ALI’S STORY

Meeting life-long friends on a once in a lifetime trip

Hometown
Wayne, PA
Trip
Alpine Challenge
AGE GROUP
Grades 10-12

Ali’s EXperience

A Life changing
Overland Trip

I am a senior at Radnor High School, and I will be attending Dartmouth College next fall! I love rowing, science, and spending time with my friends and family outside. When I went on my first Overland trip at age 13, my entire life changed:

I went vegetarian, became much more outgoing, and realized that environmentalism is something that I want to pursue for the rest of my life. With Overland, I have gone on the Rocky Mountain Explorer, Northwest Expedition, High Sierra Expedition, and Alpine Challenge trips; each adventure was somehow more exciting and influential than the last! Upon arriving home from Switzerland in 2019, I created and passed legislation that committed my school to achieving 100% clean electricity by 2030 and clean energy in all sectors (transportation, heating, cooling, etc.) by 2035. Overland has given me so much confidence, support, and inspiration through its incredible people and empowering itineraries, and I owe much of my motivation to it. I would absolutely love to give back and continue being active in the Overland community by becoming a leader in the next few years!

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a journey to remember

“Alpine Challenge was absolutely
incredible. We had gorgeous weather,
delicious food, and breathtaking views
daily. I feel so lucky to have met so many
lifelong friends in this amazing journey!”

the best part

The Personal Side
of my trip

Words cannot describe the friendships — something I crave every day I am not on a trip or visiting my Overland friends. At Overland, everyone is important and everything that we do is as a team. Such a supportive and collaborative environment is hard to find anywhere else. I am so grateful for the long-lasting connections that I made on my trips!

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Unexpected parts

Delicious local
Swiss food

The most unexpected part of my trip was definitely the food. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we had access to fresh Swiss food almost every day! The local baguettes and European cheeses were something we would not have access to on any other trip.

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Teen-Summer-Adventure image
A close-knit group is the foundation of all Overland trips. Ultimately, it's the people you're with that makes the biggest impact.
On clear days, our groups will hike under the shadow of Switzerland's most famous peaks: the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, as well as the Matterhorn.
Time on trail allows for conversation and group games: riddles, Contact!, and 20 Questions are all Overland favorites.
There's no debating that the hiking on Alpine Challenge is demanding. But the Swiss trail system is excellent, with great terrain and clear trail signs.

my group

Meeting Life-long friends

My group was so special. We were made up of 12 people from all over the US and Canada. Everyone was positive, open-minded, and absolutely hilarious. I was always laughing, and it felt like the people on my trip were a part of my family. I never would have guessed that such impactful connections could be made in just three weeks!

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my leaders

inspiring my
college GOALS

My leaders were some of the most intelligent, happiest, balanced, and uplifting people I have ever met. One of my leaders, Elena, particularly inspired me. She attended Dartmouth College and took advantage of many of their environmental, outdoors, and study abroad opportunities. She encouraged me to check out their programs and helped me discover that Dartmouth is where I want to spend my next four years, too!

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