The application deadline for this program is April 28, 2025. As part of the application to this program, you will need to answer a few short answer questions. A reference is also required — your mentor can fulfill this requirement, talk to them ASAP! To apply, follow the instructions below:

1. Click Apply Now to be taken to the APEX registration page.

2. Find the “Summer Search/APEX” program link, click add to cart, fill out an application. There should be no charge.

After you have completed your application, your reference has been checked, and you have received an acceptance response from APEX, you will need to complete the enrollment process by viewing, signing, and submitting the enrollment documents (see our “Secondary Paperwork & Documents” section) online.

Enrollment forms will be submitted through your online portal and are due withing two weeks of acceptance. All remaining paperwork is due no later than 30 days before the start of your program.

Required enrollment forms are:

• APEX Terms of Agreement

• APEX Risk & Release

• Backcountry Medical Form

• Blackwater Outdoor Adventures Waiver

There are no required orientations or workshops prior to attending this Summer Experience. Just make sure to attend your Goodbye Group to receive your equipment and travel itinerary, and to meet the other Summer Searchers who will be traveling with the same program!

Transportation to this program will be by plane. Summer Search will meet you at the airport and escort you to security. Program staff will meet you at your destination and chaperone you to the program site.

Travel to this program will begin the day BEFORE your program start date.

This is a backpacking and canoeing trip — you will be sleeping in tents and you will not have access to a bathroom. Don’t worry! Summer Search will provide any equipment you’ll need (including biodegradable soap) and the program staff will teach you how to feel at home in the outdoors.

You will not be able to use your phones or any electronic device that connects to the internet once you arrive at Basecamp with program leaders. However, limited communication with family/friends back home is available.

Parents and Guardians are always able and welcome to call Summer Search if necessary — leaders always have working cell phones and service and we can reach out on your behalf in case of emergency.

No spending money is necessary for this program, but you may keep cash or credit cards on you if you’d like — you may want to buy snacks along the way!

Click here to view the APEX packing list. DO NOT worry about buying any additional items. In May, Summer Search will provide you with any equipment on this list that you are not likely to have already. See this guide to see what equipment we will provide. This is also available on our FAQs + Resources page, along with other helpful links and info — check it out!

This adventure includes backpacking, canoeing, and rafting. Begin with a backpacking trip through the heart of the Monongahela National Forest, then transition to a canoe trip down the Cheat River. You’ll see waterfalls, learn essential camping skills, explore rapids and swimming holes, and explore the cultural and natural history of this beautiful region.

Available Sessions:

• August 1, 2025 - August 15, 2025

Please select “Summer Search/APEX” when registering for this course on APEX’s online portal.

This program will be NYC Summer Searchers only. It’s a great opportunity for you to meet and get to know other students in our program!

Travel from the headwaters of the Cheat River to the main stem of the Cheat. On a five-day backpacking trip, you’ll hike 15-20 miles through lush forest while passing creeks and waterfalls. Along the way, you’ll drink from fresh springs and creeks, learn backpacking and leadership skills, and study the ecology of this pristine wilderness area. Once you reach the Cheat, you’ll spend three days canoeing, rafting, and camping along the river as it winds its way through the hills and hollows of West Virginia. To wrap up the trip, explore the small towns of Davis and Thomas, as well as Blackwater Falls State Park. On closing day, your group will celebrate the challenges and successes!

Available Sessions:

• July 18 - July 27, 2025

Please select “Cheat River Watershed Expedition” when registering for this course on APEX’s online portal.

This is an open enrollment program, which means non-Summer Searchers will be able to join your group and you’ll meet folks from diverse backgrounds. There may be a couple of other Summer Searchers attending the same program, but most people will probably not know each other!