Dates (21 days)
June 26 - July 16

Activities
Beach Backpack
Rainforest Backpack
Sea Kayaking
White Water Rafting

Location
Washington and
British Columbia

Age
Entering Grades
8th - 10th

Tuition
$3500

Glacier-capped Mt. Rainier greets us as we fly into Seattle. We spend the first day familiarizing ourselves with the equipment and meeting coursemates.

Entering Olympic National Park, we descend to the beaches for a backpack on the wild side. We explore coastal terrain including beaches, tide pools, and headlands. Marine wildlife abounds on this course.

The temperate rainforest of Olympic National Park borders our beach section and is our next destination. We see Sitka spruce trees up to 10 feet across. Lush ferns and mosses carpet the earth. High in the mountains we may see elk wandering in valleys filled with mist and glaciers flowing from the mountains into the rainforest. Plants and animals densely pack this lush land.

Wild white water creates rapids of fun as we raft down crystal a clear river. Trading packs for paddles, we cross into Canada by ferry, then travel up Vancouver Island to Nootka Sound. Home to sea lions, orca, and hundreds of other wildlife species, the Sound provides a great setting to learn sea kayaking fundamentals. Professional guides teach us paddling, tides, maneuvering, water safety, navigation and wave interactions. We may sight a whale or go kayak surfing as we glide through this lush marine wilderness.

The course concludes with a banquet in Vancouver. We spend the last evening celebrating our adventures and friendships in this unique region. The insight gained on this course changes the way we view beaches, oceans, and forests.