Abby (far right) as a student at Adventure Treks

We’d love for everyone to meet one of our three regional directors this summer: Abby Sophir! Abby, an Adventure-Treks-student-turned-instructor, will be joining our senior staff team, helping manage our trips and instructors this summer, and getting to know hundreds of students! Abby has five seasons of Adventure Treks trips under her belt, and we’d love for you to get to know her a little better.

Abby, where are you from?

I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and spent most of my childhood on a soccer field.

Did you go to college for soccer?

No, I decided to attend Ithaca College and received a bachelor’s degree in documentary production with minors in politics and environmental studies. I also spent a semester abroad in Tanzania studying Swahili, learning about Tanzanian culture and history, and hanging out with elephants, zebras, giraffes, monkeys, ostriches and hippos.

That sounds amazing. Let’s back up to your teenage years. What made you decide to attend Adventure Treks as a student?

I’ve always loved the idea of camping—roasting marshmallows, sleeping under the stars, not having to shower—but my parents weren’t campers, so that wasn’t something we did as a family. My best friend’s older sister had gone to a program similar to AT, and I was determined to follow in her footsteps, so I began scheming… In 2006, there was a camp fair coming up in St. Louis, and I secretly began researching adventure camps online. The day of the fair, I pretended to be shopping around at all the camps, but I knew exactly where I wanted to go, so I “casually” led my mom to the AT booth. Lucky for me, Dock was there. After meeting him in person, she couldn’t say no.

How do you think AT set you up for success in and beyond high school?

After three summers as a student, Adventure Treks truly changed me for the better. It introduced me to people and ideas from across the country (and world); challenged me physically, mentally, and socially; and showed me what being part of an inclusive community can feel like. As a teenager, it’s so easy to get sucked into the drama of high school, and AT was a much-needed escape, a place that was all my own, where I could be my best self. But perhaps most important, my instructors became my biggest role models, something I had never really had. It’s hard to know or put into words how this set me up for success in life, but it completely reshaped my values.

Abby as a student

Of your three trips, which was your favorite?

My first trip, the Pac 16 (a shorter version of the current Pacific Northwest Explorer) will forever be my favorite because it changed my life. I can still remember putting on a heavy backpack for the first time, doing riddles for hours as we conquered seemingly endless switchbacks, and sleeping under the stars at Fourth of July Pass in the North Cascades. I had never seen so many stars.

How did that influence your decision to become a Camp Pinnacle counselor and then an AT instructor?

One summer after my sophomore year of college, I was living in NYC and interning with NBC during the 2012 Summer Olympics. It was sort of a dream job, but by the end of the summer I was so burned out. I promised myself that the next summer I would do something more joyful and meaningful. Shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon a journal I had kept during an AT trip at age 14. On the last night of that trip, two tripmates and I decided that one day we would all come back to be AT instructors. As soon as I read this journal entry, I knew what I wanted to do. Coincidentally, this was right around the time Dock bought Camp Pinnacle and was looking for counselors. I started working at Pinnacle, knowing I eventually would end up at AT.

What’s your all-time favorite AT memory?

There are too many to count. The most recent was as a trip leader in British Columbia, watching one of my groups dancing on the shore of Clearwater Lake at sunset. Every single student and instructor was just laughing like crazy, being silly and totally carefree. These are the sights and sounds of AT, and I feel like they are often missing in our daily lives.

What do you do when not working for AT?

I’ve spent the last several years living and working in Bozeman, MT, guiding for an all-girls adventure program and working as an educator for a farm-to-school nonprofit. I recently moved with my partner to Corvallis, OR, where I’m working for an after-school program and exploring this beautiful area as much as possible! On the side, I do video production work for small businesses and nonprofits. I also love experimenting in the kitchen, and I am in the process of developing a community-oriented curriculum for women.

What excites you most about your first summer as an Adventure Treks regional director?

I am so excited to get to know and work with all our awesome instructors. I know how challenging being a trip leader and instructor can be, and I am looking forward to offering a listening ear, helping to solve problems, and making staff feel valued for all the hard work and love they put into the students.

Anything else that you’d like to add?

There’s nothing quite like an AT summer, and I can’t wait to be part of the magic.

Insidious intentions of the college admissions process

Like most of our fellow Adventure Treks families, we are following the college entrance exam cheating scheme with great interest and disappointment.

• We’ve always known that people had gained advantage in the admissions system by finding ways to get extra time on standardized tests.
• It’s common knowledge that the very affluent make large donations with an assumed quid pro quo. (But with $10 million as the suggested minimum, that’s a pretty elite few!)
• Research shows that the academic standards for athletes are 30 percent lower than for students in the general population, even if the latter developed a similar level of expertise in art, music, or science.
• Alumni families also get an advantage. A 2018 investigation found that children and grandchildren of Harvard alumni were more than five times more likely to gain admission than non-related candidates. (Of course, if the alumni don’t have a history of donating regularly, the alumni advantage becomes closer to nil.)

