
For several summers, the Outside Adventure Grant funded the dream adventure of a team of young aspiring explorers. The only requirements were that the group of no more than six had to be between the ages of 12 and 17, the expedition had to take place in North America during the summer, and it had to involve non-motorized travel through a
wilderness area.
A panel made up of the world's best explorers awarded the grants to the expedition proposals that best combined exploration, conservation, adventure, and potential for success. Then Outside provided the necessary training, equipment, and funding. Instructors from the National Outdoor Leadership School helped with training and tagged along during the expeditions. The
teams organized and lead the expeditions, kept journals, and talked to other kids.
The 1999 Outside Adventure Grant winners, four nascent explorers from Wyoming, spent this past July caving beneath the Guadelupe Mountains in southern New Mexico. The team explored known caves and mapped and photographed ones that they discovered. When their expedition was over, the explorers were more impressed than ever with the beauty and fragility of caves, and
more determined than ever to study them and dedicate themselves to their conservation. This coming summer, when they will be 18 and of age to do underground work, all of the '99 OAG explorers will work for the USFS in Carlsbad.
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