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Visual Calendar of Courses.

June 15-22, 2008, Sunday-Sunday 8:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Online Auction for Max Davis Scholarships.

June 28, 2008, Saturday 2:00 p.m., Three Amongst the Wolves presentation by world-renown adventurist Helen Thayer, also author of Polar Dream and Walking the Gobi. RSVP email required, or call 360-799-1997.

June 29, 2008, Sunday 10:00-5:00, Wolf Camp Open House, Visiting Day, Work-A-Thon, and Bar-B-Que. Come visit camp, joining us for the bar-b-que lunch by donation, or collect pledges to raise funds for your camp expeirence at the Work-A-Thon if you like. RSVP email required, and to request pledge forms.

October 25, 2008, Saturday 5-8 pm, Twelve Year Anniversary Harvest Party for alumni, family and supporters. This is our way to say "thank you", with dinner provided plus inspirational music and stories with violin virtuoso and salishin bard Swil Kanim, tentative. You may arrive as early as 5:00 pm on Friday and stay as long as 5:00 pm on Sunday to help harvest and prepare for the winter. Our annual summer raffle runs throughout the summer, with winners drawn during the Harvest Party.

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print out an application form,
or call us at one of the numbers listed at the bottom of the page.

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Children 12 and under must obtain parental consent before contacting us.

Custom Designed Programs

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.

Scroll Down for the 2008 Summer Day Camp Descriptions:
• July 14-19 - Wild Chefs & Healers and Future Survivors Fun
• July 28 - Aug 2 - The Crafty Artisan and Wildlife Tracking & Birding
• August 11-16 - Old School Pioneers and Games of the Forest Dweller
Scroll Way Down or Click Here for Logistical Details, Including:
• Tuition & Refund Policy:
• Camp Hours & Our Vanpools from Monroe (plus parent carpooling from seattle-eastside-everett-skagit)
• How to Prepare & What to Pack
• Behavioral Agreements;

Please note these changes for 2008: Vanpooling is available from the Monroe area only. However, we will arrange carpooling for you with any others coming from Seattle, the North & Eastside, Everett, Arlington and Skagit County. Also, as you will see below, we are consolidating our day camp themes into just 3 weeks of the summer, and eliminating the Friday evening stayover in favor of adding a Saturday late-morning conclusion to the camp week for the whole family. Instruction on your camp topic runs Monday-Friday from 9:15-3:45 , plus a very important family session on Saturday from 10:00-12:00! Optional Saturday Stayovers are also available.

Summer Day Camps

Join our fun, skill-building camps that have always maintained an intimate 6-1 or smaller ratio of campers-instructors. Groups within camp often are divided into ages 6-8 and 9-11, with 12-14 year olds welcome if good with younger children, and 5 year olds welcome if good in classroom situations. The experience, delightful teaching style, and stellar safety record since lead instructor Chris Chisholm (holding camper in picture) founded Wolf Camp in 1996 make our program what we believe is the best summer opportunity for your children.

Click Here if you would like to listed to an Audio Recorded Camp Greeting from Wolf Camp founder and coordinator Chris Chisholm for which you may need the free RealOne Player if it's not already installed in your system, and there is also a Audio Recorded Camp Greeting from our top earth skills specialist Nikki for you to listen to if you like.

July 12-13, 2008 Saturday Stayover Theme: Firemaking (fire by friction and hazards) "Wolf Camp is the only camp our child is interested in attending next year. The outdoor classroom provided holistic, stimulating (learning) that left a lasting and favorable impression in our child’s life.” - Maggie Murphy

July 14-19, 2008 day camps running simultaneously:
Register by March 31st for discounts! Wild Chefs & Healers (in its 9th year, no prerequisite) Explore the fields, forests, streams, ponds, bogs, seashores, and backyards of our beautiful region to discover wild foods and medicines growing all around. We wish parents could watch the unfolding of this camp week, because the journey for these little wild chefs and healers is amazing. From discovering a wild food or medicine, to investigating its properties, to fully utilizing its gifts, and finally being able to tell its true story - this involves more detective work than you might imagine. The kids will learn to start and use a fire safely, cook with ancient and modern tools, make natural rope, blend oils and creams, purify drinking water, and heal many common ailments with their new skills. Availability: Open. See below for Tuition, Hours, Etc.		Register by March 31st for discounts! Future Survivors Fun (in its 10th year, no prerequisite) Campers work as a team to start fire by friction. Recreate a primitive way of life with us, honoring the gifts of wood, stone, fire and water. We'll follow the critical order of survival, practicing emergency response scenarios, building warm shelter, purifying drinking water, making safe fires with all natural materials, and collecting the top 5 most important plants for survival. Campers will also learn aidless navigation for lostproofing, witness primitive firemaking, craft tools of stone, weave grass mats, practice archery, make rabbit sticks and more. After this camp week, the children will feel like they achieved many successes within an atmosphere of challenge, wonder, and captivating fun. Availability: Open. See below for Tuition, Hours, Etc.

