Warrior Expeditions offers 3 programs (Warrior Hike, Warrior Bike, Warrior Paddle) on 10 long-distance trails that vary from 3 to 6 months to complete. Expeditions include:
Warrior Hike:
Appalachian Trail: 2,185 mile hike from Georgia to Maine
Continental Divide Trail: 3,100 mile hike from New Mexico to Montana
Pacific Crest Trail: 2,650 mile hike from California to Washington
Arizona Trail: 800 mile hike across Arizona
Buckeye Trail: 1,400 mile hike circling Ohio
Florida Trail: 1,200 mile hike across Florida
Ice Age Trail: 1,200 mile hike across Wisconsin
Mountains to Sea Trail: 1,200 mile hike across North Carolina
Warrior Bike
TransAmerica Trail: 4,229 mile bicycling expedition from Virginia to Oregon
Warrior Paddle
Mississippi River: 2,320 mile canoe expedition from Minnesota to Louisiana
Warrior Expeditions provides, at no cost to the veteran, all the equipment, gear, and support needed to complete a three-six month full-time expedition. At the start of the journey, veterans are grouped together and trained in backpacking, camping, and other outdoor skills. Their progress is “shadowed” by experienced Warrior Expeditions staff on the first week of the trail. Warrior Expeditions then organizes visits approximately weekly in trail towns along the route where participants interact with and enjoy logistical support (including food, transportation, and lodging) from local veteran and community groups. In addition, veterans receive regular gear resupply and a $300 monthly stipend for additional resupply/food.
Warrior Expeditions’ hiking, biking, and paddling programs are uniquely adapted to veterans with transitional issues stemming from their military experience. Participants receive psychoeducational counselling strategies weekly from a licensed clinical psychologist. These strategies are based on the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) framework to help normalize post-combat reactions and help integrate back into society. CBT is a problem-focused and action-oriented approach that helps recognize and alter dysfunctional or maladaptive emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. The long duration and distances in restorative wilderness settings provide combat veterans with the time and opportunity to reflect, decompress, and come to terms with wartime experiences.
In addition to psychoeducational training, veterans experience their journey alongside other veterans who understand the challenges of transitioning from military service to civilian life. This camaraderie, as well as interaction with supportive veteran and community groups, are key factors in facilitating reintegration into society and building support networks.
Warrior Expeditions adapts hiking, cycling, and paddling sports not only for mental and emotional disabilities, but can also modify programs to accommodate different physical disabilities. For example, a guide dog for visual impairment and a working therapy dog accompanied their owners/veterans on the 2016 Warrior Paddle. Warrior Bike and Warrior Paddle were specifically developed to support veterans with injuries that would not permit long-distance hiking.
Impact:
Since 2013, Warrior Expeditions has partnered with research psychologists to track the mental health impact of our long-distance wilderness expeditions on veterans. Psychologists collect data before, during, and after expeditions. Research has consistently shown decreases in anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms and increases in quality of sleep and improved processing of positive and negative emotions. Post-journey interviews have revealed themes of social reconnection, life-improving change, inner peace and psychological healing, and time for processing and reflection.
Many veterans have likened the experience to "hitting a reset button."
Warrior Expeditions is not a camp or excursion – we are a multi-faceted and intensive outdoor therapy program researching and documenting the effects of long distance, long duration wilderness immersion on combat veterans. We combine psychoeducational training, veteran camaraderie, and community support to help veterans come to terms with their wartime experiences. For our participants, these programs have provided a life-changing coping strategy with measurable psychological and physical benefits.
Warrior Expeditions is a veteran-led non-profit. Several of our staff are former program participants. Our goals are to:
- Teach veterans to use the outdoors as a long-term coping strategy for mental and physical health issues resulting from their military service.
- Help veterans use the time and space of a long-distance expedition to decompress and process their combat experiences.
- Through veteran camaraderie and community interaction, help veterans reintegrate into society, restore their faith in humanity, and build support networks.
