Backpack the Olympic Beaches

Meeting in Seattle, we'll cross the Puget Sound to backpack through the Olympic Beach along the last remaining wilderness beach in the contiguous United States. Lush rainforests of Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, and Western red cedar harbor some of the largest trees in the world. Down to the sea, we'll pass historic shipwreck sites, see the remains of an ancient Makah Indian whaling village, and hunt for crabs in tidal pools. The natives here are bald eagles, bears, deer, seals, otters, and possibly whales.

Climb Mount Adams

At 12,276 feet, Mount Adams is a perfect introduction to snow climbing and a wonderful prelude to climbing its northern neighbor, Mount Rainier. We will backpack into this magnificent wilderness, where we'll build on our backcountry, leadership, and team building skills. From our campsite in the snow, we'll learn basic snow climbing skills before we embark on our summit bid. The spectacular view of Mount Rainier from the summit of Mount Adams will leave us all greatly anticipating our final goal, the summit of Mount Rainier.

Whitewater Raft the Sauk River

We will take a break before the challenge of Rainier. An exhilarating day of whitewater rafting provides excitement and fun as we negotiate the numerous rapids of the amazing Sauk River, which tubles from the snowfields of nearby peaks.  

Climb Mount Rainier

Early Indians called it "Tahoma" or "The Mountain That Is God." Little wonder. At 14,410 feet, Mount Rainier is the highest and most beautiful volcano in the Northwest. From our class in the fundamentals of snow climbing and mountaineering safety techniques, taught by world-famous mountaineer Lou Whittaker and his staff, we'll embark on our exciting 2-day climb. Day 1 will find us at 10,000 feet, setting up base camp at Camp Muir. Day 2 will begin in the early morning hours under the glow of headlamps. We willl rope together with our guides, secure our crampons, and begin the final and most spectacular leg of our journey. Few words can describe a sunrise at 12,000 feet, or the amazing views from Canada to California as we summit above the clouds. This could be the most memorable experience of your life! Since 1974 over 2,400 young adults have climbed with us on Mount Rainer, 10 times more than all other teenage programs combined.

Sea Kayak the San Juan Islands

Our final adventure offers us a relaying way to conclude our summer as we paddle the placid waters of Puget Sound for three days in Washington’s beautiful San Juan Islands. We’ll be on the lookout for seals, eagles, sea lions and of course the local pods of Orca whales as we paddle between these islands and the sunsets over the Pacific will cap off each day. We’ll spend our final day visiting Pike Place Market and the Space Needle in Seattle before our traditional end of summer banquet.

 

All major components of this trip have been offered by us over the past 39 years.

 

Teachers/Group Leaders: This adventure or a variation of it can be offered as a private/custom trip with your own departure dates. Please contact our group desk at 800-533-2281.