Mountain Trekkers (all boys)

entering grades 6 – 8

I learned how to be strong, patient, and to have fun while hiking! – camper

Nothing is virtual about this camp, it is a hands-on adventure, real-life reset, and a prime opportunity to evaluate outlooks and priorities for the middle-school aged camper. 

This program will introduce our all-male Mountain Trekkers to canoeing. The group will start and end at the Spruce Knob Mountain Center. We will start by learning the basics of canoeing and master our skills on a flatwater lake nearby. Next we will take a break to help out with a stewardship project. We will then pack up and head to a nearby river for an overnight canoeing expedition. Along the way, we’ll spend time honing our craft and trying new things; from survival skills to natural art. The week will finish off back at the yurts with amenities and meals cooked out of our kitchen.

Our single-gender camps for middle-school aged kids are designed not to exclude others but to enhance connections with their peers at a point in their lives when gender-awareness is increasing, increasingly distracting, and potentially harmful. This camp helps to strengthen their connection to their peers and deepen their understanding of why these relationships are an important aspect of their lives.

This camp builds a safe and supportive environment around your child through group-strengthening activities, evening assessments and affirmations, and increasing their understanding of the wild world around them. Within this support structure each child is able to grow more comfortable within the woods, the group and their own self. A camper will often find the confidence to spend a night in the cave or to climb higher than he thought he could.

Campers will participate in stewardship projects earning an average of 8 hours of service hours per week-long session.

I learned that it is okay to get out of your comfort zone. – camper