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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 8-13 (2012)

Smelling the flowers on the Mima Mounds in 2010. Adventures to the Plant World Oceans, Prairies, Deserts, Mountains & Rainforests Join us on an academic adventure across multiple bioregions, starting on a "mima mound" prairie preserve on the campus of Wolf Haven, Int'l, a wolf sanctuary on anear Olympia, WA where we will stay overnight within sight and sound of wolves. After waking to wolves howling and investigating the mima mound prairie plants, we will travel into Old Growth Rainforests of Olympic Nat'l Park to discover the rarest of plants, most gigantic trees, and lush medicines of the forest before ending up at Pacific Coast Sand Dunes to harvest from its edible seaweeds and shore plants. The final two days of camp will consist of a journey over the North Cascade Mountains where we will stop at Snoqualmie Pass to experience high alpine plant life before descending into Sagebrush Desertlands of the Yakima River Valley to gather sage and other medicines of the desert. Click here to see pictures on our facebook page from last year's camp at these locations. Become a wild chef as you wander through fields, forests and seashores in search of wild foods, dining on edible roots and shoots, drinks and desserts. Lead camp instructor Kim Chisholm will lead us to collect some of the Top 10 Most Important Plants for health and survival, including roasting fresh cattails over the fire, making a tasty pesto from nettles and pine nuts, baking ash cakes from acorn flour, and more. We'll make placemats, bowls, soup spoons and plates from natural materials for our feasts out under the stars. We'll also shiskabob, roast and panfy edible roots and shoots, clams and critters and dine in our wild cafe with wilderness drinks and desserts. We'll also learn herbal first aid and put together a wilderness medicine kit using plants from mountain, desert, forest and seashore. By the time this incredible week ends, you will be quite a knowledgeable ethnobotanist and herbalist! Stopping for a story during a field trip to our closest old growth rainforest. Four Year Veteran Camper Izzy carrying cedar bark she harvested back when she first came to camp in 2006 Camp Availability: Availability: Open for ages 9 and up but designed for older students and in combination with apprentices enrolled in our Herbalist & Ethnobotany Teachers Training. No prerequisite. (Graduates of this course may also enroll in Advanced Herbal Medicine running the week of July 29.) • Camp Goals & Skills Covered; • Camp Activities; • Camp Storyline, Songs, Books, AV & Other Resources; • Camp Instructors & History; • 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; These campers (including Bawny McQuistin on the left - we love you forever Bawny - and current assistant instructor Alex "Squirrel" Bunker in the middle when these two dear friends first camp to camp together as 11-12 year olds) made the most delicious clam chowder we've ever tasted. Camp Goals, Activities & Skills Covered: The goal of this camp session is to help you feel comfortable living as your ancestors did and have fun doing it. Activities covered during this camp session include, but are not limited to the following list, and are somewhat dependent on weather, instructor descretion, camper desire, and serendipity: • Wilderness Herbal Medicine (Prevention, Hygene, First Aid, Long Term Care) • Wild Edible Foraging & Preparation (Herbs, Nuts, Roots, Flowers, Fruits, Insects) • Learning the Top 10 Important Plants and practicing the ethnobotanical uses of Pacific Northwest plants. • Having stimulating discussions around the theories of the mima mounds. • Travel to near-by old growth rainforests, olympic mountains, seashore tide flats and estuaries for perspective day hikes. • To understand the ancient peoples of the land, we will make ethnobotanical crafts, including rope from various plants, baskets from various tree barks, and medicine pouches to carry our prairie herbs and concoctions. • Gather seaweeds from ocean beaches, and make chowder and other dishes for dinners together. • Journal as investigative naturalists, and learn to draw/sketch plands and landscapes easily. • Natural Water Purification (seeps, filters, rock boiling, and locating natural springs) • Wilderness Camping, and Swimming in Natural Waters, depending on camper desire and swim testing. • Use of Survival Knives, training in skills and safety for everyone, but only those who reach Level II Certification may carry knives in safe sheaths. • Navigating without modern aids. • Swim in lakes, rivers and the ocean. • Sing Songs & Tell Stories. • Keep in Shape with Daily Workouts. • Having a lot of fun to gether with new friends! Field trip to the beach this week in 2010. Some of the campers drying willow leaves for aspirin during Herbal Camp 2009. Soaking our feet in herbs during one of our spa sessions back in 2003. Camp Schedule: See below for Sunday, July 8, 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. • SUNDAY at Wolf Haven, Int'l: Intros, Agreements, Navigation, Sensory Awareness and a Songline. • MONDAY starting at Wolf Haven, traveling to the Lake Cushman Rainforest in the Olympic Nat'l Park, and ending the day at Grayland State Park on the Pacific Coast. • TUESDAY on the Pacific Coast. • WEDNESDAY traveling from the Pacific Coast, stopping at some of our favorite harvesting sites including Sagebrush Desertlands of the Yakima River Valley, and ending the day at the WA DNR Indian Camp Campground, Middle Fork Teanaway Road; Campfire Music & Stories • THURSDAY: Wilderness Plant Hike, Backcountry Camping. • FRIDAY travel from the Teanaway, stopping at Snoqualmie Pass in the North Cascade Mountains, and ending the week at the Wolf Campus in Puyallup.s. Register Stretching next to the Wolf Haven mima mounds 2010. Beautiful salmonberry collection. Camp Storyline, Songs, Books, AV & Other Resources: This session's storyline is Salmon Woman but may be modified by the instructor, and some of the songs you may learn this week include: Balm in Gilead, Circle of Life, Circle Song, I Give Thanks, Earth Angel, The Rose, We Shall Be Healers, Rainbow Friend, Edelweiss, Wild Mountain Thyme, Loch Lomond, Wade in the Water, Cockles & Mussels, The Trees Could Dance. 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: Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Lone Pine) or Plants of the British Columbia Interior (Lone Pine) Botany in a Day: Tomas J. Elpel's Herbal Field Guide to Plant Families (HOPS Press) Medicinal Plants of the West by Michael Moore Healing Wise by Susun Weed Billy Jo Tatum's Guide to Wild Edible Cooking Cedar by Hilary Stewart, and her book Cedar Drawing from the Book of Nature (Rudolf Steiner College Press) Waterlily (University of Nebraska Press) by Ella Cara Deloria. The Stars by H.E. Rey, or (Peterson’s) Skies, or A New Way To See Stars The Song of Hiawatha by by Henry Wadsworth Longellow (version by Bounty is beautiful). The Peacemaker's Journey (cassette from wildernessawareness.org/tapeindex.html) with Jake Swamp. I Heard the Owl Call My Name (movie by Tomorrow Entertainment) based on the book by Margaret Craven. Camp Instructors & History: This session's lead instructor will be Kim Chisholm with assistance from Chris although that arrangement may change based on camp make-up and availability. The history of this camp session includes: • Pilot Year: Started under another name in 2000. • Past Lead Instructors: Chris, Carol, Nikki, Lorien, Kim.

