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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.
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| July 8-13 (2012) |
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above - arwork by Wolf Journey alumn Joanna Colbert - below
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Trackers of the Animal Kingdom
Wildlife Tracking Pacific Northwest Birds, Mammals,
Reptiles, Amphibians, Insects, Spiders & Sea Creatures.
This camp begins at Wolf Haven, Int'l, a wolf sanctuary on a "mima mound" prairie preserve near Olympia, WA where we will stay overnight within sight and sound of wolves!
After waking to wolves howling and touring the Wolf Haven sanctuary, we will travel into Old Growth Rainforests of Olympic Nat'l Park to track elk and other large mammals before ending up Pacific Coast Sand Dunes to track reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects, spiders and sea creatures for the next couple days.
The final two days of camp will consist of a journey over the North Cascade Mountains where we will stop at Snoqualmie Pass to track marmots, mountain goats, and other high alpine creatures before descending into Sagebrush Desertlands of the Yakima River Valley.
Finally, we'll enter the territory of Washington State's most recently documented wolf pack! But, there's more: Joining us there will be our nation's highest-ranked trailing specialist, Brian McConnell!
This week you will develop the eyes of a tracker, the ears of a bird, the nose of a bear, and the hands of a 'coon. Learn how predators and prey engage in the circle of life, keeping the populations of the other in check.
You'll learn the skills of a detective as you follow clues and solve mysteries that would otherwise have gone unnoticed by others. Amazingly, animals reveal themselves to all who can read their stories in the earth. As you will see, tracks can tell us about the size, health, emotions, history and even intentions of animals which would otherwise remain hidden all around us.
Never feel alone in the forest again as you learn to communicate and understand the sights and sounds which birds use to point out predators, to quarrel with their neighbors, or to sing with appreciation. Few people can understand the language of the birds and follow tracks that animals leave behind.
And we won't forget the little critters, including a serch for lizards and salamandars, crickets and grubs in the same way a bear forages for food under logs. On the beach, we'll find crabs, clams, sea snails, anemonies, sea cucumbers, starfish, sea stars, and other treasures of the tide flats. Come with us as we enter the world of animals, becoming that which you follow.
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Camper showing a lizard up close and personal to instructor Scott Fanello.
Artwork by Wolf Journey alum Joanna Colbert.
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Camp Goals & Skills Covered:
The goal of this camp session is to bring you to a deeper understanding of the natural world, and 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:
• Wildlife Tracking including Wolves
• Sensory Awareness & Stealthy Movement
• Nature Journaling & Sketching
• Understanding Birds and Their Voices
• Understanding Mammals and Their Tracks
• Understanding Animal Impact & Dependence on Plants
• Understanding Insects and Their Life Cycles
• Understanding Beetles and Their Role
• Understanding Arachnids and Their Survival
• Understanding Anthropods / Sea Invertebrates and Salt/Fresh Water
• Understanding Reptiles and Their Tracks
• Understanding Amphibians and Their Tracks
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Camper with crab she caught by hand.
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Camp Schedule & Activities:
See below for Sunday, July 8, 2012 arrival times and Friday-Saturday departure options. 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.
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:
• 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: Animal Forms, Mammal Families, Five Arts of Tracking, Bird Language & Identification, Animal Photography, Music & Stories.
• TUESDAY on the Pacific Coast: Reptile & Amphibian Tracking & Identification, Insect & Beetle Identification, Arachnids & Anthropods Identification, Sea Creatures Exploration, Mammal Trailing Challenge, Camp Fire & Games.
• WEDNESDAY traveling from the Pacific Coast, stopping at some of our favorite tracking sites including Sagebrush Desertlands of the Yakima River Valley, and ending the day at the WA DNR Indian Camp Campground, Middle Fork Teanaway Road in the territory of our closest wolf pack; Campfire Music & Stories
• THURSDAY: Trailing Instruction by Cybertracker Brian McConnell, Wolf & Wilderness Tracking, Backcountry Camping.
• FRIDAY travel from the Teanaway Wolf Pack area, stopping at Snoqualmie Pass to track in the North Cascade Mountains, and ending the week at the Wolf Campus in Puyallup: Dawn Chorus, Advanced Tracking, Preparation for Presentations.
Register
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Black bear track up in the snow, which lingers all summer at high elevations in the Cascade mountains.
Wolf scat we found while tracking in 2008.
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Camp Storyline, Songs, Books, AV & Other Resources:
This session's storyline is Animals Are People Too but may be modified by the instructor, and some of the songs you may learn this week include: • The Owl and the Eagle; • Talk to the Animals; • Tale of the Wolf; • Do Re Mi; • Feed the Birds; • My Favorite Things; • Morning Has Broken; • If I Only Had A Brain; • People of the River; • Yonder Come Day; • Caterpillar.
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:
Wildlife & Tracking in the Pacific Northwest: Mammals, Birds, Reptile, Amphibians & Invertebrates by David Moskowitz
Bird Tracks & Sign (Stackpole) by Mark Elbroch
Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species (Stackpole) by Mark Elbroch
Scats & Tracks of North America (Johnson Books) by James Halfpenny
A Field Guide to North American Birds (Golden Guide)
Insect Tracks & Sign (Stackpole)
Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest
The Great Dance: A Hunter's Story (an Aardvark / Earthrise / Liquid Pictures / Off the Fence film co-produced with KirchMedia, e.tv, and Primedia Pictures in association with WIMSA) directed by Craig Foster and Damon Foster, produced by Ellen Windemuth and James Hersov, featuring !Nqate Xqamxebe, Karaho "Pro" Langwane, XlhoaseXlhokhne, The !Xo, Xwikwe and Nharo people, edited by Damon Foster, written by Jeremy Evans, music by Barry Donnelly.
Rabbit-Proof Fence (movie by Miramax Films about Molly Craig and her family) based on the book by Doris Pilkington Garimara.
Three Among the Wolves (Sasquatch Books) by Helen Thayer
Lonesome for Bears by Linda Jo Hunter
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Picture we took of Great Blue Heron catching a vole.
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Camp Instructors & History:
This session's likely lead instructors will be Chris with assistance from Kim, but may change depending on need and availability, and the history of this camp session includes:
• Pilot Year: Started under another name in our very first overnight camp year of 1998.
• Past Lead Instructors: Chris, Nikki, Lorien, Dan, Huck, Patrick, Kim.
Lead instructors Chris, Kim & Skye Dog:)
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• 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 8, 2012:
Complimentary Park Arrival Option: Meet us at Wolf Haven, Int'l, 3111 Offutt Lake Rd Se, Tenino, WA on Sunday between 4:00-4:30 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 Puyallup Arrival Option: Meet us at the Wolf Campus in Puyallup on Sunday between 2:00-2:30 p.m. so that participants can travel with us to our camp location.
$75 SeaTac Arrival Option: Book your Airport/Bus/Train Arrival into Seattle-Tacoma on Sunday morning in time to meet our pick-up vehicle at 12:00 noon, 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-Saturday:
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.
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.
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.
To register, print out an application, call us or email with questions, and we'll send you all the details.
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