Adventure Journals Late June: Final preparations July 21: Arriving in Alaska July 18-23: Peter Nestor's account July 24: Flying in July 25: The first long hike July 26: A cold, wet day on the trail July 27: Long miles, few words July 28: The path turns steep July 29: Reaching the river July 30: Waiting for supplies and canoes July 31: Making the transition to paddling August 1: Heading down river August 2: Stopped above rough water August 3: Putting drama into no-impact August 4: Big miles on the river August 5: Sweeping past the swamp August 6: Swamp plunging, mud bathing August 7: Kids go solo August 8: Returning to civilization August 9: A quick gorge back in the city

The announcement on Outside Online in the spring of 1996 sounded a little like a travel brochure, a little like a pep talk from everyone's favorite high-school teacher: "Send us e-mail," the call went out, "describing the adventure of your dreams!"

This invitation also appeared in high-school newspapers and teaching magazines around the country. The group of teen-agers who sent in the best idea for an outdoor expedition would receive an "adventure grant" — the money and means to make their proposal a reality. A panel of expert mountaineers and adventurers would select "the expedition that best combines exploration, conservation, and adventure."

No previous experience was required; the winners would receive all the training, equipment, and logistical support required to carry out their plan. The only restrictions were that applicants had to be between the ages of 12 and 17, and the expedition had to take place in North America in the summer of 1996.

Sponsored by Outside magazine and Hi-Tec, the idea was to give a group of young people the chance to plan and carry out a true adventure in the natural world, to learn from and explore one of the earth's wild places.

Six 17-year-olds from suburban Denver submitted a plan to lead their own 18-day expedition through the Arctic National Park in northern Alaska. "We want to experience an environment where local grocery stores do not exist around the corner," the group wrote in their application essay, "where we can experience land that is virtually free of the influence of man." The judges were impressed.

So on July 20, 1996 those six teens — Rachel Flood, Jess Haviland, Vanessa Bacher, Bria Hampleman, Peter Nestor, and Alex Perry — flew to Alaska and boarded float planes bound for a small lake near Mount Doonerak in the Brooks Range. From there the group backpacked across mountains and tundra to the north fork of the Koyukuk River. They canoed down the Koyukuk for 60 miles to Bettles Field, Alaska, the nearest town.

Planned and led by the kids themselves, the expedition received training and safety instruction from the National Outdoor Leadership School on their arrival in Alaska.

They will report via satellite phone to Outside Online during their expedition, sending back reports, audio recordings, and photographs of life on America's last frontier. Most of the reports will be written by Haviland, who, like most of the team, is now finishing up her junior year at Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Colorado.

Each team member has taken responsibility for a specific part of the expedition. Flood is in charge of logistics, maps, defining a wilderness route, and chartering float planes. Bacher, captain of the Lakewood High School gymnastics team, is in charge of the pre-expedition physical training program. Hampleman, who says she hopes one day to climb K2, is the official team photographer. Perry is in charge of getting the right equipment, from sleeping bags to collapsible canoes. Nestor is in charge of rations--he'll plan the 75 meals that will fuel this adventure.

In the weeks before their departure, the team will post weekly updates on Outside Online, detailing their preparations and rigorous training schedule. In July, look for regular reports from the teens as they explore the northwest edge of the Americas.