Rawhide Youth Experience Wilderness Trip

July 26, 2006

Rawhide Youth enjoy the Boundary WatersThis summer, Rawhide Boys Ranch in New London partnered with Big City Mountaineers (BCM) to take four of Rawhide’s young men on an eight-day canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area between Minnesota and Canada. A Rawhide staff member accompanied the youth on the trip along with three other adults who are experienced in the wilderness equipment industry.

The trip was a time of training and adventure designed to help equip the Rawhide youth to take on the challenge of leadership and endurance in a wilderness setting. BCM is one of the country's leading volunteer organizations devoted to providing significant mentoring during wilderness trips for urban teens participating in existing youth development programs. The annual trip provides an outdoor team mentoring experience for under-resourced teens that challenges their beliefs with regard to ethnic diversity, self-esteem, environmental awareness, and interpersonal relationships.

This year the young men were challenged to work together to travel a 40-mile route through the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area including lakes, rivers, and portages. The young men successfully worked together to overcome physical and emotional obstacles. They worked together to find their way with map and compass in hand through some of the most beautiful and untouched waterways joining the U.S. and Canada.

Located outside of New London, Wisconsin, Rawhide Boys Ranch emphasizes a faith-based traditional family environment and serves at-risk and court-referred young men. Their mission is to inspire and equip at-risk teenage boys to become responsible young men through family-centered care, treatment, and education. Rawhide is largely supported by donations of cars, boats, campers, and financial gifts. Learn more about Rawhide by calling (920) 982-6100 or visiting the website at www.rawhide.org.
Photo Caption:
Young men from Rawhide Boys Ranch use orienteering skills to locate their next portage on the wilderness canoeing experience in the Boundary Waters sponsored by Big City Mountaineers and Jansport.