MANY kids hope to grow up and go on exciting adventures, but one North Vancouver teen won't have to wait any longer.
Balmoral junior secondary's Aya Anholt, 15, was one of eight students chosen from around the world to accompany extreme explorer Mike Horn on an expedition on the Gulf of Mexico aboard his boat, Pangaea, Nov. 14-Dec. 5.
Horn, who is known for such trips as Latitude Zero during which he circumnavigated the world along the equator without motorized transportation, started the Young Explorers Programme in 2009 to raise awareness about environmental issues amongst youth. The program's mantra is to explore, learn and act and so far nine journeys have taken place in locations such as the Antarctic Peninsula, the Himalayas, India and Nunavut. This month's excursion will take a closer look at the wetlands in Southern Florida.
"The idea is to raise awareness once we get back about the oil spill that took place in 2010," explains Anholt, adding the trip will include a 10-day kayak tour of the Everglades.
"We'll be taking water samples, looking at the acidity and the temperature and . . . maybe implementing a couple of projects while we're there."
Anholt first came across Horn when he visited Vancouver on his ship in the summer. After applying to be part of the Young Explorers Programme, she was invited to attend a selection camp in Switzerland along with 14 other hopefuls. That was a great experience in and of itself, says Anholt.
"It was amazing. You're with 14 upbeat passionate youth that have a common interest and goal and you learn so much."
While staying in a tiny town in the Swiss Alps, the teens participated in environmental workshops and went through physical and mental testing, including a 400-question personality test.
Anholt, who was born in Japan and moved to the North Shore as a child, says she hasn't done much travelling but is very much looking forward to the expedition.
"I'm really excited to do tons of outdoor activities with these awesome people I met in Switzerland and really get to know Mike Horn. He has pretty amazing stories," she says.
The group will be blogging about their expedition at www. mikehorn.com.
