Visit any elementary school, talk to any principal in the United States and dismal accounts of shattered girlhood dreams are related to negative peer pressure, bullying, gangs, drug and alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy.  Each year the number of young girls in these predicaments grows and astonishingly, the age of the girls affected become younger and younger.  Girls between the ages of eleven and fourteen are at the highest risk of falling victim to these ills.

Pick up the daily newspaper and evidence jumps from the pages declaring that these problems are not limited by economic or societal status; these concerns are not defined by neighborhoods and schools; the issues are not the product of ethnicity or culture. 

The factors causing this dilemma are numerous¾some blame the media, others point to a decline in religious affiliations, and still others cite the pressures of family and society for these problems.  Regardless of the cause, there is clear evidence of one sure antidote—and Kipp Murray, founder of High Adventure Treks for Dads & Daughters, knew what it was and wanted it for his daughter and other young women in the Dallas community.  It was positive interaction between a teenage daughter and her father, which serves as a key factor in preventing most of the societal problems facing young girls today. 

High Adventure Treks (HATS) for Dads and Daughters is one organization that promotes positive interaction between fathers and their daughters through participation in outdoor activities and community-based events during these formative teen years.
 
As a non-profit adventure-education organization, Kipp Murray's vision was for HATS to be dedicated to providing opportunities for dads and their daughters to be together in an outdoor environment, to share experiences not attained in their regular daily routines, and to achieve a new sense of commitment to each other and the values that their family holds.