Camper Gives Teens Fun of Roughing It

As he grew up, Randy Gamboa learned the worth of the great outdoors.

He often visited Yosemite as a Boy Scout to marvel at the lakes and waterfalls, some in rugged areas he reached while carrying a backpack.

“There’s also no smog in these places,” he notes.

Now 25, Gamboa feels other young people should have similar adventures. He founded American Explorers Inc. to do just that.

“We want to get kids that weren’t in Scouts into the program, to provide them with challenging outdoor educational trips,” said Gamboa of Brea, a UC Irvine junior who serves as executive director of the nonprofit group.

Gamboa, a graduate of Sonora High School in La Habra who earned his Eagle rank while a Scout, said that 1,500 youths ages 13 through 18 have participated.

A big part of his youth was the challenge of trips to the outdoors, including rafting, canoeing, backpacking, rock climbing and fishing, according to Gamboa.

“We are trying to fill the needs of teens who are not involved in school or church and sit at home and watch TV,” Gamboa said. “Roughing it on a camping trip is a challenging educational experience,” he said. “You can’t help but learn something from those trips.”

School and his administrative duties with American Explorers have left Gamboa little time to participate himself in the trips, which he believes are particularly helpful for youngsters in troubled homes.

“We have to get those kids in some type of outdoor program,” he said. The weekend trips cost $49 including food, transportation and accommodations. Weeklong trips cost $129.

Gamboa’s parents are supportive of his activities and his father, Arnie Gamboa, serves on the organization’s board of directors. He sees his group in part as a supplement to other larger organized youth programs, such as Scouting.

“We always encourage kids to be in Scouting and to make the Eagle rank,” said Gamboa, who also volunteers as a merit badge counselor for a number of Scout troops. “We’re getting a separate group of people and our program is coeducational.”

A new addition is an American Explorer Youth Center, which Gamboa opened late last year in Brea at 624 S. Brea Blvd.

“It’s a place where kids can hang out with others who have the same interests,” he said. “We hope we can expand this to other cities.”

The parks and recreation departments of many Orange County cities help advertise the program, as do several in Palm Springs and San Bernardino.

Camping will always play an important part of his life, Gamboa said.

“It’s really difficult to explain how wonderful it can be unless you experience it yourself,” he said. “I wish everyone would.”