Imagine yourself suspended by a rope high above Donner Summit, or hiking a steep mountain pass in Yosemite for the first time. While Sean McAlindin, the Program Coordinator for Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC) in Tahoe, is preparing to lead a team through literacy and leadership experiences in Desolation Wilderness and the Tahoe Basin this summer, Will Fassett, the Program Coordinator in Central California, has already begun to guide his team through the immersion course in Yosemite National Park.
The ARC 24-day Tahoe course will feature all the adventure that ARC is known for, opening with a challenging 6-day backpacking expedition through Desolation Wilderness, followed by rock climbing on Donner Summit, rafting the Truckee River, a ropes course on Mt. Rose with Project Discovery, a 5-day trek into Granite Chief Wilderness, and a stirring 24-hour solo.
“This is the first time we’ve offered a 24-day course, so we are excited to see how it compares to our classic 40-day offering,” said McAlindin.
The 40-day Yosemite course will be the 18th course of this length that ARC has implemented. Highlights will include exploring Yosemite National Park’s wilderness, a hike to the top of Yosemite Falls, swimming in alpine lakes, learning, writing and teaching about Sierra Nevada natural history, and rafting the Merced River.
“This year, ARC Yosemite participants will have the privilege of attending the celebration of Yosemite’s 150th anniversary as a protected park. Calling Yosemite home for forty days, they will see firsthand why President Lincoln and so many others believed Yosemite worthy of preservation for posterity,” said Fassett.
Adventure Risk Challenge integrates outdoor adventures with over 100 hours of English language instruction and experiential learning. Back at base camp, participants will compose metaphorical poems, invite community members for an Interview Day, master and teach Environmental Science topics to students of their partner youth development programs: Aim High and the Boys & Girls Club, and write transformational essays.
Ranging in age from 15 to 18, ARC Tahoe participants come from eight Northern California high schools including Truckee, North Tahoe, Sierra, Placer Community and South Tahoe. In Yosemite, the diverse participants hail from three continents (many are recent immigrants to the U.S.) and speak eight different languages.
Participants will improve their language skills as they craft and perform poetry; they will become more independent as they learn to cook, navigate, and sleep under the stars in the backcountry; and they will become stewards of nature after living and learning in our nation’s most beautiful wilderness areas.
“As ARC’s 2014 teams face and reflect upon the challenges ahead, we look forward to discovering the dynamic personalities and leadership potential in both groups,” said Sarah Ottley, ARC Director.