Entries by Amanda Fox

How Adventure Treks Taught Me the Difference Between ‘Hard’ and ‘Bad’

While backpacking in Washington’s Goat Rocks Wilderness, long days on the trail are unavoidable. The sub-alpine meadows and harsh, igneous cliffs provide a spectacular visual stage for backcountry travel, but the steep ridge climbing and above-treeline exposure puts even a low-mileage itinerary into a test. It is beautiful, challenging, and ultimately rewarding—in other words, a […]

Why You Should Become an Outdoor Educator

It’s a tough time for everyone worldwide. As we face continued self-quarantine and social distancing, many are feeling the effects of having to disconnect from their friends, family, and greater community, finding themselves wrapped up in news cycles, social media, and Netflix instead. With the new downtime we’ve found, it’s a great time to self-reflect, […]

Advice for the Current Coronavirus Quarantine

It’s a strange world out there. Schools across the country have moved to virtual learning, restaurants can only offer take-out, and ski areas, movie theaters, concerts, and sporting events have been cancelled. There will be no March Madness. The streets of big cities are eerily deserted. Our hands have never been cleaner. We are in […]

Parent Communication during an Adventure Treks Trip

One of the first questions parents ask when looking into Adventure Treks is, “Are your trips tech-free?” We all agree it’s more important than ever for teens to experience a digital detox, and that’s why Adventure Treks students don’t have access to their phones throughout their trips. However, we understand that not having contact with […]

Fostering Females’ Confidence through Outdoor Adventure

During my childhood, I often watched my dad, uncles, grandfathers, and male cousins head off for weekend camping trips and annual deer camps. They spent their days outside or in a rustic cabin, building fires, cooking meals over a fire, using outhouses, and “roughin’ it.” My brother taught me the knots and outdoor skills he […]

Former AT Instructors’ Year-Long Trip Report

For former Adventure Treks instructors Todd and Meghan Beer, life with their 4-year-old daughter Lila has been anything but boring. In June 2019, the family deposited their belongings into a storage unit in Chicago, and then set off on a year-long trip around the world. As of early 2020, they’ve visited 16 countries on three […]

Nice Kids Finish First

We often hear students say after arriving home from Adventure Treks, “Everyone is so nice at AT… why can’t it be like that in the real world?!” Of course, we’re thrilled to hear the feedback, because it means we’re doing our jobs in providing the close, inclusive communities we promise to everyone. The culture of […]