Mountain Stewards Summer Camp

We hire instructors. Our instructors are college graduates who run our educational programming during the school year. They are highly trained experts in outdoor education, adventure, wilderness first aid, and beyond-the-classroom learning.

We eschew contrived experiences in favor of authentic adventures and kid-guided, instructor-enriched explorations.

No camp program has more than 14 participants, with a maximum child:instructor ratio of 1:7. We only run three programs each week so your child is one of 42 rather than one of hundreds of campers.

After we learn how to take care of ourselves in the wild, we look a little further and spend time thinking about and working on taking care of the world around us.

Located at 4000’ elevation, Spruce Knob enjoys some of the coolest weather in the region. Our programs offer a respite from the summer heat and humidity.

We support our campers in doing things that are hard, we provide a safe space for taking on a challenge that might feel scary. No child is forced to take part in the adventure component but we work all week to prepare participants to be able to take on the challenge. This is often where a child truly feels personal growth and a deeper connection to their peers.

We investigate the ecosystems around us and how we fit into those systems, working towards a true understanding of how, “It’s all connected!”

By bringing campers beyond their comfort zones we allow new skills, leaders, and roles to emerge. We take the time to reflect, to talk, and to listen to each other. We’re breaking down barriers, reducing the gap and chasm between people in a world that is increasingly divided.

We take the time to do a significant community service project because we know that our young people can, and will, be a positive force of change in the world. This results in a week that is balanced between inward struggle and growth and outward looking and thinking about others that many campers find deeply satisfying. And when a group of kids accomplishes something significant on their own, it is thrilling, empowering and, yes, FUN!