Northern
Explorers
A River Rafting
Expedition for
Ages 14-17
Two trained expedition leaders will lead a maximum of nine
participants, ages 14-17 on this northern exploration.
We will experience amazing scenery in northern Maine and enjoy
some of the best whitewater rafting in the northeast.
Your expedition begins at the W. Alton Jones Campus where you
will spend Sunday night at the Teen Expeditions Poor Farm Base
Camp. During this time, you will have an orientation to
the rules, enjoy a cookout, play games and do activities that
will help you get to know your trip-mates. You will
learn more about the details of your trip and get all the
equipment and food ready to go. After an all-group
campfire, you will head off for a good night's sleep.
It is a long drive from Rhode Island to The Forks, Maine, so
we will leave early Monday morning and drive about 7 hours in
a passenger van. Once we arrive at our destination,
we will set up camp at Moxie Outdoor Adventure
Campground. Moxie Outdoor provides base camping,
facilities, guides, and activities just for groups and
expedition programs like ours.
Tuesday and Wednesday we will spend rafting down different
portions of the Kennebec River. On the first day, we
will funyak in single person inflatable kayak/rafts. It's not
long after we launch our funyaks before the speed of the river
begins to pick up and the waters begin to churn white.
The first day includes the challenging class II and III
whitewater rapids on the Middle Kennebec River. Along the trip
we will stop for a deli lunch and a hike to Moxie Falls,
Maine's highest waterfall.
On the second day of this whitewater adventure we will take
traditional rafts through the thundering class IV+ whitewater
rapids of the Kennebec Gorge! As we enter the steep granite
walls of the gorge large waves can be seen ahead. From this
point on the river plunges 12 miles through the gorge creating
crashing standing wave rapids like "Big Mama",
"Whitewasher" and "The Alleyway". The high
point of the day is the run through class V Magic Falls.
While rapids will continue on and off throughout the day, there is also
plenty of time for swimming and enjoying calm stretches of the river.
The evenings will be spent engaging in night hikes, campfires,
and recreational time on Lake Moxie, which is in the backyard
of our campsite. Lake Moxie has free access to canoes,
kayaks, and swimming.
But wait, that's not all!. Thursday will give us an
opportunity to see Maine from a "bird's eye"
view. We will hop on a floatplane that will pick us up
on Lake Moxie and take us high over the trees and
mountains. We will see Moxie Falls, the river that we
rafted down, the Appalachian Mountains and if we're lucky
maybe even a mighty Maine moose. The float plane trip will be
an awe-inspiring way to bring our week to a close. We'll
need a good night's sleep Thursday since we will need to get
up wicked early Friday morning for the return trip to Alton
Jones.
At the end of each day, when we return to the campground, everyone
will share in the responsibilities of getting water, cooking
supper, and cleaning up afterwards. While camping out in Maine
the group will learn and practice concentrated impact camping
techniques. This involves camping in such a manner that will
preserve the beauty of the area. This is achieved by
carrying out trash, using biodegradable soap, respecting natural
inhabitants, and properly disposing of human waste. At
Alton Jones, an emphasis
is always placed on being as sensitive as possible to the natural areas
that we visit.
Participants of the Northern Explorers Expedition should
be in reasonably good physical condition that will enable
you to hike, swim, and paddle sometimes more than six hours
(with adequate rest stops). If you are unsure of your physical
condition, do some exercising before the trip. Bike riding,
jogging, swimming, push-ups, sit-ups, and lots of brisk walking
are some good ways to get muscles in shape and build
stamina. All participants are expected to cooperate with fellow group
members and leaders and abide by all safety rules.
In preparing
for the expedition, you may want to spend some time thinking
about why you have chosen this trip and what you hope to learn
from your Northern Explorer adventure. If you have never
been rafting before, relax. Experience is not a requirement,
but a positive attitude and a willingness to have fun while
learning is!
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