All of this creates fewer spaces (and thus stiffer competition) for those who play by the rules. In this newest scandal, it’s incredibly disheartening to learn that people have paid extraordinary amounts of money and compromised their integrity to bribe their way into elite colleges. It’s even more discouraging because these are people who, by nature of their wealth and connections, are raising kids who already have a tremendous advantage in life.

Parental cheating doesn’t benefit children

Looking at things analytically, bribing admissions administrators, test proctors, and coaches to gain admission into an Ivy makes little sense: The short-term gain of being accepted into an elite college—without earning it the honest way—is negated by the long-term effects of setting up your child for failure. Along with sending the message that our society’s rules and mores don’t apply to everyone fairly, these parents are also declaring that they don’t have confidence in their children’s ability to earn something on their own, without parental involvement (or interference). It also paves the way for an entitled mindset, where children believe they’re so special that they deserve to be treated differently, without actually putting in the hard work. Either result may be devastating to the long-term mental health and success of today’s youth, who already experience record levels of stress and anxiety.

What we find most surprising is that parents place such enormous emphasis on attending a certain university; they assume that the power of a school’s brand has the equal power to guarantee their child’s success. Sure, a few elite companies (for example, in the financial sector) recruit from only a few select schools. Sure, more power and wealth are concentrated in particular schools that enhance the power of networking and connections one might acquire, compared to less prestigious schools.

But while data shows that graduates from elite universities earn significantly more than graduates from other colleges, earnings are much more closely correlated with the abilities and skills of the individual—they have little to do with the school. Comparing graduates of elite colleges to graduates of less prestigious schools, but who were accepted and chose not to attend the former, the salary difference disappears. There’s actually a stronger correlation between SAT scores and eventual earnings than the college one attended and eventual earnings. Another (somewhat random but still relevant) fact worth sharing is that more Fortune 500 CEOs attended the University of Wisconsin than an Ivy League school!

21st century skills

Clearly, the parents involved in this most recent scandal missed the point that character, work ethic, resilience, leadership skills, executive function, communication, collaboration, optimism, critical thinking, and creativity (in other words, our Great 8 Outcomes) are the real attributes that determine their child’s future success. While these skills can be improved in college, if a child doesn’t embody them by the time they enter their freshman year, they’re unlikely to build them from the ground up at age 18–19.

Wouldn’t it have made a lot more sense for these parents to spend their time investing in helping their children build these skills in middle and high school, rather than expect a specific school’s brand to bestow success instead?

How Adventure Treks helps teens succeed

Think of the difference between hiking to the top of a Colorado 14er, and driving to the top: The view is the same, but the mindset, experience, memories, and results are vastly different.

Adventure Treks can be challenging, but teenagers earn their success, and the skills they improve in the process are the same ones that help define their success later in life. While no one should choose Adventure Treks as a way to get into a better college (and we don’t take bribes), we do find that our graduates do extremely well in getting into the colleges of their choice. Countless families send us their students’ admissions essays every year, proud to share that one or multiple Adventure Treks experiences was the defining topic. And once in college, our students tell us they have the skills to succeed and don’t share the same struggles that they see in their college peers who didn’t partake in rigorous summer adventures during high school summers!

We also see college as a time of self-discovery and growth, not necessarily just a ticket to a larger income and better connections. We believe Adventure Treks has helped our students discover that wherever they find themselves (climbing Mt. Shasta in a snowstorm, backpacking in the backcountry of Alaska, or sitting in a classroom), all Adventure Treks alumni will embrace the experience, accept new challenges, take responsibility for themselves and their learning, and make good decisions!

If you’d like to read more musings on the college admissions race, please click here.

To a student who’s never experienced outdoor adventure (or even gone camping), Adventure Treks’ teen summer outdoor adventure camps can seem like a daunting experience: We sleep in tents; we rock climb, hike, climb mountains, whitewater raft, mountain bike, and more; and we join a brand-new community of people, mostly (if not entirely) comprised of people we’ve never met.

But don’t be intimidated! You may already have a picture in your head of what Adventure Treks is truly like, but we want to make sure that we dispel the most common misconceptions about outdoor adventure, and make sure you know how fun and accessible our trips really are.

Misconception #1: I’ll be the only student who comes without a friend.

Truth: Most students come to Adventure Treks for the first time by themselves! In fact, we encourage students to come without a friend from home. Something our alumni appreciate and value about our community is how it allows them to rewrite their narrative, if they wish, and become the person they want to be—not the person they may feel pigeonholed into being at school.

Though we have a maximum of 24 students on our trips, we limit the number of friends from home to no more than three. This helps “level the playing field,” if you will, so that cliques aren’t already formed when the trip starts.

