This amazing program, designed especially for students completing the 7th and 8th grades, is a perfect introduction to the Pacific Northwest. Hike through emerald rainforests and along wilderness beaches. Watch for orca whales from your sea kayak on the placid waters of the San Juan Islands, raft an exciting whitewater river, then canoe a fjord-like lake into the magnificent North Cascades. Conclude your journey by climbing Mount Saint Helens then snow slide down its slopes.
Hike the Olympic Rainforest
After meeting in Seattle, we'll travel by ferry across Puget Sound to the lush and beautiful Olympic Rainforest, where we'll break in our gear as we hike amidst towering Sitka spruce and Western red cedars in the only temperate rainforest in the lower 48 states.Backpack the Olympic Beaches
From the Olympic peaks, we'll travel a short distance for our initial backpacking trip along the last remaining wilderness beach in the contiguous United States. Lush rainforests of Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, and Western red cedar contain some of the largest trees in the world. Once on the coast, we'll round headlands, pass sites of historic shipwrecks, and see the remains of an ancient Makah Indian whaling village. We will have ample time to hunt for crabs, take a swim, or explore tidal pools rich with marine life. This easy introduction to backpacking enables us to learn safe wilderness travel skills while enjoying sightings of bald eagles, deer, seals, otters, and often whales.Sea Kayak the San Juan Islands
Next we will ferry to the beautiful San Juan Islands situated in placid Puget Sound. We'll spend the next 3 days sea kayaking. We'll learn fundamental paddling skills in our stable sea kayaks, then visit some of the smallest and most pristine uninhabited islands of the archipelago. Gliding through a glassy sea by kayak is truly a thrilling experience, and provides sightings of seals, bald eagles, loons, and usually orca whales traveling in pods of as many as 30.Canoe the North Cascades
A short ferry trip east will take us to the mainland for our next adventure in the "American Alps," as the North Cascades are so aptly called. For 4 days, we'll canoe into the mountains on 35-mile long Ross Lake, where we will be surrounded by jagged snowcapped peaks, hanging glaciers, and beautiful waterfalls plunging into cobalt blue waters. Midway along our journey, we'll spend an afternoon hiking up into flower-laden meadows for outstanding views of the rugged North Cascades Range.Whitewater Raft the Sauk River
Before leaving the North Cascades, we'll be rewarded with an exciting day of whitewater on the amazing Sauk River, which tumbles from the snowfields
of the nearby peaks.Summit Mount Saint Helens
Our introduction to the wonders of the Northwest will conclude with an unforgettable day, as we hike to the summit of Mount Saint Helens and peer into its steaming crater, then glissade down the mountain's snowcovered slopes. Returning for an afternoon in Seattle before departing, we'll have time to visit some of the outstanding scenic and cultural aspects of this Northwest environment, concluding with our traditional celebration banquet.
All the 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.
