It started in November 2023 when we visited the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy to learn about how we could engage the students in environmental education and land stewardship. What was seemingly an insignificant day at the time, led to us just completing our fifth backpacking trip with a group of Academy cadets. With some hard-work, creativity, and enthusiastic staff, our partnership has grown over the last 2.5 years.
Spring backpacking trip, April 2026.
Each cycle, GBCA staff spend a day in the Science classroom at IDYCA, connecting with all of the cadets and opening their minds to possible future job opportunities, backcountry skills, and responsible recreation. They get a first-hand view of what our crews carry into the backcountry, have multitudes of questions about our food, and gain an understanding of the “10 essentials” in the pack.
The following week after visiting the classroom, 8 cadets are chosen based on their interest and good standing, to attend a 3-day backpacking trip with us. Over the years, we’ve worked hard to match the curriculum in the field to that in the classroom. We talk about native species identification, compass skills, monitoring plots, and reading a map. The trip is a mixture of education, work, and free time to explore and enjoy the backcountry. Of course, we always have to include a bit of competition with a Bear Hang Challenge, a Fire Tinder Challenge, and Cat Hole Digging Contest. This year, the boys reflected that it felt like “a good mixture of work and down time” and that the works “gives us a purpose for coming out here.”
Some of their favorite parts of the trip included “definitely swimming in the reservoir", “learning how to fix the trail and looking back at what we accomplished,” and “all of the food.” We love that the students come away with an invaluable experience and connection to the land, but we also gain so much; watching them cowboy camp and see the stars for the first time, become confident in plant identification, and cheering when they find biocontrol larvae are moments we’re grateful to experience with them.
While the trips are built to fit in with their science curriculum, the cadets also gain several Service to Community (STC) hours that they need to graduate from the Academy. They help to maintain the trail, hand pull weeds, and monitor vegetation plots — all things our crews would otherwise have to do.
Solidifying that this partnership has grown so big over the last few seasons was a cadet who said “everyone knows that the Great Burn trip is one of the best incentives [to work hard] of the whole cycle.” We give so much thanks to the teachers, cadre, and staff at the Academy as well as our generous donors for helping to keep these trips alive for many cycles to come.
We can’t wait for our next trip in the fall!
