Program for teens offers three-night escape for even inexperienced explorers, camping on the flanks of Mount Baker

Summer is the time to get the kids into the great outdoors, especially when it comes to antsy or bored teenagers.

Not every youth, however, has the experience or gear for wilderness exploration.

To that end, South Whidbey Parks and Recreation will offer a special trip for teens 14 to 17 in July on the scenic flanks of Mount Baker.

Most meals and some gear will be provided on the three-night trip with help from REI Alderwood’s gear bank, plus a $160 fee per camper.

It’s a new trip for the parks and rec department, which surveyed young people last year about what they’d like to do. Backpacking, it turned out, came in near the top of the list with teens.

Program coordinator Carrie Monforte said the trip, which will explore the Park Butte-­Railroad Grade area at Mount Baker, is one of Washington’s classic summer hikes, traveling through meadows, over rivers, next to the mountain’s massive Easton Glacier and up to an old fire watch tower, the Park Butte Lookout.

“It has variety and it’s challenging, but it’s not that hard,” Monforte said of the area, served by multiple trails. “They’ll be seeing little different gems. It’s a great trip.”

Watching marmots frolicking on rocks in meadows and seeing a glacier up close are key points along the way, said Monforte, who has led trips to the area in the past.

Parents needn’t worry about teens traveling on the ice or snow too much, however.

“We’re not getting into crevasses on the glacier,” Monforte said. “We’re looking at it from a distance.”

Monforte’s favorite part of the trip is taking in the 360-degree view from the tower, featuring a top-of-the-world look at Mount Baker and beyond.

“You can see all the way out to the San Juan Islands,” she said. “It’s just beautiful. That’s the highlight … being up there and feeling like you’re on top of it all.”

Alvin Walters of Mountlake Terrace, an experienced backpacker, will lead teens on the trip.

Walters, 22, has worked as a leader on numerous recreation and wilderness survival programs for the city of Mountlake Terrace and has taken the Mountaineers’ scrambling and mountaineering first aid courses.

He now works at REI Alderwood, which, he said, will loan big-ticket items such as backpacks, tents and sleeping bags to kids who need them for the trip.

He’ll hike the trail a few days before the trip to check conditions and water availability on the trail.

“It’s gorgeous,” said Walters, who has hiked the trail before. “You’re basically right on the front doorstep of Mount Baker.”

Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com.