Mentors and Explorers participate in six “Saturday Events” during the school year. These outdoor adventures focus on leadership training, team building, and community service. Designed to give the Explorers a chance to utilize their acquired skills, the events also introduce potential challenges that will be presented during the Summer Wilderness Trip. Our Saturday Events take place during the fall and spring months. The fall Saturday Events focus on team building, leadership, confidence building, and a community service project. Spring Saturday Events continue the focus on leadership and team building, but also focus on specific outdoor skills applicable to the Summer Wilderness Trip.
Some examples include:
- Annual Community Service Project (mandatory)
- Professionally guided Ropes Course
- Hiking
- Mountain Biking
- Raft Build
- Wilderness First Aid
- Orienteering
- Geo-Cache
- Kayaking
Summer Wilderness Trip
Every summer, Explorers and Mentors participate in a seven to ten-day wilderness program led by our partner, Outpost Wilderness Adventure. Each year the Summer Wilderness Trip increases in challenges and length of time, as well as builds upon skills learned in previous years. During the Summer Wilderness Trip:
- The Explorers are pushed out of their comfort zones as they are challenged physically, emotionally, and mentally. Presented with these challenges, the Explorers have opportunity to use their leadership frameworks.
- Explorers are given the opportunity to leave their neighborhoods and see parts of the country most have never seen before.
- Mentors form a unique (and special) bond with their class of Explorers.
Some examples of the Summer Wilderness Trip and how it progresses:
- Year 1 – Colorado Multi-Skills Adventure
- Year 2 – Multi-Day Backpacking/Fly Fishing
- Year 3 – Multi-Day Backcountry Mountain Biking
- Year 4 – Multi-Day Whitewater Canoeing
- Year 5 – Multi-Day Mountaineering
- Year 6 – Scenario-Based Mountaineering Trip