Gallery: Magical Moments From Our 2021 Summer Camp Season
Unforgettable memories from another spectacular summer camp season
Summertime at Lasting Adventures is comprised of countless invaluable moments shared among campers and outdoor educators in some of the most beautiful environments on earth. We spend the season tramping through national parks, guiding students through profound wilderness experiences and teaching life-skills, respect, and stewardship, using nature as our classroom. When the season comes to a close and we’re finally able to slow down and reflect, the accumulation of our adventure sinks in, and we’re left with powerful memories that carry over into the rest of our lives. Here are a few snapshots from the 2021 summer of bliss, living and learning in the great outdoors.
Participants on our Young Women’s Adventure soak in the sunset from an alpine summit in Yosemite. Experiences like this not only inspire lifelong memories, but also friendships. Photo by LA outdoor educators, Nicole Frati & Jackie Flor
Students celebrate the alpenglow on Half Dome with a group hug at the top of Snow Creek, Yosemite. Photo by LA outdoor educators
Our Yosemite Young Adventurers (ages 11-13) may not be the most experienced backpackers in the high country, but with some help from our outdoor educators, they get along just fine (and have a blast doing it). Photo by LA outdoor educators
Farther north, teens in our Olympic High Country Adventure camp enjoy the lingering snow cover of early season in Staircase, Olympic National Park. Photo by LA outdoor educator, Aida Goma Petit
Teenage campers admire a sunset they’ll not soon forget during a 13-day backpacking summer camp session in Yosemite. Photo by LA outdoor educator, Emily Rose
Bears may be no match for our Bear Vault food storage canisters, but clearly the ripped biceps of this teenage backpacker are. Photo by LA outdoor educators
Participants in our High Country Adventure teenage backpacking camp narrow in on an ephemeral pot of gold in Yosemite. Photo by LA outdoor educators
Members of our Junior Guide Leadership Expedition bundle up for one memorable evening of their 27-day high country adventure, watching the moon rise over Half Dome from the summit of Clouds Rest. Photo by LA outdoor educators Lucie Hladik & August Gebhart
Boy Scouts of America are known for inspiring some of the most active environmental stewards on earth. With the profound experiences that take place in our Boy Scouts backpacking program, like summiting Half Dome as seen here, we’re proud to be part of that inspiration. Photo by LA outdoor educator Ciaran Reddy
Olympic National Park is home to some of America’s last remaining old-growth rainforest, as well as some of the most pristine peaks in North America. Teens in our Olympic High Country Adventure embark on all the above. Photo by LA outdoor educator Nick Estrada
The smile that comes with passing by Vernal Fall on the Mist Trail en route back to the valley at the end of a life-changing week in the Yosemite high country. Photo by LA outdoor educators
Sleeping in the dirt never felt so good as it does in Yosemite. Here, a groggy summer camper milks the last cozy moments of morning after a dreamy night under the High Sierra stars. Photo by LA outdoor educators
Valuable life lessons are available everywhere in the high country, but to learn them takes careful awareness and observation. LA educator Jackie Flor stops her group of teenage Young Women Adventurers mid-hike to tune into some takeaways, punctuated by a good laugh. Photo by LA outdoor educator Sarah Berlinski
Take one look at the faces of students in our SOS Outreach program, and the benefits of getting more youth outdoors is as crystal clear as the water flowing beneath them. Photo by LA outdoor educators Max Faberman and Meg Sharples
Learning from the environment is at the core of outdoor education, but at Lasting Adventures, so are fun and games. Here, LA educator Felicity Holmes bonds with one of her students via a “Moo-off,” one of many hilarious games our campers play in Olympic National Park. Photo by LA guide Nick Estrada
LA outdoor educator Emily Rose simulates a tree to teach her student the art knot tying, whist making camp in the Yosemite backwoods. Photo by LA outdoor educators
It goes without saying, guns are not allowed in our teenage adventure camp. Buuuut, we’ll make an exception in this case. Young guns in our YHCA camp point out the beauty of White Cascade Fall in Glen Aulin. Photo by LA outdoor educator Kara Maceross
Lasting Adventures guide Eric Meyer teaches students Leave No Trace principles in a classroom with a view at Taft Point. Photo by LA outdoor educator Ciaran Reddy
The wilderness shows us that everything in life is earned, and most things are earned easier with teamwork. Here, campers work together to filter drinking water, earning the nourishment to sustain themselves for a day of incredible hiking. Photo by LA outdoor educators
Nap time on Clouds Rest. Just kidding…who could sleep with a view this good? Photo by LA outdoor educator Ciaran Reddy
“The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing.” -John Muir. A teenage camper dips his feet in Muir’s sentiment in the Yosemite wild. Photo by LA outdoor educators
Raise your hand if you’re coming back next season….another summit, another unforgettable celebration. Photo by LA outdoor educators
A 13-day expedition is a formidable challenge for young men and women, but for most, this is just the beginning of their journey. Here, campers take the first steps of a lifelong pursuit of adventure in the great outdoors. Photo by LA outdoor educators
We may love playing in the dirt, but that’s not to say we’re always dirty. Participants in the Yosemite Young Women’s Adventure tend to their hygiene in the high country. Facial, anyone? Photo by LA outdoor educator Jackie Flor and Nicole Frati
Aim high, Young Adventurers. Life at the top is pretty darn good. Photo by LA outdoor educators
It takes the largest pinecone in the world, a sugar pine cone, to hide the smiles of these High Country Adventurers. That’s saying a lot. Photo by LA outdoor educators
Nature is the ultimate classroom. For campers in our Olympic Young Adventurers program, there’s no better desk than a boulder in a stream. Photo by LA outdoor educator Aida Goma Petit
At the end of every summer camp session, our outdoor educators host a bracelet ceremony and adorn participants with a token of their achievements to carry with them into future adventures. The bracelet itself may be small, but the experience it represents is immense. Here, graduating students proudly display all that they’ve accomplished in a week with Lasting Adventures. Photo by LA outdoor educators
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