• Go Back to the Overnight Youth Camp Index for Summer
• Or Continue to the Overnight Youth Camps during the Academic Year

• 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.

The camp week starts with Sunday dinner and go through Friday dinner and will have a maximum of 36 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 may need specific gear, although we have plenty of extra just in case, 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.

SPACE IS AVAILABLE for the week of JULY 8-13, 2012. REGISTRATION OPTIONS INCLUDE: Either: 1) Download & Send Our Registration Form via email or usps with a check or credit card deposit. Or: 2) Call Us and we'll take your application over the phone with a credit card deposit. Or: 3) Email Us with your address and we'll send you an application form with directions. Or: 4) Use the PayPal link below to make a deposit and we'll get you all set up!

Deposit for Adventures to the Plant World (Ages 9-12; 13-16) $175.00 USD Deposit for Trackers of the Animal Kingdom (Ages 9-12; 13-16) $175.00 USD Deposit for Advanced Wolf Tracking: Youth Ages 10+ w/ Prereq $175.00 USD Deposit for Wildlife Trackers Training: Adult Ages 16+ No Prereq $175.00 USD Deposit for Sunday Transportation to Course Location $25.00 USD Deposit for Transport to Alternate Pickup/Drop Point After Camp $25.00 USD Deposit for Friday Night Stayover $25.00 USD Deposit for Saturday Night Stayover $25.00 USD

Participant Name(s) & Age(s):

Phone Numbers(s) and Pick-up/Drop-off Point(s):

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.

To register, print out an application, call us or email with questions, and we'll send you all the details.