Wilderness Kids Summer Launches on the Water and the Rockface!

Wilderness Kids Middle School Students got away for 3 days of climbing, swimming, and petting cows (!) at the end of June!

With summer officially underway, Wilderness Kids Alexandria has kicked things off with two fantastic summer camping trips! On June 19th, our Paddling Cohort - a group of students pursuing advanced skills in kayaking - headed out to Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands region for five days of paddling, exploring the area, and spending quality time together at camp.

Students spent two days rafting on the beautiful Casselman River, where they worked together to navigate rapids, support and trust each other in the boat, and share the thrill and adrenaline of riding through turbulent waves. They also enjoyed cooling off in the water on calm sections of the river, which was very relaxing during these long, hot days. The ability to spend the summer solstice playing outside all day -- exploring waterfalls, playing volleyball at camp, enjoying the fire as the lightning bugs came out -- made us feel so grateful to get to spend time in nature with our students. This reminded us what our summer trips are all about.

Paddling Cohort students Dara and Sandra enjoy some downtime in their tent after a full day on the river. (Why the lack of kayaking photos? It can be a hard activity to capture!)

Throughout the trip, students and staff received support from members of Team River Runner (TRR), who have worked with Cohort students 1-on-1 all year long to refine their whitewater skills. A huge thanks to these folks from TRR, who provided all equipment, boats, and guidance on the river, along with great company and fun at the campsite. We couldn’t have done this trip without them!

Two days after returning from Pennsylvania, our staff took a group of middle school students on a 3-day camping trip to Greenbrier State Park in Maryland. For many of our brave middle schoolers, this was a trip filled with firsts: first time sleeping in a tent, first time cooking on a camp stove, first time petting a baby cow at nearby South Mountain Creamery -- dear reader, have YOU pet a baby cow?

The most exciting new experience of the trip was certainly our all-day rock climbing adventure on day two of our trip. Students and staff joined the professional climbing guides from East Outdoors in a hike on the Appalachian Trail to Annapolis Rock, where they got to choose their own adventure of beautiful rock faces to climb. Each student found a challenge (and a healthy level of fear) suited to their individual outlooks, and they cheered each other on every step of the way as they overcame obstacles and reached new goals.

It was very inspiring to see our students reach new heights (both figuratively and literally) that they did not think they could have at the beginning of the trip. The cherry on top was getting to cool off in Greenbrier Lake at the end of each day. What a great way to start the summer!

Left to Right, Row by Row from Top: Middle School Students Logan and Eimy take a break from climbing in the shade of a rock overhang. Morgan enjoys time with a cow at South Mountain Creamery; Judah climbs a rock face; and then, Judah climbs a tree! Adriana and Eimy enjoy the scenery atop a beautiful vista; a South Mountain Creamery cow says Moo!!