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| March 24-29 (2013) |
Artwork by Wolf Journey alumn Joanna Colbert.
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Course Goals:
The goal of this camp session is to work with the miraculous blossoming of springtime plants, plus witness the glory of resident and transitory birds during the annual spring migration. Skills covered during the course include, but are not limited to the following list, and are somewhat dependent on instructor preference and student readiness:
• Desert Tracking & Birding
• Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants
• Geology of the Columbia Basin
• Natural Navigation, Lostproofing & Orienteering
• Sensory Awareness & Stealthy Movement
• Cordage Making & Other Survival Crafts
• Drawing, Naturalist Journaling
• Desert Camping & Hiking
• Camp Cooking, Storytelling & Music
• Original Outdoor Skill Games
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Artwork by Wolf Journey alumn Joanna Colbert.
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Course Itinerary:
The itinerary during this course includes, but is not limited to the following list, and is somewhat dependent on weather, instructor discretion, student preference, and serendipity:
Sunday: 9:00 Optional Departure from Puyallup; 10:00 Optional Pickup at SeaTac Airport in Seattle; 11:00 Optional Pickup in North Bend; 12:00 Optional Lunch at the Sunset Cafe in Cle Elum; 1:00 Optional Wolf Trackers Training in the Teanaway Pack Territory; 5:00 Dinner at the Sunset Cafe in Cle Elum; 6:00 Set Up Camp in the Teanaway Pine Forest; 7:00 Introductory Session; 9:00 Campfire Music & Stories
Monday: 7:00 Morning Bird Walk; 8:00 Breakfast; 9:00 Pine Forest Plant Harvest & Processing; 12:00 Drive to the Yakima Canyon for Lunch & Camp Set-Up; 3:00 Harvesting Hike in Umtanum Canyon; 6:00 Dinner; 7:00 Plant Processing; 9:00 Campfire Music & Stories
Tuesday: 7:00 Morning Vista Walk; 8:00 Breakfast; 9:00 Nature Hike deep into Umtanum Canyon; 1:00 Lunch at Secret Cave Site; 2:00 Plant Restoration Hike Back; 6:00 Pack & Depart for Dinner in Ellensburg; 7:00 Drive to Sun Lake State Park Campsite; 8:00 Camp Set-Up & Showers; 9:00 Campfire Music & Stories;
Wednesday: 7:00 Morning Bird Walk; 8:00 Breakfast; 9:00 Dry Falls Museum & Nature Hike; 12:00 Drive to Potholes Sand Dunes for Lunch & Camp Set-Up; 2:00 Animal Tracking & Plant Harvesting; 6:00 Dinner; 7:00 Plant Processing; 9:00 Nighttime Dunes Sit;
Thursday: 7:00 Morning Tracks Walk; 8:00 Breakfast; 9:00 Sand Dunes Nature Hike; 1:00 Lunch Break; 2:00 Return Harvesting & Restoration Hike; 6:00 Dinner; 7:00 Plant Processing; 9:00 Campfire Music & Stories
Friday: 7:00 Morning Tracks Walk; 8:00 Breakfast & Packing; 9:00 Birding Drive along Hanford Reach to Toppinish; 12:00 Lunch at Yakima Museum; 2:00 Wild Horses Hike; 5:00 Departure from Toppinish; 6:00 Dinner & Departure from Ellensburg; 8:00 North Bend Drop-Off; 9:00 Puyallup Drop-Off
Saturday: Optional Drop-Off at SeaTac Airport in Seattle
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Chris & Kim in the desert, 2009.
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Course Instructors & History:
This session's lead instructors will be Kim & Chris Chisholm.
• This course takes place in the same locations as our very first overnight camp week which took place in the spring of 1998.
