Students from eight Maine high schools converged for outdoor fun and skill building at Teens to Trails 2020 Winter Skills Weekend held at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson.

Local students from Cony High School, Gardiner Area High School, and Maine Academy of Natural Sciences were among those from the Maine outing clubs who recently gathered on a mild Saturday in February for the Teens to Trails 2020 Winter Skills Weekend. Teens and their advisors donned warm winter clothes and brought camping gear that they packed in by sled and backpacks to rustic cabins accessible only by trail.

Students experienced snowshoeing, fat biking, free time by a campfire, played on a frozen pond, and participated in several winter skills workshops led by volunteer outdoor educators and HVNC staff, according to a news release from Shannon Gilmore, communications manager of Teens To Trails, based in Brunswick.

Outing Club advisors and students were exposed to skills that will help them in planning and executing future winter excursions on their own. The skills sessions were popular and several students indicated an interest in spending even more time on outdoors skills in the future.

Advisor Brenda Weis of Cony High School said, “Teens To Trails did an amazing job bringing teens from around the state of Maine to participate in the Winter Skills Weekend at Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center. Both organizations have put in great efforts to get teenagers outside … With the collaboration of Midcoast Conservancy, Teens To Trails, and high school Outing Club Advisors, we’re working hard to share our passion of the outdoors with our youth,” according to the release.

Hidden Valley Nature Center, part of Midcoast Conservancy, is 1,000 acres of protected land offering multi-use trails and cabins.
Andy Bezon, director of Community Programs and Hidden Valley Nature Center, worked with Teens to Trails to plan the event. Bezon provided access to Hidden Valley’s gear for participant use and secured several volunteers to help teach skills to the students. He called the event a great success and said, “This is a partnership that makes so much sense to me, and one I’m excited to continue,” according to the release.

The program is one of five outdoor skill-building weekends offered during the school year by Teens to Trails, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting high school students to life-changing outdoor experiences.

For information about Teens To Trails programs, visit TeensToTrails.org.