Day 1-2

Our group will first meet in the Jackson Hole Airport in the heart of Grand Teton National Park. For most of us, this will be our first time introduced to the massive saw-toothed, Teton Range. Once everyone has arrived and telephoned home we will drive a short 10 minutes to our campsite in Grand Teton National Park. At our campsite we will get acquainted with the environment, our gear and our new friends. As we prepare our first meal together we'll also play games to get to know one another. In hindsight, we'll certainly look back on these first impressions and marvel at what close friends we've become. As dusk approaches and the sun begins to fall behind the Tetons, we may even be fortunate enough to have our first moose or elk sighting as we prepare to crawl into our tents. Our second day in the Tetons is one busy with excitement and anticipation. Besides preparing to begin our first backpacking adventure, we'll literally wet our appetites for whitewater kayaking by rafting through the thrilling Grand Canyon of the Snake River -- paddling as a team under the careful instruction and encouragement of local whitewater rafting guides.

Day 3-8

Northwest of Yellowstone National Park we will begin our five-day backpacking trip into the Washakie Wilderness. In this land of broad, flat-topped mountains, we'll trace the Continental Divide as we travel along the beautiful Absorka range. Additionally, you'll be introduced to all of the skills important to wilderness travel. Backcountry cooking skills, minimum impact camping techniques, as well as map and compass skills are just to name a few; but most inspiring will be your classroom's staggering beauty. Meadows exploding with wild mountain flowers, stunning alpine passes, and illusive wildlife will fill every step of your hike. Finally, upon exiting the backcountry, we'll again move towards civilization to grab some showers and do some laundry before setting sail once again towards our next adventure set on the high alpine lakes of Yellowstone National Park.

Day 9

Following our fascinating backcountry experience, we'll take a much-deserved break by exporing the iconographic sites of America's first National Park! Aside from preparing for your sea kayaking experience, we'll visit one-of-a-kind sites of immense beauty and geological complexity. We'll drive past herds of bison, see bull elk in full velvet and catch a glimpse of a stunning thirty-foot waterfall. And of course, what tour through Yellowstone would be complete without a visit to the world-famous Old Faithful geyser. Appropriately named, Old Faithful will amaze us with its hourly burst of steam and water, sometimes reaching 120 feet high!

Day 10-13

Once we reach Yelllowstone Lake, we will spend the next three days paddling along the shores of the second largest high alpine lake in the world observing natural beauties only viewable from the hull of a kayak.

Day 14-17

Always a group favorite, our most exciting activity finds us in the town of Jackson where we'll get acquainted with our new whitewater kayaking gear! Feeling like pros, we'll all be sporting spray skirts, helmets and colorful hard shell kayaks. For starters, we'll meet up with river guides who will teach us the basics in a pool so that we'll become more confident in our boats. The next day we'll head outdoors to the peaceful Slide Lake. There we'll practice paddling maneuvers, our hip-snap, and wet exits from our boats; some of us even mastering the art of rolling our kayaks! After each day on the water, we'll head back to our campsite in Grand Teton National Park reviewing the skills we've learned that day, and play games together around the campfire. Finally, our last two days are spent on the wild Hoback and Snake Rivers where we'll go head to head with rapids like "Big Kahuna" and "Lunchcounter," really an awesome and exhilarating experience of a lifetime!

Day 18-21

Climbing the 13,771-foot Grand Teton is a major accomplishment for someone of any age, and we're certainly lucky to have the opportunity as teenagers. Although our task is a challenging one, there is no better way to approach it then as the supportive, determined, and enthusiastic team we have become. For the first two days, we will be students of climb school with professional guides. These learning days are spent out-of-doors on the rocky faces of the Teton Mountain range. We'll learn climbing techniques, knots, belays, and how to travel as a rope team. We will put these new skills to practice as we climb and rappel in areas that are similar to what we will face on the Grand Teton. On our third day we'll meet our guides once again and make the non-technical trek up to basecamp at 11,500 feet! Here we'll settle in, eat a big meal and go to bed early in anticipation of our alpine start the next morning. With headlamps blazing and leading the way, we'll begin our climb at dawn's first light. As the sun rises, it offers us encouragement as well as spectacular views of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Montana. Eventually, we're on top of the summit and on top of the world! Up there we'll take a few moments to revel in our massive success, the 360 view, and the best summer of our lives; then we'll make our way back down to the valley floor below. This morning we sleep in, tired from our summit and hike down the day before, we can really use the rest. We will prepare for the end of the summer adventure by cleaning our gear and ourselves. After laundry and showers we will spend an hour walking through the old western town of Jackson Hole. Our final banquet is a chance to celebrate together our friendships, accomplishments, and life-long memories. We will sleep tonight as a group out under the stars for one final time.

Day 22

Goodbyes at the airport are always tough but we are leaving with a whole new set of best friends. Through the tearful hugs we are excited in the back of our minds, excited to develop pictures and share stories with our families of all that we have done.