Day 1

Today marks your arrival into the bustling city of Seattle! Upon entering the airport, you’ll be promptly greeted by your Wilderness Ventures group leaders, as well as be introduced to the rest of your new friends and teammates. Once everyone is gathered, we’ll depart from the airport and drive just a short distance to our first campsite for the evening. There, we’ll set up our tents for the first time, hang out, and realize what an incredible team we’re going to be as well as what an incredible summer we’re going to have!

Days 2-7

Our first morning together marks our departure to the gorgeous Olympic Peninsula! Crossing Puget Sound by ferry, we’ll then drive to the gateway of Olympic National Park. A great time to organize our gear, we’ll also shop around briefly for food and other supplies needed for our expedition. Then, once all of the necessary preliminary measures have been covered we’ll set out to the shoreline of the stunning Olympic Beach! Traveling by foot, and making the beach our home for the next four days, we’ll discover all of the ways this unscathed environment will take our breath away. Backpacking along seemingly endless stretches of sandy beaches, lined with magnificent stands of old growth forest; our trek will even occasionally take us up and over rocky outcrops where we’re invited to view up and down the coastline for miles. At night we’ll build our fire on the beach and let the ocean lull us to sleep. There is always something simple and peaceful to be found when sleeping under the stars, but there’s even more to be said about sleeping next to the endless sea. A perfect way to begin our venture, we’ll not only acquaint ourselves with our surroundings, but also develop a foundation of necessary camping skills for the remainder of our trip such as backcountry cooking, minimum impact camping, as well as map and compass skills. On our next venture we’ll be giving our legs a little rest while we hit the water!

Days 8-9

Departing the Olympic Penninsula, we'll arrive at the shores of the Sauk River, where we will meet our professional river guides.  Our legs ready for a little rest, we’ll pick up rafts and paddles and hit the whitewater! Our day will be spent navigating the winding waters moving through soaring snow capped peaks, sloping lush valleys, and across glassy pools and exciting white water. Following our thrill ride, we’ll then have the chance to do some laundry, take showers, and also send and receive some mail before we venture out once again into the great outdoors and toward Mount Adams and Mount Rainier!

Days 10-12

For our sea kayaking expedition, we find ourselves in the far reaches of the Puget Sound amidst the small island chain of the San Juan Islands. These islands, which are actually the summits of an ancient mountain range, are location to some of the most exceptional sea kayaking in the world. Home to an abundant amount of aquatic wildlife, including Orca whales, other wildlife such as bald eagles, deer and sea lions are sure to make an appearance. For the next three days we'll paddle our way through the string of islands camping somewhere new each night. Truly a life changing experience as well as an incredible way to begin our trip.

Days 13-15

After taking a break from backpacking, we will move north to Mount Adams, the second-highest point in Washington. We will learn the basics of traveling and camping on snow from experienced mountain guides. As we backpack along the old prospecting trails through dense fir forests, we’ll soon find ourselves gaining elevation as we enter the high country, providing us with unrivaled views of snowfields, flower-laden meadows and knife-like ridges! On the final day, we will wake up early and full of excitement to make the push toward the 12,277 foot summit. We will be moving before dawn, and the early morning light will only heighten the beauty of this picturesque mountain. From the top, we will see our next and final destination: Mount Rainier. Mount Adams will be the perfect activity to further hone our group skills before Mount Rainier.

Days 16-20

At 14,411 feet, Mt. Rainier is the highest and most beautiful volcano in the northwest; the place we’ll be calling home for the next three days! Upon arrival we’ll meet up with our professional guides and instructors. From them we’ll acquire the essential basics of snow climbing and mountaineering safety. Our first day on the mountain will find us setting up our basecamp at Camp Muir elevated at 10,000 feet. Once we’re situated we’ll pretty much relax, enjoy a great meal, and get ready for our summit assault the following morning. On our second day, we’re awake before even the sun traveling by the light of our trusty headlamps. Eventually, as we rope together and secure our crampons, the sun will rise to warm our backs and faces; there’s nothing quite like watching a sunrise from 12,000 feet! And then finally we are there, on top of the world! A challenging climb for most of us, every single obstacle we’ve overcome pales in comparison to the rewarding view given to us on the summit of Mt. Rainier! Truly the climax of our summer, this is something you will never forget.

Days 21-22

Following our successful conquest of Mt. Rainier, we’ll be heading back to Seattle and to civilization. Our last night together will be spent feasting at our celebratory end-of-summer banquet. That night we’ll laugh reminisce, and exchange contact information so we can keep in touch with each other. Then sadly, the following morning, we’ll head back to the airport to part our separate ways; at least though not without new friends and memories to last a lifetime.