The White Mountains are famous for their dramatic rocky summits and steep valleys, and boast the highest peaks in the northeast. This exciting multi-sport adventure connects many hidden gems of the Whites and introduces students to all of Kroka’s core adventure sports. We begin at Kroka Village preparing food and equipment for our extended expedition. Setting off on foot, we follow the Appalachian Trail up and over Mount Moosilauke (elevation 4,802) and down to a network of old logging roads perfect for practicing map and compass navigation. Switching from backpacks to mountain bikes, we travel for three days along stunning singletrack bike trails to the headwaters of the Pemigewasset River. Here we find canoes awaiting ready for a paddle down the swiftly-flowing river that takes us to the foot of one of the most famous rock climbing crags in New England. Along the way we will be rewarded with breathtaking views, practice low impact camping, and study geography, geology and ecology of Eastern Alpine.
This Capstone Expedition is open to students who have completed Climber’s Journey Up North or another intermediate climbing expedition, and by invitation. Students will be expected to complete advance preparation including food dehydration, route planning, and participate in group fundraising activities. Join Kroka’s infamous climbing team David “Davicho” Silva and Marga Cardoso in a trip to the Red River Gorge: the Climber’s Mecca of the Eastern USA. We begin our journey at Kroka’s basecamp where we will refresh our climbing skills on local granite. We will work on the farm and prepare food to take with us on our journey. Up early we will drive down to Eastern Kentucky, stopping along the way to explore the hills and hollows of the Appalachian Mountains. Here we will establish a wilderness basecamp where we set out each day to climb progressively more challenging routes featuring overhung jugs, hollows, pockets, slopers, horns, and crimps! Home to more than 3,000 established routes across more than 100 sandstone cliffs, the Red River Gorge is as alluring as it is expansive. In addition to boasting some of the best sport climbing anywhere, the region is filled with deep, clear swimming holes, ancient caves, and breathtaking views of the surrounding hills. When not on the wall we will study the folk history of the region, learn about the impact of coal mining on the landscape, work on wilderness crafts, and spend time giving back through community service.
Kroka’s new Trailheads program is an entry-level expedition for all teenagers seeking adventure and community. During this jam-packed week we will travel on foot and by canoe through the wilderness, experiencing the wonders of nature in a supportive community of peers. We begin by hiking through the Piedmont of the White Mountains toward the freely-flowing waters of the upper Connecticut River. After two days on foot we descend from the mountains to the river where canoes await. Here we experience the joys and challenges of expedition life, paddling by day and setting a wilderness camp by night to cook delicious meals over the fire. You will come away with the skills to thrive on your next Kroka adventure.
Note: Trailheads may be used as an admissions pre-requisite for new students entering our three and four-week expeditions.
From twenty-nine inch fat tires to frame and saddlebags, the sport of bikepacking has evolved from a technical adventure sport into a unique and sustainable way to travel through the landscape. This unique adventure links together several exciting trail networks in New Hampshire’s Piedmont and the Southern Green Mountains. Its route, running through the heart of Kroka’s adventure area, has a unique variety of terrain and rich cultural features. After two days of conditioning on local trails and preparing for expedition, we will begin a 10-day journey northwest. Along the way, we will pick berries, cliff-jump in refreshing swimming holes, scramble up rock faces, and share nourishing meals cooked over the fire. We will also face many challenges: ferrying our bikes across the river in a canoe, helping neighbors with a service project, and testing our navigation skills as we wind our way from one forest trail to the next. Finally, we will reach a spectacular underground cave, which will test our bravery, skills, and teamwork, inspiring a sense of wonder and awe for the world. On this expedition we will travel more than 100 miles self-sufficiently without getting into a vehicle!
Come along in a journey that retraces ancient wisdom and ways from the river out to sea. We begin our journey at Kroka preparing food and equipment for our long journey. Next we head up to Maine to the homestead of a local artisan who will teach us to carve our own wooden paddles! We will meet master canoe builder, Rollin Thurlow, and learn how he builds handmade cedar canoes. We will also enjoy Maine life in the summertime: swimming, paddling, and exploring the northern forests. After a week of preparation we are ready to set off down the Penobscot River, the ancestral home of the Penobscot Nation, which we will follow all the way out into the ocean for our boat’s maiden voyage. Learning the indigenous story of relationship between people and place, we will spend a day with Penobscot guides on Sugar Island focused on native plants and crafts, visit the Penobscot reservation on Indian Island, eat a traditional meal, and learn basketry and other crafts. An exciting day of white water below Indian Island will bring us to where the river becomes tidal and our rhythms shift to paddle with the tides, sail with the wind, and navigate between islands and through fog. We will learn practical leadership skills, become expert ocean navigators, and learn to set camp on the rocky shores and inlets of the spectacular Deer Isle Archipelago. Through it all, we share in the hard work and simple joys of our salty, nomadic life.
A rough, wild line that few sail, and fewer kayak. Dramatic cliffs and prominent tides. Paddling towards Canada, sometimes with the water, and sometimes against it. The name of the coast speaks for itself. After honing our sea kayaking and expedition skills along tamer sections of the Maine coast, we will set off for the easternmost miles of the U.S. coastline, paddling by day and carefully searching for hidden coves to spend the night. We’ll dive into the history of the region, of colonial settlers, of lonely lobstermen and shipwrecked boats, of the indigenous who came first, and take in the pristine beauty and nature of Maine's farthest reaches. After a brave final crossing we enter the safe waters of the harbor and arrive at our destination. Come along on an adventurous paddle that is a feather in the cap of any sea kayaker!
Kroka’s annual Canadian Expedition is a capstone experience for students ready for the adventure of a lifetime. Each year we take a team of dedicated paddlers to one of the great rivers of the North: the Ashuapmushuan, Coulonge, Moisie, Broadback, and others. Pristine and breathtakingly beautiful, these rivers drain the vast northern forests of Quebec and Ontario, accessible only by remote logging routes seldom driven. Traveling self-sufficiently downriver, we experience the awe-inspiring beauty of the north country and some of the best whitewater paddling in the East. In the afternoons we make camp along the gravel bars and rocky beaches, gather mushrooms, fish and berries to eat, and sleep under an endless starry sky. Canadian Expedition takes us deep into remote wilderness where the joys and challenges of expedition life bring out our best selves. As we travel to and from the river we experience the cultural lifeways of northern people, visiting with local indigenous communities, post-industrial villages, and the old cities of Quebec and Montreal. Students are expected to dehydrate expedition food and take on advance preparation tasks before the start of the expedition.
Join us for a bushwhacking and canoeing trip rooted in the ancient traditions of wilderness travel. Following ancient trade routes used by native peoples of the north woods, we will learn to rely on the forest to provide us the resources we need. We will learn to make fire by friction, forage for berries and wild mushrooms, catch fish, and build shelter from found materials. We will learn traditional crafts from wood and leather and cook delicious meals over the open fire, learning to sustain ourselves and sustain the Earth in reciprocity. As we basecamp, backpack, pole and paddle through seldom-traversed reaches of New England, Bushwhackers should be prepared to leave the comforts of civilization far behind. In return you experience the joys of self-discovery, deep connection, and a forever home for yourself in nature.