• July 21-26, 2008: No Day Camps Available. "Reese really connected with ... you and the experience has far above been one of the most positive he has experienced over a summer break. Thanks ... for all the effort and concern you put forth for everyone's children and the world around you." - Cynthia Stewart. July 26-27, 2008 Saturday Stayover Theme: Arts (primitive crafts and the composition of poetry, painting, and music)

July 28 - Aug 2, 2008 day camps running simultaneously:
Register by March 31st for discounts! The Crafty Artisan (in its 3rd year) Designed for both the artistically trained and the artistic novice, this camp is a celebration of natural sights and sounds of nature, and of the audial and visual artwork inside each camper. Everyone will practice nature awareness skills and choose "secret spots" where campers can find inspiration in music, poetry, visual arts, and primitive craftwork. Along the journey, campers will learn to identify plenty of trees, plants, birds, bugs, and landscape types. Campers can stick with one of the following themes throughout the week, or move from one theme to the next each day: Theme 1) Art & Music: We'll train the kids in a special form of naturalist sketching that works wonders for the most gifted and artistically challenged children. Make a native style drum, then paint it with crushed rocks and hide glue. Make a primitive flute from knotweed and a whistle made of willow. Craft a beaded necklace and other jewelry using string that you "reverse wrap", a "holy stone" that you find and drill yourself, plus some provided beads if desired. Also, we will endeavor to memorize and perform at least one song each day. With some musical training in theory, improvisation and memorization, campers are also invited to utilize instruments that they have been practicig on during the school year if they like, such as keyboards, guitar, violin, and other wind instruments. Theme 2) Primitive Artisanry: Campers may choose to participate in a select number of activities that the overnight campers are doing this week if they are old enough to pass our Level 2 knife safety test. These added activity choices include parfleching (working with raw hide to make containers, rope and more) hide tanning (making natural leather, but day campers won't have time to finish or take home this work), archery practice, bow/arrow making (day campers will help overnight campers make advanced bows and arrows, but they themselves will only have time to make "survival bows" that can be done in one day), primitive fishing spears, hooks and line (with a bit of time to practice fishing), and carving a rabbit stick. Pleast Note: Not all of these activities can be fully accomplished in the time available at day camps. Rather, they are offered as a way to start projects which can be completed when the kids come back to overnight camps in later years, and we do store items for campers from year to year, especially if the wood, etc. they begin to work with needs to be seasoned in order to craft a well-made bow, arrow, drum, or flute, for instance. Availability: Open. See below for Tuition, Hours, Etc.		Register by March 31st for discounts! Wildlife Tracking & Birding (in its 11th year) Picture is an actual photograph that Nikki got in the park - amazing things happen in this camp. Tracking means knowing absolutely everything about the maker of tracks, discovering what it’s really like to be a bird or other animal, and being able to find a person who’s gotten lost. It's about a world of awareness, discovering tracks no one else can see. Campers will learn the language of the birds, make plaster casts of favorite animals, carve tracking sticks, safely navigate through the woods, practice search and rescue scenarios, and investigate trails, lays, and feeding spots like clues the animals leave behind. There are very a few people with the skills of tracking, and campers who come this week will become participants in a select group of wildlife specialists. For more details on the skills introduced at this camp, and where the skills can bring a young aspiring wildlife ecologist, read the description of our Forgotten Wilderness Overnight Youth Camp. Availability: Open. See below for Tuition, Hours, Etc.

August 4-9, 2008: No Day Camps Available. "I cannot express Matt’s reflection of what a great experience Wolf Camp was for him. He basically said it was the best thing he had ever done in his entire life.” - Koreine de Mars. August 9-10, 2008 Saturday Stayover Theme: Scouting (history, philosophy and challenge)

August 11-16, 2008 day camps running simultaneously:
Register by March 31st for discounts! Old School Pioneers (in its 4th year) New Picture Coming Re-create a few days-in-the-life of the old pioneers as we work with farm animals, organic gardens and more. Natural selection forest caretaking will teach campers how to cut down a tree when it's best for the land, after learning all the tree's gifts to the people and using those gifts to the greatest extent possible. There will be knife and hatchet training for older kids, demonstrations of blacksmithing for everyone, plus horse rides, hook and line fishing, cooking, pioneer toy making, rock-hounding for making stone tools, and add onto a split cedar log cabin. In the end, campers should gain an appreciation for the life of pioneers who settled this area, and walk away with tangible skills for everyday life at home. Availability: Open. See below for Tuition, Hours, Etc.		Register by March 31st for discounts! Games of the Forest Dweller (in its 12th year) This camp is a fun introduction to the most important skills we teach. Join us for what is traditionally our most popular camp week, full of exciting, interactive, challenging and cooperative games in a magical forest, with secret old growth trees, streams, swamps, hideouts and lookout towers. Work with your tribe to complete coyote’s challenge: decoding mysteries, following maps to hidden treasures, and navigating obstacle courses. Campers will work together to develop skills of leadership, cooperation, patience, orienteering, dexterity, and fun. By the end of the week, their awareness of hazards, orienteering, sensitive plants, animal trails, and the effect of humans on nature should be greatly developed. For more details on the skills introduced during this introduction to ancient scout skills, read the description of our Secrets of the Ancient Scout Overnight Youth Camp. Availability: Open. See below for Tuition, Hours, Etc.

Scroll down for Logistical Details:
• Tuition & Refund Policy:
• Camp Hours & Our Vanpooling from Monroe (plus parent carpooling from seattle-eastside-everett-skagit)
• How to Prepare & What to Pack
• Behavioral Agreements;

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. Click Here if you would like to listed to an Audio Recorded Camp Greeting from Wolf Camp founder and coordinator Chris Chisholm for which you may need the free RealOne Player if it's not already installed in your system, and there is also a Audio Recorded Camp Greeting from our top earth skills specialist Nikki for you to listen to if you like.

Tuition: The cost per week is $250 if initial application is received between January 1st - May 31st and all additional requested registration materials are returned by June 15th, or $275 if initial registration is received after June 1st and space remains available. You retain your original rate if adding extra camp weeks at a later date (if space remains available) so be sure to send in that initial registration for at least one camp week asap! $125 per week per participant deposit is required to hold your spot, and campers may apply for as many weeks in a row as they like. Cumulative discounts of $25 are given per additional family member, $25 cumulative discounts for additional camp weeks, and $25 off for referring any new family who registers someone for camp, with the minimum price per week bottoming out at $200.

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.

Hours: Day camp instruction on your camp topic is provided from 9:15-3:45 on Monday-Friday, with lunch break (pack your own or share in the overnight campers' chips and sandwiches) and swimming of course. Saturday is family day and you may arrive between 9:00-10:00 to share breakfast, then enjoy camper presentations from 10:00-12:00, and remain for lunch from 12:00-1:00. No vanpooling is offered on Saturday, but it is very important that campers participate with at least one family member on Saturday! Optional Saturday Night Stayovers are also available.

Vanpooling is available Monday-Friday only from the Monroe area only this year. However, unofficial carpools are also being organized by veteran camp parents from the seattle-eastside-everett-skagit areas, so please call us at 360-799-1997 or 425-248-0253 to inquire about those to get in contact with them if you like. Note that listed times are estimates, and although we are almost invariably punctual, we cannot account for traffic and other safety concerns, so please be right on time yourself so we don't get behind schedule for other stops, but allow us to be late when necessary. Vanpooling pickup and dropoff locations include:

• Monroe Rite Aid at 8:30 & 4:30.
• Nana Carmel's Ristaurante Italiano at the Monroe Golf Course at 8:40 & 4:20.
• Blue Boy Golf Course north of Sultan at 8:50 & 4:10.
• You can also pick-up and drop-off directly at Wolf Camp anytime between 9:00-9:15 in the morning and 3:45-4:00 in the afternoon. Click Here for our Camp Locator Map & Driving Directions which everyone will need on Saturday.

Saturday-Sunday Stayovers (available to the whole family Sat noon - Sun dinner) cost $75 for the first family member, $50 for the second, and $25 per additional family member. Campers ages 9 and above who attended camp the week prior (or in the past) may stay by themselves. No charge for children 5 and under. The weekend itinerary normally includes a pot-luck lunch on Saturday from Noon-1, clean-up and naps from 1-2, swimming and fishing from 2-4, pizza and pop from 4-5, clean-up and campfire prep from 5-6, nature movie from 6-8, and campfire music and stories from 8-10. Sunday starts with a nature walk and fishing from 8-9, breakfast runs 9-10, the weekend theme workshop runs from 10-12, lunch is from 1-2, camp clean-up is from 2-3, scavenger hunt prep is from 3-4, camp tours for newly arriving campers are from 4-5, and dinner is from 5-6.

June 28-29, 2008: Leadership Theme (Unique Schedule due to Helen Thayer presentation and Work-A-Thon)
July 5-6, 2008: Wildlife Theme (arts of tracking and bird language)
July 12-13, 2008: Firemaking Theme (fire by friction and hazards)
July 19-20, 2008: Ethnobotany Theme (wild and cultivated edible/medicinal plants)
July 26-27, 2008: Arts Theme (primitive crafts and the composition of poetry, painting, and music)
August 2-3, 2008: 4x4 Essencials Theme (preparations for backcountry travel)
August 9-10, 2008: Scouting Theme (history, philosophy and challenge, with unique schedule due to Stilliguamish River Festival)
August 16-17, 2008: Maps Theme (geographies of washington and scotland)
October 25-26, 2008: Thanksgiving Harvest Theme (Unique Schedule due to Swil Kanim performance and Harvest Party)

Click for a link to the Summer Weekend Stayovers for course descriptions and what to pack for the stayovers.

Packing List for Day Camps: The following are things you'll need to bring. Most important is a good night’s rest and a really good breakfast every day. If you let your child stay up late before any camp day, they will most certainly have difficulties the next day with us. Everyone should get a very tired camper back at the end of the camp day, but we often find that sleep deprivation or malnutrition are common causes of fatigue or behavioral issues before 3:30 in the afternoon.

Every child has unique nutritional needs, but we recommend to many parents of kids with hyperactive tendencies or attention issues to feed them an “English” style breakfast every morning before camp, not a “Continental” style breakfast. In other words, fats, not sugars. For example, bacon and eggs with milk, not cereal and pancakes with orange juice. We find that such kids can better handle an increase in carbohydrates/sugars during the afternoon, but nonetheless, everyone should pack a healthy lunch for their children which balances fats and carbohydrates since their energy levels need to last throughout our active afternoons.

Using video and still photos, we are making a DVD of Wolf Camp and the natural treasures of the Pacific Northwest, so our normal focus on making sure that every camper gets some pictures of him- or her-self to remember camp may be de-emphasized in favor of our DVD this year. For your own memories, you might want to consider sending a disposable camera with campers, and we would appreciate it if you would send us the developed photos in the mail or via email after your camp week ends for our DVD, website and 2009 Camp Flyer.

Please bring the results from your most recent physical exam to place into your file upon check-in on the first day of camp. This recommendation varies in importance depending on the program you are attending, and a very recent physical is not required as long as you were forthcoming when you filled out the health history form, but a physical is highly recommended if you have not had one in the past year. Please tell your doctor your plans for coming, and the activities involved.

If you have a favorite item you want to bring, even if we've said you don't need to, just let us know before the day starts or whenever you need them during camp. Otherwise, these are the items to pack:

___ Day pack that is comfortable and functional, with a full, small water bottle that will not leak. Also, bring two oversized plastic garbage bags to cover your gear in case of rain.
___ Lunch, using zip-locks, tupperware, and other reusable containers to reduce trash.
___ Swim suit, raggedy towel, sunscreen, sunhat, and hat for warmth, thermal socks, thin gloves, water shoes for those rocky shores, and shoes or boots that can get dirty. Please make sure you have broken in footwear in advance to avoid common blisters.
___ Although we always try to keep clothes and footwear as dry as possible, please encourage your children to allow the clothes they bring to camp to get dirty and become “naturalist” clothes for forest exploration. Take a trip to Value Village or the Salvation Army or another used clothing store to find such clothes if necessary. Also, remember that it's not the same temperature by the water or in the wooded areas, and we often crawl through thick vegetation, so long-sleeve pants and a long-sleeve shirt are required, although you should also bring a pair of shorts for days we stay in the lawn area. Earth-tone (natural) shades of clothing (e.g. browns and greens) are best and clothes which are “quiet” as they brush against things.
___ An entire change of clothes and shoes is a good idea days when it might rain, but please balance this with thought about what can easily be carried in a backpack and what might get lost, such as one of the shoes falling out of the van door unnoticed. Grownups even have a hard time keeping track of items in vans! Also remember that cotton clothing is comfortable, but worthless if it gets wet. Rain gear is optional and loud, but it can be stored in our vans if you are unsure what to send along on any given day.
___ Fleece, wool, polypropylene, or nylon pullover. We provide emergency rain ponchos when necessary.
___ Car Seat for kids utilizing our vanpools who are under the state minimum size requirement for seat belt use. Please be sure to install your child securely in our van each morning before departing.

Lost & Found Policy: You can pick up lost items from the Wolf Camp store up to 90 days after your camp is over. Otherwise, forgotten items will be picked up by charity. To help avoid loosing things, please put your name on every item you bring. For clothes, print your name on the tag. Thank you!

Behavioral Agreements:

Please explain to children 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. Campers will also add agreements they wish the group to honor during the week, and instructors will have a few more details to add that will help make Wolf Camp fun and safe.

Note that participants may be asked to leave camp at any time according to the discretion of the lead Wolf Camp instructor. Participants who are asked to leave for not complying with these agreements for participation in camp will not receive a refund for time missed during the camp week. These agreements are particularly important to ensure a safe, educational, and fun experience under challenging circumstances that are unique to the Wolf Camp.

____ I will remain within the designated boundaries during camp. If they are unclear, I will ask for clarification.
____ I will go off by myself only with permission from my group leader. 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 any of my behavior that others may or may not witness.
____ 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, and toward sacred themes such as bodily function, including human reproduction. Also, I agree to discuss only age-appropriate themes and behaviors around younger campers.
____ I will respect all plant and animal life during camp, harvesting none that I don’t intend to utilize fully, and will put nothing in my mouth that I don't know 100% that it won't cause illness or poisoning.
____ I will remain as quiet as I can during times of developing skills of invisibility.
____ I will always encourage others to rise to the challenge in every group activity and I will watch out for the physical and emotional safety of every person in camp. Understand that this means to take the usual school-like rules to a new level, a place of full respect for instructors and other campers.
_____ I will not litter. In fact, I will take all my wrappers, bottles, etc. home with me to recycle after camp. Also, I will be sure to inventory all my belongings with my parents before leaving camp, because any items I forget at camp will be donated to charity after the end of each week. Thank you!

No refund (and not necessarily any credit) is given if a camper is inappropriate at camp. Deposits are not refundable unless your registration is not accepted. If you cancel after making any payment, you may receive a credit for a future program, minus a 25% administration fee of total payments made, in case of emergency. You will receive a full refund if your program is canceled and not rescheduled at a time that you can attend.

Come Meet Us

June 28, 2008, Saturday 2:00 p.m., Three Amongst the Wolves presentation by world-renown adventurist Helen Thayer, also author of Polar Dream and Walking the Gobi. We consider this the pinnacle event of our year, and believe us when we tell you that you will be absolutely grateful, profoundly moved, and totally delighted if you attend! Sustinance and refreshments provided, with donations accepted for Helen's world-wide youth education program, the Adventure Classroom. RSVP email required.

June 29, 2008, Sunday 10:00-5:00, Wolf Camp Open House, Visiting Day, Work-A-Thon, and Bar-B-Que. Come visit camp, joining us for the bar-b-que lunch by donation, or collect pledges to raise funds for your camp expeirence at the Work-A-Thon if you like. RSVP email required, and click here for pledge forms.

September 21, 2008, Sunday 8:00-8:00, International Day of Peace bonfire, medicine lodge, autumnal feast and fast for cooperative intensive participants and alumni.

October 25, 2008, Saturday 5-8 pm, Twelve Year Anniversary Harvest Party for alumni, family and supporters. This is our way to say "thank you", with dinner provided plus inspirational music and stories with violin virtuoso and salishin bard Swil Kanim, tentative. You may arrive as early as 5:00 pm on Friday and stay as long as 5:00 pm on Sunday to help harvest and prepare for the winter. Our annual summer raffle runs throughout the summer, with winners drawn during the Harvest Party.

2008 Online Scholarship Fundraising Auction

June 15-22, 2008, Sunday-Sunday 8:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Online Auction for Max Davis Scholarships. This is the annual fundraiser upon which we depend for most of the year's scholarship funds, so please consider donating an item (by sending us an email with a description of the item, then we will arrange to pick it up) or by bidding on an item during the auction. Thanks!

Employment: We only need instructors with experience running camps and teaching in the field of Earth Skills, including Permaculture, Tracking, Primitive Artisanry, Advanced Herbalism, or Wilderness EMT training with real outdoor survival practice. If you would like experience as a teacher and learn skills of the Naturalist, Tracker, Herbalist, Scout, Hunter, Artisan, or Permaculture Pioneer, apply to become an instructor through our Earth Skills Teaching Apprenticeship.

SITE MAP This site is updated often, so be sure to tell us if you find a missing link, erroneous information or other problem. Thanks!