Senior Rite of Passage in NY

Adventure Expedition

 


About This Trek...

Seniors who participate in the yearlong preparation and leadership training of UrbanTrekkers are invited to travel to upstate New York's Saranac Lake region and participate in a five-day expedition. In addition to paddling, portaging, and hiking challenging terrain along the Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lake, students spend 24 hours during a solo island camping experience. The trip is designed to allow seniors the opportunity to reflect on their high school years and prepare for the next stage of their lives.


Core Values

Outdoor Adventures

Students participate in physically-challenging outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing, paddling, and portaging canoes. The final trip activity is a 24-hour solo camping experience.

Leadership Training and Team-Building

Their final time together as a senior class, students spend time encouraging one another for life after graduation and inspiring character growth through adulthood. 

Cross Cultural Experiences

Students engage in a true “wilderness” expedition, far from access to the safety net of urban amenities, where they must rely on each other and their equipment throughout the entire trip. 


Itinerary

Day 1
  • Orientation
  • Set up camp
Day 2
  • Day of paddling
  • Evening discussion about life after high school
Day 3
  • Morning devotions
  • Portage canoes
  • Hike up Mt. Ampers
  • Evening discussion about becoming an adult
Day 4
  • Paddle through Lower Saranac Lake
  • Begin 24-hour solo camping
Day 5
  • Individual morning devotions
  • Solo experience ends
  • Rite of Passage ceremony and celebration
 

 

From Our Blog...

A Moment of Clarity

Jul 3, 2013
Recently, I had the honor and privilege of taking our graduating seniors up to the Saranac Lakes in the Adirondacks of New York for their Senior Rites of Passage, a paddling trip in which students spend a lot of time thinking about their life, who...