|
HOME • CALENDAR
PHONE or EMAIL US
CONFIDENTIALITY:
Wolf Camp does not share
its database — period.
• Wolf College SITE MAP
• Wolf Camp SITE MAP
• Wolf Journey SITE MAP
Wolf Camp was voted 1 of 2 Best Camps in the Northwest Family News Reader's Poll of 2001, the only year they ran a poll, and we were also chosen as one of the five "best camps ever" by YM Magazine in its March 2003 issue.
Win an autographed copy of the new amazingly-metaphoric-to-wolf-camp children's book Wolf Camp by Katie McKy through our scholarship fundraising raffle.
|
| July 1-6 (2012) |
|
Artwork by Wolf Journey alumn Joanna Colbert.
|
 |
Backpacking into Wolf Country
Takes place along the east slope of the North Cascade mountains where wolf packs have recently been discovered. We will begin our journey by crossing a swinging foot bridge spanning the Yakima River and continue into the sagebrush canyon where trip leader Chris Chisholm first got the idea to create Wolf Camp over 15 years ago.
Whether you are an avid backpacker, or if you just want an introduction to backcountry travel, this camp has everything. For the beginner, you will learn how exactly to pack for the most efficient travel, how to navigate using map, compass, GPS, and natural orienteering tools, how to work through challenges as a team, and how to set up camp, how to cook over open fires and mini stoves, how to stay safe in the wilderness, and so much more.
But even for experienced backcountry travelors, this camp will be epic. We will be traveling from sagebrush canyonlands, through wilderness pine forests, and depending on your pace, beyond the snow line, and crossing from one wolf pack territory into another. Along the way, you will learn how to track animals, use wild edible and medicinal plants for healthy travel, and travel with guides who know to survive in the wilderness even without gear.
Pickup/dropoff options on Sunday include the Wolf Campus in Puyallup, SeaTac Int'l Airport in Seattle, plus North Bend and our Ellensburg WA start point. Please note that we may not see wolves this week, but if you join us next week for our Trackers of the Animal Kingdom camp, we will be visiting Wolf Haven, Int'l as well as have a second chance to see wolves in the wild. Click here to see pictures from previous backpacking camps we've held.
|
Happy Backpackers 2009
|
|
Camp Goals & Skills Covered:
The goal of this camp session is to help you become adept at backcountry travel, and also learn the natural history of the area. Skills covered during this camp session include, but are not limited to the following list, and are somewhat dependent on instructor preference and camper readiness:
• Wilderness Camping
• Hiking & Backpacking
• Navigating with and without modern aids.
• Wolf & Wildlife Tracking
• Wilderness Medicine
• Wild Edible Foraging
• Ultralight & Survival Shelters
• Natural Water Purification
• Swimming in Natural Waters, depending on camper desire and swim testing.
|
Nicco & Grayson placing ground tarp.
Setting up a camp stove.
|
|
Camp Schedule & Activities:
See below for Sunday, July 1, 2012 Arrival Times and Friday-Saturday-Sunday Departure and Weekend Stayover options between camps. Our schedule during the week includes morning wake-up, stretches, washing, and breakfast vary slightly depending on previous evening activities, but if all was quiet by 10:00 p.m. we would awake at 7:00, do warm-ups from 7:30-8:00, and have breakfast from 8:00-9:00 ... 9:00-12:00 is the morning session. 12:00-1:00 is lunch, and 1:00-2:00 is usually swimming or other recreational time. 2:00-5:00 is the afternoon session. 5:00-6:00 is dinner, and 6:00-7:00 is usually personal time. Evening sessions begin at 7:00, and bedtime varies according to the activity and the time of sunset.
Itinerary for this camp session include, but are not limited to the following list, and are somewhat dependent on weather, instructor descretion, camper desire, and serendipity:
Sunday: Travel to the Ellensburg, WA area and camp overnight at our trailhead next to a suspension foot bridge over the Yakima River.
Monday: Hike Umtanum Canyon and when you find your first waypoint, we'll take a siesta, then you will navigate out of the canyon and travel cross-country to a waypoint on a high ridge. Your group will have the option of following that ridge toward the mountains, using stars to guide you at night, and/or complete your journey the next morning at a location that is one of the best known birding sites in Washington State.
Tuesday: Backpack into the pine forests of the North Cascades wilderness, focusing on wild edible and medicinal plants.
Wednesday: Your group can decide whether you would like to skirt rural areas while hiking, or get a ride to the trailhead entering the Teanaway Wolf Pack territory, in order to hike as deep into the wilderness as time will allow before we have to end the week, and in the direction your group decides upon.
Thursday: Leave our packs at our wilderness camp, and hike lightly through wolf country in search of wolves at higher elevations.
Friday: Backpack out, report findings to ranger station, and return to Ellensburg, North Bend, Seattle, and Puyallup for celebratory meals and stories.
Register
|
Beautiful basalt cliffs.
Hiking up the talus slope.
First view of the peaks.
First view of our mountain lake.
|
|
Camp Storyline, Songs, Books, AV & Other Resources:
This session's storyline is "Tale of the Wolf" but may be modified by the instructor.
Books, AV & Other Resources this week include various hand-outs that campers will take home, and if you would like to prepare in advance, please consider studying the following resources we will be referencing:
Wolf Journey Earth Conservation Courses by Chris Chisholm, including Book II - Trail of the Traditional Herbalist, Book III - Trail of the Wildlife Tracker, and Book IV - Trail of the Survival Scout
Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest by David Moskowitz.
Three Among the Wolves by Helen Thayer.
Plants of the Rocky Mountains (Lone Pine) or Plants of the British Columbia Interior (Lone Pine)
The Stars by H.E. Rey, or (Peterson’s) Skies, or A New Way To See Stars
Rabbit-Proof Fence (movie by Miramax Films about Molly Craig and her family) based on the book by Doris Pilkington Garimara.
|
Kim Chisholm on group backpacking trip with Skye.
|
|
Camp Instructors & History:
This session's lead instructor will be Chris & Kim with Patrick assisting, though this may change depending on need and availability. The history of this camp session includes:
• Pilot Year: We rotate between destinations each year, with the first being in the North Cascades in the year 2000.
• Past Instructors & Assistants: Chris, Kim, Carol, Nikki, Bill Baroch, Patrick, Nicco.
 
Chris Chisholm on group backpacking trip with Skye. Patrick Wiley working hard as usual:)
|
|
• Go Back to the Overnight Youth Camp Index for Summer
• Or Continue to the Overnight Youth Camps during the Academic Year
GENERAL INFO, HEALTH/SAFETY, FOOD & FAQs
• Daily Camp Schedule & Pickup/Dropoff
• Optional Friday Night Stayovers;
• Air/Bus/Train Transportation 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. We don’t rely on novice camp counselors to lead programs, because of course, the skills we teach require great experience. 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 physical, emotional, mental and spiritual 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 overnight camps in 1998. 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. Our 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.
All camp weeks are co-ed. To read an essay written by Wolf Journey author and resident director Chris Chisholm on choosing an appropriate camp and the emotional challenges facing young campers, click on Camper Preparedness & Emotions. Parents are encouraged to call our main cell phone directly whenever you like during camp, while campers can use our cell phones to freely call home as much as they need during the time they are with us.
Youth Program FAQs Page is being developed.
PICK-UP, DROP-OFF and AIRPORT/BUS/TRAIN TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
Arrival Options on Sunday, July 1, 2012:
Complimentary Ellensburg, WA Arrival Option: Meet us at Umtanum Campground, 16953-17823 Canyon Rd, Ellensburg WA 98926, on Sunday between 4:30-5:00 p.m. and after initial introductions, we'll have dinner together between 5:00-5:30 and then give an overview of the week between 5:30-6:00, including detailed information on our itinerary, after which any accompanying friends/family are free to go.
$25 North Bend WA Arrival Option: Meet us at Starbucks next to the Safeway, 721 SW Mt Si Blvd, on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. so that participants can travel with us to the camp starting point.
$50 Puyallup Arrival Option: Meet us at the Wolf Campus in Puyallup on Sunday at 12:00 noon so that participants can travel with us to our camp location.
$75 SeaTac Airport Arrival Option: Book your Airport/Bus/Train Arrival into Seattle-Tacoma on Sunday morning in time to meet our pick-up vehicle at 1:00 p.m., but be sure to call or email us with arrival times before confirming your plans. Pick-up at baggage claim unless unaccompanied minor, then at gate or unaccompanied minor waiting area.
Departure Options on Friday-Sunday:
Complimentary Friday Campus Departure Option: Family & Friends are invited to meet us at the Wolf Campus in Puyallup on Friday between 4:30-5:00 p.m. and we ask that everyone bring a pot-luck dish to share between 5:00-5:30 before enjoying presentations from 5:30-7:00. It is extremely helpful for local family members and friends to arrive at 5:00 and stay all the way until 7:00 in order for all those who participated to experience a healthy integration of these incredibly unique experiences back into their home lives.
$50 Saturday Puyallup Departure Option: Participants can stay overnight with us at the Wolf Campus in Puyallup, where the latest departure time is at 12:00 noon on Saturday. Please let us know at what time you plan to pick-up / depart on Saturday morning.
$75 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 on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in time for afternoon flights. 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.
$150 Sunday Puyallup Departure Option: Participants can stay overnight with us Friday & Saturday nights at the Wolf Campus in Puyallup, where the latest departure time is at 12:00 noon on Sunday. Please let us know at what time you plan to pick-up / depart on Sunday morning.
$175 Sunday SeaTac Departure Option: Participants can travel back to the Wolf Campus and stay overnight with us in Puyallup on Friday & Saturday nights, and then get dropped off at the Airport/Bus/Train Station in Seattle-Tacoma on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in time for afternoon flights. 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.
$175 Weekend Stayover to attend next Camp Week: We'd love to have you stay the weekend and join us for our Trackers of the Animal Kingdom camp or the Adventures to the Plant World camp.
TUITION & REGISTRATION
The camp week starts with Sunday dinner and go through Friday dinner and will have a maximum of 24 campers with tuition at $680 if you register by June 5, and $695 thereafter if space remains available. Cumulative discounts of $20 are given per additional family member, $20 cumulative discounts for additional camp weeks, and $20 off for referring any new family who registers someone for camp. $175 per week per participant deposit is required to hold your spot, and campers may apply for as many weeks of the summer as they like.
Additional Fees: The only additional expenses you may incur for this course beyond tuition and transportation are that you WILL need specific gear, and you may and wish to contribute to our scholarship fund for camp t-shirts, books and other recommended items. Weekend stayovers between consecutive overnight camp weeks cost $175. There is also a $25-$75 Sunday airport/bus/train pickup fee and a $25-$175 for dropping off depending on driving distance and how long you stay during the weekend. If you can't meet us at the designated camp rendezvous point, please see above for alternate pickup/dropoff times. Please call us with questions.
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 FOR CAMP
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 Camps
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 AT WOLF CAMP
A Haven Of Physical & Emotional Safety: Carefully read these agreements for participation in camp. They are particularly important to ensure a safe, educational, and fun experience under challenging circumstances that are unique to the Wolf Camp experience. Parents: please explain to your child that deciding to participate in Wolf Camp means agreeing to honor the experience as a safe haven for every person - physically and emotionally. Also, please help us best explain the following agreements by discussing them with your child in an age-appropriate manner consistent with your family values.
____I will remain within the designated boundaries during camp. The boundaries will be pointed out when we arrive at camp.
____I will go off by myself only with clear permission from my group leader. Otherwise, I will always be with a partner and make it known to my group leader our whereabouts.
____I will only enter water under clear direction from a lead camp instructor.
____I will respect the personal boundaries of others in camp, including bodies, belongings, and behavior that others may or may not witness. We will discuss appropriate sleeping, dressing, and bathroom situations at the start of camp.
____I will refrain from sharing any stories, jokes, or comments which are derogatory toward others in camp, toward groups of people in the outer world, or toward sacred themes such as bodily function, including human reproduction. Also, all participants agree to discuss only age-appropriate themes and behaviors around younger campers without instructor supervision.
____I will refrain from taking romantic or similar actions while participating in Wolf Camp.
____I will refrain from using drugs, including alcohol, from 24 hours before the day camp starts, until my last contact with any camp participant after camp is over. I will bring a written description of any prescribed medicines, including instructions for intake.
____I will respect the sensitive plants and animals in special areas during camp, and I will put nothing in my mouth that I don't know 100% that it won't cause illness or poisoning.
____I will always encourage others to rise to the challenge in every group activity.
____I will always watch out for the safety of every person in camp.
____I will follow additional rules specific to our group location. Examples include using appropriate footwear based on substrate hazards and type of activity, kitchen and sanitation rules, tool safety, etc.
These agreements will be discussed the first day of camp to clarify them for participants, and campers will also add agreements they wish the group to honor during the week. Instructors will also have a few more details to add that will help make camp fun and safe.
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. And a final note to those dropping-off and picking-up: Pets must be kept on leash or in your vehicle at all times.
Come Meet Us
Click for a link to the School Year Class Series for your next opportunity to experience our welcoming educational style.
|
