This January, I joined the Board of Directors of Trekkers. To better understand the program, I volunteered for the Seventh Grade Trekkers expedition to Acadia National Park here in Maine. I was told this would be a whirlwind event, and indeed it was. Every day from Friday to Sunday was packed with fun activities, campfire magic, new friendships, and laughter.

Friday morning, we set up camp at Blackwood’s Campground. We pitched our tents, unpacked our things, ate lunch and then set off on the long hike up Cadillac Mountain.

Six and half hours later, after helping each other to the top with games, songs, and words of encouragement, we made it back to camp and hungrily ate dinner, savoring our accomplishment.  We then sat around the campfire and talked about the challenges and triumphs of the day and what we would like to achieve on Saturday. As the conversation went around the circle, I was so inspired by these young people and how articulate, kind, and insightful they were in their observations about the day.  Then, off to bed.

Saturday morning began with two Trekkers leaders going tent to tent while singing a lovely wake up song at 6:30. I was already awake drinking coffee, but wished I was in my tent to hear that song as the kids were hearing it.

After breakfast, we reviewed the itinerary for the day and headed off to a pond to practice the canoe strokes we had learned in a pre-camp meeting. We drove to a beautiful marsh and canoed for two hours. We watched eagles soar overhead all the while keeping our eye out for rocks in the water. It was a magical time in a sanctuary nestled just 50 feet from the road.

After a quick lunch, we then set off to Otter Cliffs to climb rocks. There are many of us who are terrified of heights, and as we walked to the cliffs, we saw the rough ocean, slapping its huge waves against the side of the rocks we were to climb, and it was suddenly even more intimidating. 

The next thing I knew, we were climbing down onto these rocks with our three guides, each of us clipped to a safety rope. Some people climbed the cliffs easily and fearlessly, and some of us made it halfway up and belayed down feeling ecstatic to have done even that much! There are no words to describe how I think we all felt after this experience. However, anyone observing how the students walked and talked afterwards you would have seen in each of them a heightened confidence and a sense that they could conquer any obstacle before them.

This was the first of six years’ worth of experiences for these young people. The connections they build here will carry them through many more experiences and bring them so many more opportunities to face hardship with bravery and confidence. That there is a program like Trekkers in our area to provide young people with these experiences is amazing.

I feel honored to support Trekkers as a donor and board member and encourage you to visit trekkers.org to learn more, sign up to volunteer, and donate to ensure that this important work reaches as many of your young people as possible.

Melissa Carr lives in Camden