What do we actually do out there?
Our wilderness education and nature immersion programs combine ancient skills with modern tools of mentoring. In addition to building skills we build community so that each and every participant can take what they learn back to their own communities.
“I feel connected to the natural world while learning skills that I know served our ancestors since the dawn of time.”
THE SIX GUILDS
The Guilds are part of the core at Camp W. You don't need to know all the skills in every guild, but it is key to have an affinity and strong desire to develop them. During their time in each guild campers learn new skills, working autonomously as well together in groups toward a common goal. After they have completed their time in each guild, campers choose which site they would like to return to in order to hone their skills and begin to master their craft. Throughout the summer Guilds work towards completing a larger joint Community project.
FIRE GUILD (Bushcraft)
AIR GUILD (Magic)
WATER GUILD (Mindfulness)
EARTH GUILD (Stewardship)
ETHER GUILD (Ceremony)
ROVER GUILD (Guild Masters)
Fire Guild (Bushcraft) The Fire Guild survive as protectors of the Village. Versed in the arts of Forest Craft, they train in wilderness survival, tracking, and awareness. Mastering ancient weaponry, shelter building, and body awareness through tree and rock climbing they learn to move silently through the forest. They are the eyes and ears of the Village, living completely with the land and tending to it, invisible as the Wind.
Air Guild (Magic) The Air Guild practices herbalism, foraging, remedies, fantasy, imagination, and eternal play. Learning natural remedies through the Magic of the forest using Tree ID, natural navigation, weather forecasting, playing tons of games, and playing music. Moving with the rhythms of the earth they are healers, grounded in the wisdom of the natural world.
Earth Guild (Stewardship) The Earth Guild lives as caretakers, restoring the land to what it once was... and beyond through gardening, composting, trail making, and advanced shelter building. Through Folk Craft and Wisdom they tend to the balance of the Village, guiding the needs of the people into harmony with the rhythms of life in all seasons, rooted in the Earth.
Water Guild (Mindfulness) The Water Guild fish and tend to the creeks, rivers, and waterways. Mariners chart their course by the stars with astronomy and weather forecasting, they boat, swim, and learn to flow like water using yoga. Through trade and wisdom, they demand respect for all the life found in the depths of the Waters.
Ether Guild (Ceremony) The Ether Guild opens our eyes to noble purpose and possibilities. They act as our story keepers; travelers bare-of-foot, walking and sleeping under the twilight sky. Ether guild focuses on self-exploration, breathwork, sit spots, wilderness cooking, ancient skills to transport fire safely long distances, natural navigation, meditation, journaling, and solo camping experiences. They ask one and all: Keep the eternal fire burning, remember our story.
Rover Guild (Guild Masters) The Rover embody all guilds. As masters of all the Guild trades they have demonstrated proficiency within all our Village needs for true survival. Rovers lead by example, sharing, caring, walking tall full of love for their peers and our world as masters of all camp activities from boating, to bushcraft, climbing to cooking, swimming to weaving, and everything in between.
Ranger Program
Rangers learn to live in the forest, building their shelters, gathering & cooking food, and having a hand in building their village. Rangers spend 3 days in the backcountry of Mt Solitude at the Sanctuary, a primitive site where they hone bushcraft skills. Rangers will learn to lash logs as they build their village, create rain proof structures, cook on fires, collect and purify or filter water all in a fully immersive environment. Rangers focus on survival learning how to fully take care of themselves in the extreme environment of the forest. This program is residential and has a completely different set of activities than our base camp options, but Rangers will still swim and join basecamp for select special events.
Ranger registration includes fire starter, para-cord, and wilderness craft kit.
*Rangers aren't eligible for water-sports or backpacking expeditions during their ranger weeks.
We do all this through exploration and experience in the natural world. We are outside in all weather and all seasons, witnessing firsthand how plants and animals change and adapt with the earth’s turning, including us!
We believe that if we can help people to feel a part of the world around them, and help them to ask great questions, then wherever they go they will have the tools to feel at home in and learn about their environment.
While our experienced instructor teams design a different theme for each session and prepare activities for each day, we are also very student-centered, following individual interest and the teachings of the earth in the moment. Participants are encouraged to bring their own interests and to share them, as well as to explore the group focus for the day.
Epic games, quiet time to connect with a “sit spot”, making fires, noticing what’s different this week outside and inside of themselves, and unstructured free play are all a part of a typical day.
There is a lot of freedom and confidence that comes from learning fundamental skills for not just surviving, but thriving in nature with only the natural materials that surround you.
How might you feel differently in the landscape once you have mastered some of the primitive skills listed below?
SHELTERS
Find one or build one for survival, concealment, wilderness living or just plain fun. Shelters are home base for any survival situation and are great containers for exploration, growth and sharing.
DRINKING WATER
Finding water is a top priority in the wild. Humans can survive only a few days without water. We explore many ways of finding and purifying this precious commodity.
MAKING FIRE
Mastering the art and science of creating fire with raw materials gathered from the land. Building smokeless fires in all types of weather, and forming habits of fire safety. Beyond rubbing two sticks together, fire making provides an experiential learning platform for tree identification, resource extraction, ecology, physics, body mechanics, teamwork & more.
WILDERNESS COOKING
Where wilderness survival becomes outdoor recreation! There's no better way to tame the uncertainties of life than to cook your meals healthfully over a fire without pots or other modern amenities.
WILDCRAFTING
Gathering foods from the wild, learning how to identify plants, understanding invasive species ecology and native species regeneration, plant taxonomy, and of course - eating your vegetables! Learning these concepts under the magical invisibility cloak of FUN is education at it's best.
NATURAL NAVIGATION
Knowing how NOT to get lost, how to to find your way and feel at home no matter where you're going. Does moss really grow on the north side of a tree? No compass, no smart phone... no problem!
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
Perhaps one of the most overlooked survival skills! Knowing how to see and identify the things that can bring you harm and get you into real trouble is, in fact, where we often begin; not to frighten, but to empower one to explore the world safely.
TRACKING
By learning to understand the marks made by every living thing, we connect to the oldest science ever practiced by humans, tracking! Tracking is the art of reading the landscape, it gives us a window into the mind of what we track, and through that window we gain a greater appreciation for and understanding of the world around us.
TOOL CRAFTING
The hallmarks of cultures are the technologies derived from the landscapes around them. It is by re-inventing the wheels of our past that we come to know who we are. Whether by hunting, gathering or just creating comfort in the wild, we learn to solve life's challenges by crafting tools from the raw materials we've gathered with our own hands. Including pottery and blacksmithing.
ANCIENT WEAPONRY
Atlatl, Bola, Axes, Spears, Snares, Traps, Archery, Clout, Knives, Slingshots, Catapults, are some of the many tools of the past used to catch, hunt, or defend. We bring these simple yet effective tools back to life, some are even made in program!
JOURNALING
Journals are an essential part of our studies. Our approach to journaling combines the land of a serious academic examination and an artistic exploration of the subject. The process of journaling in this manner is a great aid in learning to identify plants, trees, birds and animals and their tracks. This is a way to help develop a “minds eye”, creating visual images to aid reflection.
CHOICE ACTIVITIES
In addition to all the amazing activities above we also have “choice activities” the campers pick each day like arts & crafts, boating, swimming in our pool, reading or relaxing time at "hammock city", solving routes on our climbing wall, fishing, dancing, yoga, archery, gardening, music, card games, theater, pottery, weaving, and so many other awesome choice activities.
