Summer Teen River Trips
Get Lost in Adventure & Find Yourself!
Come alive with adventure and discover the beauty of nature accessible only by river travel! We will leave behind the modern world and use only what we carry in our boats, our own resourcefulness, and the gifts that nature provides.
Why paddle with Living Earth School?
Living Earth Teen Expeditions are the perfect blend of deep wilderness immersion, leadership lessons, team building, and personal development.
Upper Potomac River Trips
Paddle along the historic C&O Canal, learning the natural and human history of the Potomac Watershed. This beginner-friendly trip is geared toward participants with little to no experience on the water. Teens will walk away with the skills to work as a team with peers in both canoes and camp. Pulling one’s weight and doing one’s task makes the camp and boats move smoothly with grace.
Introduction to River Skills—The Upper Potomac is a large, flat river, providing the perfect environment for new paddlers to develop their skills in a low risk environment. Skills learned include:
Introduction to Wilderness Camping—Teens will learn the skills to live in the backcountry and be able to apply them to future adventures, on or off the river including:
Upper James River Trips
Paddling the historic Upper James River, teens will explore how the river can teach us to be our best selves. They will walk away knowing how to use past knowledge and skills to enrich and persevere through tougher, longer, and more challenging experiences. This trip is designed for participants with prior river experience (does not have to be with Living Earth School).
Introduction to Rapids—On this section of the James River, teens will learn to navigate whitewater, ranging from mild ripples up to Class III rapids. Skills learned include:
Focus on Team Building: