Gain Your Outside Perspective

TRIP REPORT: Signature Destination Expedition Delaware Water Gap Each year, Outside Perspectives offers a "Signature Destination" expedition. We have explored place like the Adirondacks in NY, the Bigelows in ME, and the Delaware Water Gap in NJ. These trips take us out of CT and into locations that involve higher mountains, longer rivers, giant lakes, more expansive views, more diverse ecosystems, and less crowds. These Signature Destination trips also offer an opportunity for an extended expedition that provide a longer and more unique experience for participants. This summer, we went to the Delaware Water Gap with two crews to backpack for two days and then paddle the rest on the Delaware River. Our first crew consisted of six participants, and their fearless leader, Damion, from the Youth Excellence Project (YEP). The boys from YEP included participants that have come out with OP several times over the past few years, as well as a few first-timers! This trip was the culmi...

On June 11, the Youth Excellence Project crew geared up with Outside Perspectives and prepared to head out on to the trail for an overnight backpacking trip. It was a small crew of three, which allowed for one to one adult to participant ratio, a rare and special situation! The crew arrived at the Mt. Washington Ranger Station to receive their gear and prepare for their trip. After a quick snack, the crew hiked 2 miles up the Alander Mountain Trail to the Ashley Hill Campsite. They set up their site, ate lunch, and prepared their day hike bags for the next leg of their trip. With full bellies, they embarked on the hike to the summit of Alander Mountain. Camouflage and other trail games kept them moving along the 1.5 miles. Once on top, the crew dropped their packs, took in the view, and then opted for a sweet summit nap in the shade of nearby blueberry bushes. Once everyone was feeling rested and ready to go again, they prepared to cook and eat dinner with a view. The boys worked toget...

Emily Hazelton has been wandering the woods of northwest Connecticut since early childhood.  Emily at Signal Hill, with Lions Head in the background, in South Africa A native of Thomaston, she witnessed firsthand the transformative power of outdoor recreation in children's lives working her first job as a camp counselor at YMCA Camp Mataucha. After completing a degree in government and social justice with the Ozanam scholars program at St John's University, Emily worked in special education and disability services before pursuing a passion for environmental and corporate sustainability. She now works in the energy improvement sector and hopes to continue to advance her career helping communities develop resilience to the impacts of climate change.  Emily at the top of Lions Head in South Africa In her free time Emily enjoys exploring CT's hiking trails, corresponding with pen pals all over the world, painting, yoga, cooking, and planning trips to new places. She also enjo...

Outside Perspectives has partnered with The Youth Excellence Project since 2015. They have brought countless kids out on transformative wilderness expeditions, year after year, and witnessed the positive effects on the youth who benefit from this partnership. We want to Spotlight YEP and why working together just makes sense. The inspiration for The Youth Excellence Project (YEP), came to Damion Grasso after a friend and fellow foster parent took a group of foster children out to Montana. The intention of the trip was to immerse the kids in the great outdoors—to encourage them to open up to new experiences in beautiful natural surroundings (sound familiar?). The experience was so impactful for one boy that he would eventually go on to pursue a career with the National Parks Service. For one young life, a new trajectory had been illuminated by this group trip, and Damion saw life-changing potential in the opportunity to plant the seeds of aspiration and resilience in groups of at-risk t...

On May 9th Outside Perspectives embarked on its' first expedition of the season with all 12 girls from the Ethel Walker School's 7th Grade class. The Ethel Walker School is an independent, college preparatory, boarding and day school for girls in grades 6 through 12 in Simsbury, CT. Coming at the end of the school year, the expedition fortified the existing relationships between the girls and supported the school's grounding values of  integrity ,  respect ,  confidence ,  courage ,  conviction , and  love of learning.  By reflecting these important values in all aspects of the expedition, Outside Perspectives is supporting the framework for personal, ethical and social growth which will follow them as they move into the 8th grade and beyond. The girls tackled many obstacles on their journey and explored some of the most beautiful scenery Connecticut and Massachusettes has to offer. Hiking eight strenuous miles wi...

Despite our quiet social media presence, OP has been VERY BUSY this winter! The OP field team has returned from a week-long scouting trip to the Adirondack Wilderness in upstate New York (also knowns as ADK or the "Dacks" for short). OP will be taking Youth Excellence Project  on another 8-day Backpacking/Canoeing/Rock Climbing Expedition this August and we scoured the area to find just the right EPIC EXPERIENCE for them! While the snow and cold kept us on our toes (and wiggling them in our boots), we had the backcountry all to ourselves. Maya, our sweet little office dog, experienced her first long trip and despite some shivering and a bruised tail (from too much excitement), she LOVED IT! She was an excellent member of the team running many more miles than Nicky and Shannon combined. Discovering these backcountry field areas launched us headlong into full-on SPRING FEVER. OP will kick off the expedition season in early May with a 3-day  Ethel Walker ...

With no roof over our heads, we slept in a new campsite each night, carried and made our own food, and continuously moved ourselves and our gear for seven days by human power alone! The men of Youth Excellence Project  (YEP) covered over 40 miles of terrain on our recent expedition to Maine, crossing the Bigelow Mountains and paddling back to our start via the great Flagstaff Lake. We endured crazed mosquitoes, rain, wind, heat and cold. Though, as the Norwegian proverb says, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. [gallery ids="2801,2800,2638" type="rectangular"] While a new experience for some, the guys hiked and paddled themselves well, mastering skills quickly, often arriving in camp with down-time to spare. Cards were played, footballs tossed, cannon ball jumps perfected, and Smore's roasted. Perhaps most impressive though, was that the guys spent the entire trip without any of their technological devices! We didn't hear complaints or ...