Trip Information

There are 27 trips being offered this year. (Want an idea of what you're getting yourself into? Check out our photo album!)

The trips fall into the following categories:

There are seven trips that are purely hiking. Most trips follow roughly the same format. On the first day, you hike into a campsite or lean-to and set up a basecamp. The remainder of the trip is spent hiking nearby mountains carrying only what you need for the day. The exceptions are the Grand Traverse and Indian Pass trips, which have shorter total mileage but will mean carrying a full pack most of the time.

All seven boat trips take place on flat or moving water (no whitewater involved). Many students who choose to canoe have never been in a boat before (or if they have, it was on a sixth-grade trip where they had grapes for lunch and some kid was sick on the bus going home). There is plenty of time to learn, and the daily mileage is not unreasonable for beginners. Most of these trips also include a day hike up a nearby mountain, just so you don't spend the whole time sitting down.

The ever-popular combination trips have been refined over the years to give one of the best Adirondack experiences possible All choices have two trips which start at either end of the route and work towards each other. When they meet in the middle, backpacks are switched for canoes and vice versa, and each trip continues on (except the triple combo - go to the site for more details on this burly trip).

This trip begins at Chapel Pond, on the outskirts of Keene Valley. Participants will spend nights at a secluded basecamp on the western shore of the pond. We'll go over everything you need to know, so don't worry if you're a first-time climber. In fact, if you're a strong (5.7 or higher) or experienced climber, this is not the trip for you. There will be plenty of other chances to meet climbers and crank the hard stuff when the climbing wall opens .

There are two sea kayaking trips, and both travel approximately the same distance, about 25 miles.

This trip, while less wilderness- oriented than the others, nevertheless offers an amazing opportunity for students to work together to give something to the Adirondack region. (Beginner)

Check out our sister program, USE, for other great trips that go out at the same time as AA. These trips are focussed on the City of Utica, with groups staying in town, working with direct service organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the food kitchen at Hope House.