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July 8-13 (2012)

Artwork by Joanna Colbert, with Nikki as model.

Advanced Wolf Tracking

Click here to see pictures from last year's Tracking Camp on our facebook page. Transportation Provided from SeaTac & Portland Int'l Airports.

This camp is run in collaboration with Wolf Haven, Int'l, a wolf sanctuary on a "mima mound" prairie preserve, with base camp at Millersylvania State Park near Olympia, WA, and field trips to tide flats on the Salish Sea, and old growth rainforests of Olympic Nat'l Park before heading over the North Cascades to track the Teanaway Wolf Pack!

Now is your time to go much deeper into the mysteries of animal tracking and bird language. Learn basic 'pressure releases' that tell many more details about the maker of the track, and learn the categories of advanced bird language enhanced by Wolf Camp founder and your personal guide Chris Chisholm. We'll test this theory of bird language, sending people out to act in various ways to see whether we can accurately interperet the reactions of the birds. You can stay up all night scoping animals, and further your "hunting" skills by attempting to photograph animals, including mammals and birds. We'll also put our skills to the test as your team engages in scenarios track down missing people and 'escaped criminals'. And get ready for an all day mission to solve a detective mystery involving animals and people, ultimately rescuing a person trapped in the woods. You will also review the basics of Wilderness First Aid this week so that if you ever really have to search for lost or injured people back home, you will know how to rescue them. We'll have a live dog handler with us all week who will also demonstrate the applications of canines on searches.


Debriefing after a moch Search & Rescue mission.

Camp Availability:

Ages 10-15: Space available but has the following prerequisite: Wildlife Tracking camp running simultaneously.
Ages 16 & Up: Space available; no prerequisite or you may choose to participate in the Wolves & Wildlife Tracking - Bioregional Ecoloty & Zoology Training running simultaneously.

• 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;

Chris in green, track through gravel with Pete, while Mitchell and Medicine Eagle observe.

Camp Goals & Skills Covered:

The goal of this camp session is to bring your tracking skills to the next level, 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:

• Tracking down animals and document their presence, including insects, beetles, arachnids, and anthropods, as well as birds and mammals.
• Managing a survey of animals to ensure how many are in an area.
• Mimmicking at least 10 birds, including their song, alarm calls, companion calls, and aggression calls.
• Understanding specific ways that animals depend on certain plant communities for their survival.
• Camoflaging yourself and your documenting gear in any environment.
• Articulating the needs of animals, both in writing and public speaking, especially regarding the endangered species of your region.
• Understanding the issues of threatened fishes, as well as marine mammals if time allows.
• Finding lost people and rescue them via extraction and first aid.
• Communicate clearly and work well with teams.

 


Glen & Erik making fire using the traditional bow-drill method.


Morgan & Emily collecting grass for a survival shelter.

Camp Schedule & Activities:

See below for Sunday, July 8, 2012 Arrival Times and Friday-Saturday-Sunday Departure and Weekend Stayover options between camps. 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: Intros, Agreements, Sensory Awareness, Navigation Challenge & Songline at camp.
• Monday: Animal Forms, Stalking Games, Mammal Families, Five Arts of Tracking, Bird Language, and Swimming at our river tracking site.
• Tuesday: Dawn Chorus, Tracking Review & Challenge, Olympic Park Rainforest Tracking, Animal Photography, Bird Identification and Trailing Challenge.
• Wednesday: Ocean Sand Dunes Tracking and learn the most important Insects, Beetles, Arachnids, Anthropods, Reptiles and Amphibians before our evening Camp Fire & Games.
• Thursday: Salish Sea Tide Flats, Knife Safety Test, Make Walking Staves, Plaster Casting, Bird Language Recordings, Music & Stories.
• Friday: Wolf Haven wolf sanctuary tour, Search & Rescue Tracking Challenge, Campers Choice of Games, and Preparation for Presentations.

Register


Eli making a burn-bowl.


Around the nighttime survival campfire.

Camp Storyline, Songs, Books, AV & Other Resources:

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
Bird Tracks & Sign (Stackpole) by Mark Elbroch
Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species (Stackpole) by Mark Elbroch
A Field Guide to Mammal Tracking in North America (Johnson Books) by James Halfpenny
Tracking and the Art of Seeing (Berkley) by Paul Rezendes
Tracking: A Bluepring for Learning How by Jack Kearney (Pathways) for human tracking
A Field Guide to North American Birds (Golden Guide)
Insect Tracks & Sign, new from Stackpole
Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest
Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Lone Pine) or Plants of the British Columbia Interior (Lone Pine)
Drawing from the Book of Nature (Rudolf Steiner College Press)
The Stars by H.E. Rey, or (Peterson’s) Skies, or A New Way To See Stars
Tracker by Joel Hardin available from www.jhardin-inc.com
The Great Floods (documentary in cooperation with Coulee Dam National Rec Area Nat'l Park Service) produced by Washington State University.
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
Watch for Me on the Mountain (historical fiction about Geronimo) by Forrest Carter.
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.

Chris back in the day, looking at bear track with workshop participant.

Camp Instructors & History:

This session's likely lead instructor will be Chris, but this may change depending on need and availability, and the history of this camp session includes:

• Pilot Year: 2000.
• Past Lead Instructors: Chris, Nikki, Huck.

• 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 Millersylvania State Park, 12245 Tilley Road South, Olympia, WA 98512 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.

TUITION & REGISTRATION

The camp week starts with Sunday dinner and go through Friday dinner and will have a maximum of 36 campers with tuition at $635 if you register by February 5, or $650 if you register by March 10, or $665 if you register by April 30, or $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.
Or: 2) Call Us and we'll take your application over the phone.
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!

Participant Name(s) & Age(s):

Phone Number(s) and Rendezvous Point(s):

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.

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