime of adventure. Participants learn and practice no-trace travel techniques, backcountry meal planning and cooking, route planning, map reading, navigation, wildlife safety, wilderness survival, mountain botany, basic wildlife ecology, and how to thrive in the wilderness in all conditions. They also learn about the extraordinary diversity and abundance of Kootenay wildlife, and how critical wilderness areas are both for sensitive wildlife but also for humans to connect with the natural world.
This summer’s destination will be determined closer to the trip dates, but will be based in the East Kootenay’s Upper Columbia area. Past Go Wild! programs have explored the Purcell Wilderness, Height of the Rockies, the Hornaday Wilderness, and Top of the World Provincial Parks. This program is led by ACMG Hiking Guide and Professional Skier Leah Evans, and ACMG Hiking Guide and wildlife biologist Dave Quinn.
“Go Wild! is a really great introduction to the backcountry for kids that have never had an opportunity to get out there,” says Quinn. “And for those teens that have, this program helps them to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the wilderness, as well as to develop leadership skills and experience in varied situations under the guidance of trained experts.”
Go Wild! last ran in the summer of 2019 when an adventurous group of teens explored some of the most rugged and remote wilderness in the Height of the Rockies Provincial Park, including participant Ben Gadd from Golden, who took part in five consecutive Go Wild! trips.
“Go Wild! trips have been a significant part of my summers during my high school years. They have inspired me to continue to learn about the area that I live in, to explore the backcountry, and to appreciate where I live,” shared Ben Gadd following the 2019 trip.
Space is limited; register soon to secure your spot. For more information, visit wildsight.ca/go-wild.
