Each fall, 15 or so high school students in search of adventure, challenge, and the gratification of a conscious lifestyle, embark on a semester-long journey as part of the Kroka Expeditions Vermont Semester Program. Students travel 600 miles around Vermont, by skis along the Catamount Trail, by watercraft along Lake Champlain, and by mountain bike across the state’s plentiful dirt roads and trails. During a typical Vermont winter the expedition begins as a backcountry ski trip. In past years, CTA staffers have had the great pleasure of joining the students for a day on the Catamount Trail as they make their way northward.
This year, however, the students made the decision to push farther north in search of skiable conditions. Rather than enduring the rocks and roots that characterized Vermont trails this February, they completed a 13 day, 45-kilometer backcountry tour in the Uapishka (Groulx) Mountains in the northern reaches of Quebec. During the trip they found camaraderie, lessons learned in their natural classroom, a confidence unique to those who have experienced a lifestyle far removed from society, memories that are sure to last a lifetime, and plentiful snow!
To learn more about this amazing journey and see some photos taken along the way, check out the Kroka Vermont Semester 2016 blog. The group has since returned to Vermont, and is currently trekking North on the Catamount Trail from Farm and Wilderness in Plymouth, VT.