Misconception #2: It’ll be hard to make friends in a big group.

Truth: At Adventure Treks, we prioritize friendships and community from the moment you step off the plane. Our instructors work hard to make sure that no student feels left out or excluded in any activity, whether that’s making a meal or playing Camouflage. (This is where your admissions paperwork comes in handy; our instructors pore over every parent and student questionnaire and get to know each student as well as possible before they arrive.)

Based on our experience, big groups of 20 to 24 students with five to six instructors is a huge advantage: In the beginning of the trip, our instructors intentionally split the big group into two or three smaller groups so that students have more opportunities to get involved in trip dynamics (cooking, setting up camp, etc.), thus staying busy and getting to know each other better. In these small groups, students get more personal time with each other and with instructors, and this is where their friendships truly start to take root. We then come back into the big group after a small-group activity to celebrate what we’ve just accomplished. The small groups also give our quiet leaders a chance to find their voice.

Misconception #3: Everyone must be a rock star athlete.

Truth: Nope! You don’t have to be the captain of the soccer team or a marathon runner to attend—and succeed at—Adventure Treks. Every trip has a variety of activities, and each activity is completely accessible to both beginners and those who have experience. In some of our more technical activities, like mountain biking, we’ll group students based on their ability; that way, we can provide a more personalized experience in terms of what skills they’re ready to learn.

We do ask that students arrive with a good level of physical fitness. While you don’t have to be an elite athlete, those who prefer to lounge on the couch and play video games all day will probably struggle at Adventure Treks. Being able to jog two consecutive miles at a 10:00 minute-per-mile pace is a good baseline for fitness. Hiking, cycling, playing sports, and generally being active will help you enjoy your outdoors experience with us even more.

Misconception #4: Backpacking is awful. It’s just walking uphill with a heavy pack.

Truth: Again, nope! We know backpacking sounds intimidating to the new AT student. However, if you ask 10 Adventure Treks students after they arrive home from their trip about which activity was their favorite, nine of them will probably exclaim “backpacking!” without hesitation. (The 10th person might insist that it’s whitewater rafting.)

What does backpacking actually entail at AT? We don’t just walk uphill with a heavy pack for miles on end. It’s walking through fields of wildflowers, up and over mountain ridges, besides streams and waterfalls, across snowfields… where we hike, the landscape possibilities are endless. It’s asking each other riddles and playing trail games as we walk. It’s eating lunch on driftwood logs on the Lost Coast as we watch bald eagles soar overhead. It’s learning to navigate a trail map and thumbing through nature guides, looking for local fauna and flora. It’s getting up at midnight to hike by headlamp, giggling as we race to beat high tide on the Olympic Coast. It’s getting to soak in the prettiest scenery you’ve ever laid eyes, with peers who are becoming friends for life, as you allow yourself to open up and be the best version of yourself. (For a more in-depth answer, read our blog on backpacking here.)

Misconception #5: Everyone will know more than me.

Truth: Some students do arrive to Adventure Treks having climbed at their local indoor rock wall, or hiked in a nearby state park, or rafted with their family. But most of our students participate in these outdoor activities just with us, over the summer. That means it’s been about 11 months since they’ve last rock climbed, or sea kayaked, or even pitched a tent.

For all students, no experience is necessary! Our five to six instructors are there to teach you everything you need to know, from how to use a backcountry stove, to how to lace up your hiking boots most efficiently, to how to size and pack your backpack, to how to ride a mountain bike. Remember, everyone will be new at something, and you’ll pick up outdoor skills in no time.

Misconception #6: We’ll be eating nothing but freeze-dried camping meals.

Truth: Nothing could be further from the truth. Delicious, filling food is integral to the Adventure Treks experience. We want our students to eat well, and to eat often. For the most part, anything you can make on a stove in your kitchen at home, we can make anywhere at Adventure Treks! At every meal, we’ll have “seconds” available to anyone who needs an additional helping. And if it’s between meals, snacks are always close at hand. (For examples of meals that we eat, please click here and here.)

Vegetarian? Gluten-free? Don’t like dairy products? No problem—we can accommodate that. (If you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, please give us a call so we can talk through your needs!)

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We hope this helps put to rest any nervousness you may have about becoming an Adventure Treks student. If any other questions or concerns arise, please don’t ever hesitate to contact us at 828-698-0399. We are always happy to chat!

It’s a typical day in the Adventure Treks world! Today,

• Colorado Explorer is rafting the Clear Creek River.
• Yellowstone Teton Adventure is rafting the Snake River.
• British Columbia is on day two of their backpack in Wells Gray Provincial Park.
• Pacific Northwest Adventure is driving to North Cascades National Park to begin their second backpack tomorrow.
• Ultimate Northwest is on their second day of their second backpack.
• California Adventure is finishing their final day of rafting the Middle Klamath River.
• California Challenge is on day two of their Mt. Shasta summit attempt.
• Alaska 1a is ice climbing for their second of three days on the Matanuska Glacier.
• Alaska 1b is finishing their backpack in the Talkeetna Mountains.
• And Leadership Summit is starting their summit of Mt. Adams.

