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.
Ready for a wilderness challenge?
Join an incredible local master survivalist on this multi‑day adventure where we’ll explore, experiment, and practice essential survival skills in the great outdoors. You’ll build shelters from forest debris and test them for water resistance and heat retention. Learn the art of land navigation and the power of using all your senses. Practice animal tracking, knife safety, water purification, and food sourcing. You’ll also explore the forest and put native plants to use by crafting primitive tools, like a bow drill for making fire, and creating cordage from natural fibers. Get ready for a hands‑on experience that boosts your confidence and deepens your connection to the natural world in a fun, memorable way.
This camp is not meant for experts. You do not need extensive outdoor experience to participate. Our supportive atmosphere is designed to help you build the skills you need to feel more confident exploring and playing in your own local environment. And it won’t be nonstop skill‑building, we’ll make plenty of time for games, camper‑driven activities, and free exploration in our forested backyard playground.
Program Snapshot:
Lodging: Tent camping at the Spruce Knob Mountain Center, bathroom and other amenities are a short walk away.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner will either be served out of the main kitchen or over a fire at the Spruce Knob Mountain Center, while primitive camping, meals are packed to be conveniently prepared and eaten in the field as needed.
Group Size: 14 kids, 2 instructors, 1 pro survival expert
Age-Appropriate Activities: All things survival skills (see above), hiking, camping, stream exploration, campfire games, outdoor cookery, sensory awareness activities, stargazing.
Program Length: 4 days
Meet Your Expert
Ruth Ann Colby Martin
Ruth Ann earned her BA in Outdoor Experiential Education and MSM studying deep nature and ancestral connection to increase well-being and a sense of belonging. She spent a year living semi-primitively in the woods, building her shelter, foraging, brain-tanning hides for clothing, weaving baskets, and practicing survival and tracking skills before teaching for nearly a decade at the Tracker School mentoring students in the arts of survival, awareness and tracking. Ruth Ann has designed programming and mentored wilderness skill for various venues and ages, for nearly thirty years. She is an outdoor adventurer, mountaineer, marathoner, midwife and faculty at the Midwives College of Utah. She has lived for 25+ years on a homestead, homeschooling and raising three children in the art and science of providing for themselves from the land. Ruth Ann deeply values the process of learning through experiential methods and mentoring, the integration of skills and understanding through experience and reflection, and the building of human relationships through cooperative learning and growth.
Dates and Rates
June 21 – 24, 2026
$800/$650/$550
More information on scholarships, financial aid, and tiered pricing can be found here.
Drop Off and Pick Up
Drop Off: Sunday, June 21, 1 pm at the Spruce Knob Mountain Center
Pick Up: Wednesday, June 24, 1 pm at the Spruce Knob Mountain Center