Program Reviews

My LAS experience was truly transformative. I began the semester anxious and concerned that I wouldn’t be able to handle the demands of the curriculum. Within days I found that the instructors were incredibly kind and genuinely concerned with my personal experiences, needs, and hopes for the semester. I hadn’t done many of the activities before the start of the semester and found most of them daunting, but the community at LAS, instructors and students alike was a constant source of support and encouragement. In just 74 days, 26 former strangers became some of my closest friends and people to whom I hope to stay connected for life. My experience with LAS was anything but easy, but I ended my hardest days feeling stronger, and I’m grateful to have faced those challenges in a safe and supportive environment. As much as I grew from those tough days, they were far outnumbered by days feeling confident in new skills whether with a whitewater kayak, canoe, or bike. I will always treasure my semester with AT and reflect on it as a time of growth, laughter, and love.

I loved backpacking, rock climbing, and learning wilderness medicine skills while camping! I now feel prepared to lead my own backpacks and plan and cook meals while camping. The community that AT trips foster is one of a kind, and stays present long after closing day. Being in a small group allowed us to move around quickly and experience the Rockies, City of Rocks, and the North Cascades in one trip. Going on our student-led backpack was amazing, and our instructors were very close in case of emergency. Rafting was a great and fun-filled way to close the trip!

My experience on this program was pretty incredible. I was able to do so many fun things I don't usually have the opportunity to do, like backpacking, rock climbing, and canoeing, as well as learn things I'd never done before, like kayaking or mountain climbing. You really get pushed out of your comfort zone. I love being outdoors, and LAS definitely allowed me to spend a lot of time outside, but even if you aren't the outdoorsy type I still think the program is really valuable in learning about leadership, and in helping you build confidence in yourself and your ability. I also think it teaches you good home living skills that you don't learn in school or college, like how to cook or how to replace a car tire. But overall the best thing about the program is the relationships you build with your peers and your instructors. I made a lot of really good friends during the program and we still talk to each other even though it's been almost a year since we last saw each other.

Doing the LAS gap semester was one of the best decisions of my life. It was different than anything I had ever done, but that is what makes it so great. You challenge yourself in a safe environment, while surrounded by your best friends. I am definitely the opposite of athletic and nature-y, but LAS taught me to appreciate these things more and find comfort in the discomfort. The community created in this program had so much healthy energy and supportive relationships; the 20 other students in the semester now know me inside and out, and I couldn’t be happier about it. The instructors work so well with the students in understanding us and creating deep relationships. My peers are people I will be friends with for a lifetime. We grew together. We laughed, cried, walked, hiked, rowed, and loved each other. I could not have asked for a better group of people to have done this semester with and appreciate the application team for handpicking the best students and lifelong friends. You learn so much about yourself in this program and find yourself in situations and activities you never knew you could overcome, but you do. The memories I created are some that will stick with me forever. I learned lessons about friendship, adventure, nature, life-skills, and a lot about myself and who I want to be. I came out of LAS an even more positive version of myself. I would recommend this program to anybody and everybody.

Such an amazing three months. I met some of the nicest and most interesting people, many of whom are friends for life. My favorite activity, was mountain biking in DuPont. I gained so many new experiences that have helped prepare me for college and for life as an adult. I learned how to repair drywall and how to build and install a toilet. My time spent at LAS was incredible; I would do it all over again if I could. I 100% recommend if you love the outdoors and spending time with really cool people.

The 74 days I spent last fall were simply the best days of my life. That may sound like an exaggeration, but it is most certainly not. LAS (Leadership Adventure Semester) was 74 days filled with insanely fun journeys, challenges, and growth. The best part was being part of an incredibly inclusive, fun, supportive, and extremely close community. Last year, for many, was known as "the covid year." While this was not the case for all college students, I think many had a difficult year with limited social interactions. However, this was not the case for me. At LAS, we formed a bubble, and it was awesome. Since it was such a crazy year in terms of Covid, I think many people who came to LAS had their own unique stories of how they ended up there. But even though we all had these different stories, I can speak for everyone when I say that there could not have been a better way to spend a gap semester. I took a whole year off before I started college, and I had an incredible year overall. After LAS, I got my EMT certification, worked on a farm in Oregon, I interned at a recording studio, and worked as an EMT. All of it was awesome, however, LAS was easily the highlight. I made life long friends who I am still very much in touch with. In fact, after LAS, I've had many reunions with these people, which included a ski trip in Park City and several road trips. Also, I worked on a farm for two months with one of my best friends and cabin mate at LAS. We even had a big one-year reunion on zoom with everyone just a few weeks ago. If you are thinking about how to spend your semester, you really should consider LAS. You will make life long friends. I promise. The instructors were also incredible. They were all such amazing, supportive, fun-loving, and talented people. They also became some of my best friends. They took us on some amazing backpacking, canoeing, climbing, and mountain biking trips, teaching us and sharing all of their wisdom, helping us to become really solid mountain bikers, climbers, kayakers, and much more. A really awesome part of the semester was all of the certifications we have obtained. The Wilderness First Responder course was an amazing bonding experience, and we all learned so much. It even inspired me to continue with my certification and get my Wilderness EMT later in my year. Everything I learned at LAS has enabled me to do so much. I have gone on many backpack and canoe trips since with my friends, and LAS gave me the confidence and skills to do this. I am now at Bowdoin College in Maine, and here at school, I have jumped into leadership training for the Outing Club here. The reason I am able to do this was because of all my experiences at LAS. I cannot properly express how much gratitude I have for those 74 days last fall. It was an adventure of a lifetime.

The 11 weeks I spent at Adventure Trek's Leadership Gap Semester was the most personal growth I’ve ever experienced. I accomplished so many feats I never considered possible, from physical challenges to emotional breakthroughs. I learned many new skills in the outdoors as well as a new perspective on what really matters to me in life. I feel like I now have the confidence to push myself in tough situations and the independence to do my own thing in life. I have LAS to thank for it all. And I don’t think we could have had a better group of instructors. I always felt heard and valued; they all were funny and caring and made me want to spend time with them. Everyone was approachable. And this is not to mention the incredibly close friendships I made. I have a community that I can rely on for years to come, we really became a family during our time together. It was also so incredibly fun and rewarding. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. It truly was transformative, and I cannot begin to imagine my life if LAS had not been a part of it.

Trying to explain LAS is as difficult as it was 8 months ago because I still feel like it was all a dream. I loved my experience and I would strongly recommend to anyone who has the slightest pull to take a leap of faith and sign up. One of the best things about LAS and my experience is at the end I noticed my growth, and we all helped each other grow and adjust to the world when we left. I changed so much and I found a group of people that made me feel like I didn’t need to make another friend on this earth because I found all the support I needed. I have chills just thinking of it.

LAS is an amazing, transformative experience for any young adult looking to become a better version of themselves while exploring the outdoors. This program offers students a beautiful landscape and facility to learn countless useful backcountry skills and leadership skills, all while having so much fun! LAS is a great fit for anyone looking to broaden their interests and work on themselves—whether or not they already have experience in the outdoors. Everyone i met there was so kind, understanding, and knowledgeable.