Horizons: Summer Overnight Expedition

This summer we will be walking in Mountains of the Lil’wat nation, starting on the Duffey Lake road and walking up to the incredible beauty and simplicity of the alpine. We will be hiking with everything we need to live well in Mountains for 5 days: our backpacks will carry our community and we will share together in whatever challenges Mountain brings us. The terrain will be a combination of trail hiking and more technical boulder fields, alpine ridgelines and meadows.    

There will be fresh water available throughout the trip, and we will be bringing our own food and making caches at night with awareness of wildlife. The trip will consist of day hikes from base camp, travel days and solo time with the place we are in. Weather is unpredictable in Mountains, and so we will be prepared for any event, ready to walk in sunshine, rain and snow.    

Our time will be an invitation to be present with ourselves, one another and the places in which we walk. In the grandness of the ancient stories present in Mountains, we will work to listen closely and learn from where our paths take us.   

Returning from our journey to meet with families once again, we will take some intentional time to celebrate, share stories, and re-integrate. 

Wild Horizons is a monthly offering for kids aged 12-15. This program is designed for kids who have previous experience in nature-based skills and long to go deeper. 

Together we will adventure into places wilder and more remote than ever before. Here, our students can take the skills they’ve learned in past nature programming to the next level, cultivating a practical experience of their value. We will balance our focus between strengthening our naturalist abilities, learning new bushcraft skills, and becoming confident in basecamp management. As we work together, our students will experience and incorporate a nature-connected community-minded culture, grounded in relationships of respect and reciprocity.

Dates, Locations and Themes: Sessions will run on the last weekend of each month, starting Sept 23-25 and ending June 23-25. There will be no session in Dec or Jan. 

 *Note: This is a general outline. Locations are subject to change due to unexpected weather and/or following the passions of our students. 

Fall: Harvest and Stepping in. Who do you bring to the group? 

From Oceans to Rivers 

Sept 23-25 Week 1: Gambier Island Camping Trip 

Oct 28-30 Week 2: Squamish River Valley 

Winter: Craft and Community. How do we support one another in a collective? 

Winter Camping 

Nov 25-27 Week 3: Crafting Camp 

Feb 24-26 Week 4: Cabin on local mountain 

Spring: Passions and Mastery. How do you follow what inspires you? 

Rivers to Rivers 

Mar 24-26 Week 5: Duffey Lake Road 

Apr 28-30 Week 6: Squamish River Valley 

Summer: Witness and Celebration. How do we belong in Wild Nature? 

Mountain Trips 

May 26-28 Week 7: Manning Park 

June 23-25 Week 8: Pemberton Mountains