All over the country, Adventure Treks students are challenging themselves through outdoor activities while being immersed in some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Each trip has its own unique story and its own special community, but the outcomes are the same. Our students have made a conscious choice to leave the comforts of home behind along with their digital and social media and have chosen to do something bold, something most of their peers from home would never do, something where they will have to dig deep, be uncomfortable, and help define the person they want to be. We’re proud of them, and they have every right to be proud of themselves. And while they are having a ton of fun, they are building skills that will help them thrive into adulthood.

One of the opportunities Adventure Treks offers students is the chance to build a new narrative, or change slightly the story we tell ourselves about how we fit into the world. Some of the narratives that we hope students bring home after their summer include:

• I am capable of more than I thought. When the going gets tough, I can work harder, and I will eventually succeed.
• Together as a group, we can accomplish more than I can individually.
• It feels good when I pitch in and help others, do more than my share, and even anticipate what needs to be done to help the community succeed.
• Living in a close community is really fun.
• Success is the result of contribution and hard work.
• I can be both a good leader and follower.
• More comfort does not necessarily mean more happiness.
• I don’t have to have electronics or social media to have fun. In fact, I can thrive without them.
• I have had glimpses of “my best self.” I like who I see, and I will try to bring that person back home with me.
• People like me for who I am, not for a specific role I may play at home or school.
• I can become great friends with people who are very different from me—people that I would not naturally be friends with at school or home.

Because we believe so passionately in the benefits of the Adventure Treks experience, our directors are very involved in the summer. We get to meet every single student and support our trips in person all summer long. But it’s the instructors who are doing the hard work. We are always impressed with both their commitment to AT and to our students and the energy they invest to make sure each trip is as spectacular as it can be. We are gratified to have a 75 percent instructor return rate this summer, and they’re an incredibly talented, capable, and dedicated team. All of our instructors go through a two-week staff orientation, and one of our stated purposes is to build a kind, caring, respectful, and inclusive community that then trickles down to positively affect the communities our students form.

Below is a video from our 2018 instructor orientation, which shows some of the extensive training our instructors go through in preparation for the summer.

It’s been a pleasure to meet the incredible kids who choose an Adventure Treks summer, and we are excited for the adventures that still lay ahead.

Top row, from left to right: Jack Hoiland, Sam Haines, Kate Brown, Alex Rhue, Hannah McKinley, Erica Van Steenis, Nate Humphries, Wells Jones. Bottom row, from left to right: Dave “Dmac” McGlashan, Laura Horowitz, Nico Grin, Tess Sneeringer, Austin Coolidge, Sean Doyle

Every year, Adventure Treks kicks off the summer with our five-day trip leader retreat in Oregon, where our leadership team gathers in a cabin near Mt. Hood for senior staff training.

Our 12 trip leaders, two logistics directors, and four regional directors hail from 12 states, average 28.8 years old, and have a collective 143 years of Adventure Treks experience, with an average of 7.8 seasons of AT experience each. (Five trip leaders are former Adventure Treks students!) We’re proud to be a part of this group of mentors who will train our new instructors and oversee the success of our trips.

So what do we do at trip leader retreat? Besides strengthening our leadership team community, we apply leadership theory, current child psychology, and child brain theory to Adventure Treks’ philosophy. We learn and relearn the specific details of each trip itinerary, and we review safety and the policies and procedures that lead to successful trips. With such a tremendous brain trust, we share our tips and experiences with each other, and our more experienced trip leaders mentor our newer trip leaders so we can provide consistent experiences across the board. Together, we share the tips and tricks we’ve gleaned as we work hard to make every trip exceptional.

Staff orientation begins this weekend! Our 65+ instructors converge from 28 states for two weeks of training as we prepare for the arrival of our students.

We also want to share what we have been reading this winter. It’s our job to stay on top of the latest youth development trends and literature so we can make sure that Adventure Treks remains relevant to parents. Besides being a ridiculous amount of fun, we want Adventure Treks to be a tool that helps kids develop the skills, mindset, optimism, confidence, character, and resilience that will help them become happier and more capable adults.

Topics from these and other books will be featured in our instructor orientation sessions as we facilitate the best possible learning and growing experience for your child. Below are our 2018 suggestions for those who share our obsession in helping teenagers experience personal growth.

• Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle
• Creating Innovators: The Making of Young people Who Will Change the World by Tony Wagner
• The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness by Edward Hallowell
• Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogul