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Overnight Youth
Camps Index

Youth Camps

Home and Calendar
Mission and Staff Bios

Application Form, with our whole schedule listed, Driving Directions, Phone Number, and Email

INDEX of Programs for YOUTH and Family:

• TESTIMONIALS from youth programs alumni

• Wolf Journey CORRESPONDENCE COURSE

• CUSTOM PROGRAMS for Schools & Other Groups


• The Wolf College SITE MAP
• Wolf Camp SITE MAP
• Wolf Journey SITE MAP
• WOLF Foundation SITE MAP

CONFIDENTIALITY:
Wolf Camp does not share its database — period.
COPPAct Notice:
Children 12 and under must obtain parental consent before contacting us.

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.

Overnight Youth Camps 2010

Join us at our fun skill-building camps that offer a 6-1 ratio of campers to instructors, with staff that are some of the most experienced and popular specialists in the field. We, and all our alumni, welcome you to experience what we believe to be the best opportunity for outdoor education available today. Check it out:

WINTER & SPRING CAMPS INDEX

March 21-27, 2010:
Sagebrush Steppe Birds & Buds in Washinton State Dunes & Canyonlands with transportation from the Seattle area.

October 26-31, 2010:
Forestry & Survival in the North Woods in Clam Lake, WI with transportation from Mpls / St Paul Int'l Airport and Eau Claire. area.

November 21-26 2010:
Mississippi Delta & Gulf Coast Ecology in and around New Orleans, LA with airport transportation, bed and breakfast accommodations, and volunteer restoration work arranged.

December 26-31, 2010:
Winter with the Wolves in Clam Lake, WI with transportation from Mpls / St Paul Int'l Airport and Eau Claire.

February 20-25, 2011:
Mojave Desert Tracking, Birding, Plants & Survival near Barstow, CA with transportation from Seattle, WA and points south along Interstate 5.

SUMMER CAMPS INDEX

June 20-25, 2010:
The Naturalist Mentor - Counselors in Training (for ages 13 and up)

June 27 - July 2, 2010:
Survivors Side of the Mountain (for ages 9-12 and 12-15)
Living with Primitive Food, Fire & Shelter (for ages 10-15 with prereq; 16 and up no prereq)
Sailing with Sealife: Marine Mammals, Sea Birds, Plant Life, Crabbing & Fishing (for ages 12 and up)

July 11-16, 2010:
Wild Cooking & Herbology (for ages 9-12 and 12-15)
Advanced Herbal Medicine & Wilderness First Aid (for ages 10-15 with prereq; 16 and up no prereq)
Wisdom of Wildlife: Mammal Tracking, Bird Voices, Intertidal Animals, Reptiles & Amphibians, Insects & Spiders (for ages 9-12, 12-15)
Advanced Tracking, Birding, Search & Rescue (for ages 10-15 with prereq; 16 and up no prereq)

July 25-30, 2010:
Secrets of the Ancient Scout (for ages 9-12 and 12-15)
Advanced Arts of the Scout (for ages 10-15 with prereqs; 16 and up no prereq)
The Pacific Rim GeoJourney (for ages 9-13 and 13-17)

August 8-13, 2010:
Stone Age Artisans - Intro (for ages 9-12 and 12-15)
Stone Age Artisans - Advanced (for ages 10-15 with prereqs; 16 and up no prereq)
Peaceful Nature Cooperative Arts & Music Camp (for ages 9-12 and 12-15)
Advanced Hobo Arts (requires one previous camp, for ages 13 and up)

August 22-27, 2010:
Old School Pioneers (for ages 9 and up: youth and families)
Traditional Fishing Camp (for ages 9 and up: youth and families)

August 29 - Sept 3, 2010:
Honorable Hunting Camp (for ages 13 and up: teens and families; any prior Wolf Camp program required as prerequisite)
Honoring Cultural Traditions (for ages 13 and up: teens and families; any prior Wolf Camp program, or program with Gene Tagaban, required as prerequisite)

To register, print out an application, call us or email with questions, and we'll send you all the details. Click here to find driving directions for your individual camp week.

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! 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.

Tuition:

The camp week starts with Sunday dinner and goes through Friday dinner, with an optional $100 stayover (or $50 for adults) through Saturday brunch especially for those needing airport/bus/train transportation. Tuition: The cost per week is $550 if you register by March 20th, 2010, or $600 if you register by June 10th, 2010, or $650 thereafter if space remains available. Cumulative discounts of $50 are given per additional family member, and $50 cumulative discounts for additional camp weeks, and $50 off for referring any new family who registers someone for camp, with the minimum price per week bottoming out at $500. 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! $200 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. There is also a $25 per family airport/bus/train pickup fee and a $25 per family drop-off fee.

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.

Camp Schedule & Transportation:

CHECK EACH INDIVIDUAL WEEK FOR ITS RENDEZVOUS LOCATION. Click here to find driving directions for your individual camp week. Call us or email with questions, and we'll provide you all the details asap.

Every week runs Sunday Dinner - Friday Dinner, with optional $100 stayover (or $50 for adults) to Saturday. For our winter and spring camps, rendezvous times will vary, so please make individual arrangements with us. During the summer, if you are meeting us at our camp starting location on Sunday, arrive between 4:00-4:30, 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. From 6:00-6:30 we run ice-breakers, followed from 6:30-7:00 by a review of our agreements and adding any special rules especially concerning transportation safety and other issues.

We also provide pick-up and drop-off at SeaTac Int'l Airport, as well as the ferry, bus and train stations in Seattle and Tacoma/Puyallup (plus for academic year camps, airport/train/bus pick-up at Minneapolis / St. Paul In'tl Airport and Eau Claire bus station for Wisconsin camps, airport/train/bus pick-up at various locations along the I-5 corridor for California winter camps, and New Orleans Int'l Airport for our Thanksgiving Camp). There is a $25 per family airport/bus/train pickup fee and a $25 per family drop-off fee. (Pick-up at baggage claim unless unaccompanied minor, then at gate. Drop-off at security unless unaccopanied minor, then at gate.) If flying or taking a train, ferry, or bus during our summer camps, book your arrival into Seattle/Tacoma on Sunday between 1:30-2:30 if at all possible. Book your departure on Saturday between 1:30-2:30 if possible. For our winter and spring camps, rendezvous times and locations will vary, so please make individual arrangements with us.

Mon-Fri: 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.

Pick Up: Family/friends meet us back at your orignial rendezvous point, and if you are picking up at locally, bring a pot-luck dish to share between 5:30-6:00 on Friday before enjoying presentations from 6:00-7:00. It is extremely helpful for local family members and friends to arrive by 5:30 at the latest 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.

Optional Friday Night Stayovers cost $100 (or just $50 for adults) if your family/friends cannot possibly pick up during the Friday pot-luck, or if you are flying out on Saturday, or if you would simply like to relax with Chris & Kim after camp, or for trips where we are driving home from a long distance (such as from winter camps to California, then your pick-up / airport drop-off time will vary. For winter and spring camps taking place in Wisconsin, we will spend Friday night in Chippewa Falls.) During the summer, we will always stay at our property in Puyallup on Friday nights, where the latest pick-up time is 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, and drop-off at the airport or train/bus/ferry terminals is at 12:30 p.m. in time for mid-afternoon flights.

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.


email or call us • wolfcamp.com / wolfcollege.com / wolfjourney.com • mailing address and driving directions
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