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• Click here to go back to the Index of Training Camps in the Winter & Spring
• Or continue on to the Index of Training Camps in the Summer
GENERAL INFO, HEALTH/SAFETY, FOOD & FAQs
• Air/Bus/Driving Choices
• Tuition & Registration: Download & Send Form; by Phone; or Use PayPal
• How to Prepare & What to Pack;
• Agreements for Participation;
Join us as we share these exciting, critical skills of the Naturalist, Tracker, Herbalist, Scout, Hunter, Artisan & Pioneer. Now it's time to relearn these earth skills which almost went extinct in the past century, in order to apply their lessons to our modern society, helping the world live in balance. Testimonials from past participants will help you understand how we strive to nurture the growth and success of everyone, while providing the rarest of positive experiences. Register for as many weeks as you like this year!
Health, Safey & Food: Our highly seasoned, dynamic instructors place the health of our students as top priority, and we enjoy a stellar stafety record since founder and lead instructor Chris Chisholm (BA, EMT, Youth Specialist CDC II) started offering programs in 1996. We have always maintained an intimate 6-1 or smaller ratio of campers-instructors, with lead instructors driving vans who average age 35, accompanied by assistant instructors averaging age 21. All staff receives training in risk management, wilderness first aid, and the pedagogy of earth skills education. During summer courses, food is purchased organic, cultivated in our gardens, or harvested in the wild, making for wonderful meals that we all prepare together. In addition, we make all necessary accommodation for vegans and vegetarians, pork-free religious traditions, and of course food allergies.
College Program FAQs Page is being developed.
PICK-UP, DROP-OFF and AIRPORT/BUS/DRIVING OPTIONS
Arrival Options on Sunday:
Complimentary Cle Elum Arrival Option: Meet us at the Sunset Cafe in Cle Elum, WA on Sunday for an introductory dinner from 5:00-6:00 p.m. after which we will depart to our campsite.
$25 Cle Elum Wolf Trackers Training Arrival Option: Meet us at the Sunset Cafe in Cle Elum, WA on Sunday for lunch from 12:00-1:00 and participation in our Wolf Trackers Training taking place during the afternoon.
$50 North Bend Arrival Option: Meet us in the Safeway parking lot across from Starbuck's on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and travel over the mountains with us to participate in our afternoon Wolf Trackers Training before this week's course starts in the evening.
$75 SeaTac Arrival Option: Book your Airport/Bus/Train Arrival into Seattle-Tacoma on Sunday morning in time to meet our pick-up vehicle which departs at 10:00 a.m. on the dot, but be sure to call or email us with arrival times before confirming your plans. Meet around 9:30 at baggage claim unless unaccompanied minor, then at gate or unaccompanied minor waiting area. Travel over the mountains with us to participate in our afternoon Wolf Trackers Training before this week's course starts in the evening.
$75 Puyallup Arrival Option: Meet us at the Wolf Campus in Puyallup on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. to help us finish packing and travel over the mountains with us to participate in our afternoon Wolf Trackers Training before this week's course starts in the evening.
Departure Options on Friday-Saturday:
Toppinish Departure Option: Depart from the Yakima Museum in Toppinish, WA at 5:00 p.m.
$25 Friday Ellensburg Departure Option: Have dinner wth us in Ellensburg and depart at 7:00 p.m.
$50 Friday North Bend Departure Option: Have dinner with us and travel over the mountains before getting dropped off in North Bend at 8:00 p.m.
$75 Friday Puyallup Departure Option: Depart from the Wolf Campus in Puyallup on Friday at 9:00 p.m. after participants travel back home with us.
$100 Saturday Puyallup Departure Option: Participants can travel back to the Wolf Campus and stay overnight with us in Puyallup, where the latest departure time is at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Please let us know at what time you plan to pick-up / depart on Saturday morning.
$125 Saturday SeaTac Departure Option: Participants can travel back to the Wolf Campus and stay overnight with us in Puyallup, and then get dropped off at the Airport/Bus/Train Station in Seattle-Tacoma anytime on Saturday. Drop-off at security unless unaccopanied minor, then at gate, but again, be sure to call or email us with flight times before confirming your plans.
