Whiz Kid: Caroline Gensheimer

Whiz Kid: Caroline Gensheimer

Age: 19

School: College of William and Mary

Accomplishment: With a whole summer ahead of her and no big plans, rising college sophomore Caroline Gensheimer was thrilled when she was offered the last spot on a Wilderness Ventures Leadership Expedition to Alaska this June.

Gensheimer joined 12 other college students from all over the country on a three-week kayaking and backpacking excursion that taught them hard wilderness skills, such as food management, map and compass use, expedition planning and how to set up a campsite. The goal is for these students to gain the skills to become Wilderness Ventures leaders themselves.

“I had taken a Wilderness Ventures trip a few years ago to Costa Rica, and they remembered me and offered me this position at the last minute, so I was really excited,” said Gensheimer.

Although she suffered from a severe rash on her hands during the trip and almost had to be taken to the hospital via helicopter, Gensheimer doesn’t regret going and can’t believe how much she learned in three weeks.

“I’m a go-with-the-flow kind of person, but I definitely didn’t know anything about survival skills when I went,” she said. “Now, I could easily lead others on this kind of a trip and teach them everything I know.”

The journey was physically grueling, but the scenery was “out of this world, literally,” said Gensheimer.

One of her most memorable moments during journey was sea kayaking on the Prince William Sound next to whales and sea otters. The sea otters, she said, would swim up to the kayaks and were extremely people-friendly.

“Being able to see the wildlife and beautiful scenery in addition to making so many new friends made the trip worth it,” she said.

She hopes to earn a position as a Wilderness Ventures leader next summer.