How many high school students would be able to survive without their phone for a month, let alone survive in the Alaskan wilderness? Looking for a spontaneous adventure, juniors Lucy Conway and Meredith Kuster decided to take on the challenge and sign up for a trip with the youth travel agency, Overland, to Alaska. Overland is a program that seeks to show students how beautiful and exciting our world is through summer excursions to different places. Overland challenges the group through activities and ensures full engagement with the group by requesting they leave their phones and electronics behind.

Lucy and Meredith were eager to take on this adventure to meet new people and see more of the world. The group learned many wilderness survival skills, including a two-day course in wilderness first aid. Then, the adventure began! They visited a variety of mountain ranges surrounding Anchorage and lived in a variety of camp grounds throughout the backcountry. There they hiked, went backpacking, and even went ice climbing on a glacier for a few days. One of their most memorable experiences was when they had their heads dunked in the freezing glacier water by the other girls in their group!

Alaska is notably isolated from the rest of the continental USA. Lucy and Meredith quickly noticed that they were a bit behind in pop culture there, but with Overland, Lucy and Meredith focused on the experience of meeting kids from all over the country and forming bonds with people they might have never known.

Meredith said, “I would recommend Overland because it is a very organized program, but at the same time we were granted a lot of freedom.”

Consider opting for the thrill of adventure and immersing yourself in another culture next summer just like Lucy and Meredith, and experience a unique opportunity.