The cost for our Birds & Buds of Dunes & Canyons durins spring break is $605 if you register by June 5th, $620 if you register by September 5th, $635 if you register by November 5th, $650 if you register by December 20th, $665 if you register by February 5th, $680 if you register by March 10th, and $695 thereafter if space remains available. Cumulative discounts of $20 are given per additional family member, $20 cumulative discounts for additional camp weeks, $20 off for referring any new family who registers someone for the course, and $20 if you use your own vehicle throughout the week. $175 per week per participant deposit plus optional van transportation fee described above is required to hold your spot.
Additional Fees: See below for optional transportation fees, and please check the gear you may need, and if you don't have health insurance which is required, we can help you arrange temporary insurance for the trip. Other than that, everything is covered besides your travel as described above.
See our Merit Scholarships, Financial Aid & Giving page to learn how campers can raise money for paying their own way to camp, and how to get financial aid if needed. Our refund policy is written just above where you sign your registration form. It reads that if we cannot accept your registration due to closed enrollment or other reason during the application process, you will receive a full refund on deposits. Otherwise, deposits are not refundable. If you need to cancel after making further payment, you may receive a credit for a future program, minus a 25% administration fee of your total payments, in case of emergency. Of course, you will receive a full refund if the program you sign up for is canceled and not rescheduled at a time you can attend. Participants may be asked to leave at any time for inappropriate behavior or unresolvable match to camp, and no refund (nor credit necessarily) will be given for the portion of the program which is missed.
PACKING & PREPARING
After registering, we will send you a detailed program description, with directions on how to prepare, including a packing list. For week-long camps, we will also send a questionnaire for new campers to complete. It will include health history questions and other information that are designed to ensure that the program for which you apply is the best choice for you.
Click Here to go to our Essay on How to Pack for Overnight Courses
Lost & Found Policy: If you leave it at camp, it will be picked up by charity unless you pick it up within one month. We do not send forgotten items home except in case of absolute emergency need. Again, to help avoid loosing things, please put your name on every item you bring, bring only what you need, and leave all electronic devices and other distractions at home.
AGREEMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION
Agree to honor the experience as a safe haven for every person – physically and emotionally. This means encouraging others to rise to the challenge in every group activity, watching out for the physical and emotional safety of every person, and respecting the personal boundaries of others in camp, including bodies, belongings, and behavior that others may or may not witness.
If unclear or uncomfortable about sleeping, dressing, and bathroom situations after your initial camp orientation, be sure to discuss it with a lead instructor. Also, make sure a responsible party always knows where you are going, especially if you walk into the woods, go down to the water, or leave Wolf Camp property.
Ghost stories, jokes, or comments which are derogatory toward others or toward sacred themes such as bodily function, are discouraged since we have a diversity of participants with varied sensitivities. Also, all participants agree to discuss only age-appropriate themes and behaviors around younger campers without adult supervision. Asking permission is always the best policy.
Drugs, including alcohol, are not allowed at Wolf Camp - not even in private vehicles, and tobacco may only be used in areas that are out of smell of others. In addition, please don’t consume or improperly handle any plant that you don't know 100% that it won't cause illness or poisoning. Further, due to the mixed ages and genders at camp, all participants should refrain from any kind of sexual activity anywhere on the property in case of accidental (visual or audial) exposure to others, and simply to keep the focus where it is meant to be while here at camp: on the subjects that we teach.
Pets must be kept on leash or in your vehicle at all times due to the abundance of wild and domestic animals here. Children must remain within the designated boundaries and under the direct supervision of a permitted parent or instructor. They can only enter water under strict supervision of their own parent or an instructor 21 years of age or older with lifeguard training.
Please note that you may be asked to sign an additional liabilty release form with all the rules of the Wolf Camp or other property being utilized during camp. Finally, please take all garbage home with you to recycle, and in fact, please pick up any litter you see, and separate it into garbage or recycling or compost.
Come Meet Us
Click for a link to the School Year Class Series for your next opportunity to experience our welcoming educational style.
To register, print out an application, call us or email with questions, and we'll send you all the details.
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