A STRAIGHTER PATH TEENS TAKE A HIKE TO FIND BETTER LIVES.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer LANCASTER - Amid acres of trees and miles of flowing rivers and streams, challenged by harsh weather and wild animals WILD ANIMALS. Animals in a state of nature; animals ferae naturae. Vide Animals; Ferae naturae. , young hikers take to the hills each month in a test of their spirit and stamina. Learning survival skills and teamwork are the goals for the participants - troubled teens whom organizers fear are headed for a life of crime. ``We take these kids and put them in an element which is unfamiliar to them,'' said Nancy Rosas, a probation officer probation officer n. 1. An official usually attached to a juvenile court and charged with the care of juvenile delinquents. 2. An official charged with supervising convicts at large on suspended sentence or probation. and coordinator of the 3-year-old Reach for a Mountain program. ``It gets them to rely on each other and to delve inside themselves and find things they didn't even know were there.'' Part of the nationally renowned Outward Bound bound in an outward direction or to foreign parts; - said especially of vessels, and opposed to homeward bound nt>. See also: Outward program, Reach for a Mountain is a joint venture by several agencies, including the Department of Children Services, Systems of Care, and the Probation and Sheriff's departments. The program accepts boys and girls boys and girls mercurialisannua. , 13 to 18, who are referred to the program by parents, counselors or others who believe the teen may be heading down the wrong path. The program starts each September with a two-day hike and culminates with a weeklong trek the following July, with the teens carrying all their survival gear on their backs. Led by local survivalist sur·viv·al·ist n. One who has personal or group survival as a primary goal in the face of difficulty, opposition, and especially the threat of natural catastrophe, nuclear war, or societal collapse. Noun 1. and photographer Lee Bergthold and accompanied by sheriff's or probation officers, participants learn how to handle all situations, including torn clothing, damaged equipment and injuries. Nearly 30 hikes have been held so far in the program helping dozens of kids and several of the adults involved, Rosas said. ``It's fun for all of us,'' said Rosas. ``We end up being teacher and student.'' Bergthold, an instructor at Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster, California, USA. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of 1,945 square miles covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern counties. , has spent much of his off time trekking through the most extreme wilderness areas Broadly, a wilderness area is a region where the land is left in a state where human modifications are minimal; that is, as a wilderness. It might also be called a wild or natural area. (Very low or immaterial human impact or "footprint. in the state. Using his own survival instincts For the biological instinct, see . "Survival Instinct" is the second episode of the sixth season of the television series . Seven of Nine encounters three Borg, to whom she was previously linked. Plot Synopsis Voyager is docked at the Markonian Outpost Space Station. and whatever he can carry on his back, he has trekked hundreds of miles at a stretch. The groups hike into the Sierras in the summer or through barren desert in the winter and can span a 300-mile radius for the last trip of the year. ``This is really not a survival course,'' Bergthold said. ``They pick up information as they go. It's like living on the streets - eventually you become streetwise street·wise adj. Having the shrewd awareness, experience, and resourcefulness needed for survival in a difficult, often dangerous urban environment. .'' Bergthold has implemented his Center for Wilderness Study course, which he teaches on his own and through the college, into the Reach for a Mountain program. The graduated program allows kids to move from the Reach program into the Study program. Since the program is strictly voluntary, all youngsters are referred by the involved agencies or parents but must want to participate in the program. The program is funded by the statewide Systems of Care, which pays expenses for Bergthold and any other unseen expenses and is free to all of the youths. The program was brought about when probation officer Debbie Nelson saw that many of the kids she was dealing with would benefit from a program to build self-esteem and self-respect. She initiated the program and after being promoted out, Rosas took over the program. Deputy Gerry Garren of the Lancaster sheriff's station participated in a hike and at first was apprehensive when she realized she had played a role in the arrests of some of the youths on the hike. Her fears were quickly laid to rest when they headed out. ``They were saying, Wow, I didn't know cops could be like this,'' said Garren. ``It turned out to be a lot of fun.'' To participate in the program, youths are asked to bring a flashlight and sleeping bag or a bunch of blankets but nothing except their own food is required for the trips. The next trip will begin in late January or early February. For more information on the program, to participate or to refer someone, call Rosas at (661) 951-1530. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Teen participants in the Reach for a Mountain program make camp on a remote beach in Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. County. (2) An early snowstorm sends flurries down on two program teens on a Sierra Nevada Sierra Nevada, mountain range, Spain Sierra Nevada (syā`rä nāvä`thä), chief mountain range of S Spain, in Granada prov., running from east to west for c.60 mi (100 km), parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. hike. Lee Bergthold/Special to the Daily News |
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