WHITEHORSE
It's raining and there's a chill breeze in the air as Naujaat's Jan Kopak boosts a dripping 30-pound pack from a puddle and throws it easily over her shoulder.

Cadet Victor Kridulak is wrapping up his first course at the Whitehorse training centre. - photo courtesy of 2nd Lieut. David Moretta

She stomps through the wetness to join 23 other teenagers from all over Canada and the United Kingdom, who have gathered at the Whitehorse Cadet Training Centre (WCTC).

They're part of the six-week Expedition Instructor Course, an advanced outdoor skills-training journey that culminates in an 18-day field adventure in the Yukon Territory.

The students are not allowed to return to the training centre - so no hot showers, comfortable beds or Internet. The trip will include mountain biking, rock climbing, cross-country hiking, lake and river canoeing and community service.

But that test is still a week down that very wet road. Today, Kopak's platoon is hiking out to Mary Lake for a three-day exercise to make sure everyone is at the skill level required for success in the wild.

"I knew what to expect, I was here for the basic expedition course last summer and the weather doesn't bother me at all, I actually like it," said 15-year-old Kopak. "I'm looking forward to mountain biking the most."

With more than 50,000 members, the Canadian Cadet organization is the largest federal youth program. For Kopak the program's focus on leadership, citizenship and physical fitness has been a perfect fit.

Fitness is a primary goal

"It's given me confidence that I wouldn't have. I'm developing my potential as a leader here and it's fun," she said. "I'd just be at home sleeping if I wasn't here. I love the challenge."

The WCTC specializes in a wide range of training activities including instructor courses ranging from two to six weeks.

Fitness is a primary goal and all of the programming includes a focus on outdoor skills, plus first-aid certification, marksmanship and community service.

Training and travel is provided free of charge and cadets receive a training bonus during their summer experience.

More than 60 Northern cadets will call the WCTC home this summer.

"This is a remarkable opportunity for young people, not only from the North but from all over Canada and the UK, to develop and learn in one of the most beautiful areas of the country," said Lt. Col. Govind Reddy, commanding officer of the Whitehorse Cadet Training Centre.

"Our primary goal is to provide a safe, exciting, relevant, fun and challenging environment for them to grow in as individuals and develop leadership skills they can use in their own communities."

This is the first time 13-year-old Victor Kridluar has been away from his home in Naujaat for this long.

He's just about to graduate from the initial two-week rotation of the General Training program, a program for the newest and youngest "I do miss my family and I'm excited to see them again but I made lots of friends here," he said.

"I liked running in the biathlon, liked the shooting and even the drill."

It's Kridluar's first trip to the Yukon and he's taken full advantage of the opportunity.

"The shopping in town was good - I bought a soccer ball and the officer told me I have to deflate it for the plane. But I don't have a pump at home!"

For many of the junior cadets, this is the first time away from their families and friends. Many have never been this far south and to help them adjust, the WCTC employs a full-time staff of counsellors and facilitators to ease the transition - something Reddy feels is critical.

"The cadets are all living in close quarters, there are cultural differences to consider and we have to keep those challenges constantly in mind," he said.

"It's our job to make sure everyone develops together."

For Kridluar, the experience has been so positive he's already planning to return next summer.

"I like to hunt and shoot, so I want to come back for the marksmanship course next year," he said.

Although his summer adventure in Whitehorse has been a memorable success, he's still looking forward to being home in Nunavut with his family.

"The first thing I'm going to tell them is that I love them."

Summer programming at the WCTC will wrap up with a final graduation parade on Aug. 19.

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