Young Adventurers Club (YAC) outings provide an opportunity for families and their youngest hikers to get out and explore the woods at a comfortable, playful pace. The goal is to encourage and promote children’s enthusiasm for playing in Vermont’s outdoor spaces, and the trips focus on families getting out and having fun, rather than going fast or far. While the pace may be geared more towards younger adventurers (ages 3-8), everyone is welcome.
The Young Adventurers Club was started by GMC’s Montpelier Section and has been replicated in several other sections, including Burlington and Bread Loaf.
GMC Director Michelle Connor led a recent YAC outing with the Burlington section:
We met at the gravel parking lot for a morning meander through Wheeler Nature Park, enjoying a winter wonderland for an hour’s exploring. Vermont served up a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the high 20s, but a blustery wind chilled us as we walked through the meadow (yay for neckwarmers!). We enjoyed sweeping views of Mansfield from the packed trails, with 1 1/2 feet of snow on either side. The group took shelter in the woods for a loop of the inner trail and stopped on a snow-covered rock for snacks. The wooden bridges offered a great place to jump from, and large snowbanks at the parking lot were conquered and slid down.
Would like to register for YAC Spirit in Nature trail for myself and two boys, 4 and 9. Thanks for the opportunities to be out in all seasons.
Hi Susan! That is a Bread Loaf section event so you have to contact the outing leader to join in. Details are at https://calendar.google.com/calendar/render?eid=ZWI0bTJtY3M5anMzMHN1Z3NmYTJrdTJkcHMgZDc1cjZqaHFxcTRrdWZqN2Q5Mmd1aDQyb2tAZw&ctz=America/New_York&sf=true&output=xml#eventpage_6
It’s a great idea to encourage our children to do hiking at a very young age. Great job, Young adventurers Club. Thanks for this blog post.