Teen Wilderness Adventure Camp California
Wilderness Adventures for High School Students
Teen Wilderness Adventure Camp California
Teen wilderness adventures camp California offers your son or daughter an opportunity to discover valuable wilderness and life skills.
Where?
Lifesong Wilderness Adventures Teen Camps are held in northern California near Mount Shasta. Mountain streams lull us to sleep at night with night skies so clear you can see the Milky Way.
What we do:
Hiking, adventure camping, exploration, animal tracking, shelter building, primitive survival skills, summer fun, and so much more are all part of our teen exciting summer camp activities.
Parents, we care about your teen
We care about your teen and teach them everyday survival skills as well. They learn to use safely, a shovel to dig, a knife to carve, an ax to chop, and a hand saw to cut fire wood to length.
In the kitchen they learn how to cook and make meals. They learn under the careful tutelage of our staff; home-made sourdough bread, biscuits and hot cornbread fresh from our Dutch ovens.
Yes, and even a chocolate cake or two have been known to appear magically from the inspired and proud hands of a students creativity.
Yep, since 1994
I have taught wilderness skills since 1994 and I must say the sound of youthful laughter at camp each season is for me still a joy to hear. You may laugh, but its true. And one reason I continue to work with teenagers is their joyful enthusiasm and ever-present sense of wonder.
Teen Wilderness Adventure Camp California
Diversity is the root that hold us all together
Parent’s I strongly believe in diversity. Nature has taught me this and in diversity there is strength and wisdom. Nature does not care about the color of ones skin or if we are male or a female. Nature and wilderness just are regardless of our beliefs.
Safety is number one
At camp teens have a safe place to explore without the trappings and the pressure of modern life. Growing up is tough work. This is why we offer our young people the space to be themselves in a wilderness environment. We offer your son or daughter the opportunity to excel within a community of peers and staff that is supportive, caring and welcoming.
Teen Wilderness Adventure Camp California
One Week, Two Week and 28-days of Wilderness Adventure
One Week
One & Two Week Adventure for ages 14-15: includes basic and intermediate survival and outdoor education and skills training for ages – 14 – 15 ~closed
Two Weeks
Two Weeks of Wilderness Adventure for ages 16-18: a two-week adventure with basic, intermediate, advanced, survival and outdoor skills training for ages -16-17 ~accepting applications
28-Days
28-Days of Wilderness Adventure for Teens – an extensive 28-day Wilderness Immersion program combining both teen camps with more experiential wilderness survival training for the adventurous spirit from 15 to 17 years of age. ~accepting applications
Why outdoor adventure training for your son or daughter?
We believe any time spent outdoors has positive benefits for teens. But add the skills of wilderness survival and nature awareness in a wilderness setting, in my experience, adds a richness, diversity of learning, and discovery that can be hard to find anywhere else.
What Parents say:
“Our whole family
(three teenage boys, plus two parents) wholeheartedly recommend Mark Wienert’s tracking and camping experiences”.
“Mark is grounded spiritually and physically. He teaches by example from a wealth of experience and knowledge gained by living off and in harmony with the land. He’s a great role model and mentor — calm, wise, highly skilled, and thoughtful soul. We are very lucky to have found him. He has been a pivotal person in our sons’ coming of age over many years now.”
Barbara W. speaks to her daughters experience with us during the 28 day Teen Immersion camp 2015.
~Dear Mark and Lifesong staff, thank you for offering an incredible wilderness immersion experience for my 16-year-old daughter this summer! My gratitude goes beyond words. This is such a significant developmental stage in my daughter’s life, and I can tell that she has just been through a life-changing four weeks being gently guided in trusting nature, gaining a deeper appreciation of the earth that sustains us, and learning to discover and trust in her own inner strength and power while testing new edges.
I can tell that she had a lot of fun, too, and greatly enjoyed the community of peers, counselors, and guides. And I am amazed by the practical skills she learned, as well. On our next camping trip, it will be her task to make fire without matches! And she really did learn how to safely harvest food from wilderness if needed and how to keep herself warm and sheltered. As a teenage girl, learning survival skills in a supportive community has provided an invaluable opportunity for her to deepen her self-worth and become more grounded in her own true nature while taking courage to explore new edges. In today’s world of media and information overload and commercial pressure put on teens, I believe that any teenage girl would greatly benefit from the opportunity to participate in the kind of
experiences offered by Lifesong.
Our Staff
The staff is composed of head instructor – Mark Wienert, a graduate of the Tom Brown Tracker School. And Mark’s hand-picked student volunteers exhibiting outstanding leadership qualities.
More students Testimonials
~Dear Mark, I found the experience of spending a month in the wilderness very internally cleansing. Being away from the city and my daily routine, and instead spending time in such a beautiful environment with caring people, allowed me to slow down and completely let go of all stresses. I lived in the present. Every morning I woke up full of curiosity at what the day would hold, and every evening I fell asleep content. The longer I stayed up there, the more I appreciated the nature around me, and the more I grew to like the simple lifestyle. As I was leaving I found that all my material desires – whether for technology, a warm shower, or certain foods – had disappeared. They were unnecessary, even a burden. I would have been content sleeping on the ground and living off of Polenta for the rest of my life.
I learned a lot, and had a great time doing it, whether I was swimming in pristine mountain lakes, cooking with the Dutch ovens, or covering myself in dirt for camouflage. The great staff made for a very warm and accepting community. In addition, I discovered a lot of strength, both physical and internal, within me, as I conquered challenges such as summiting the mountain after the two night overnight or making fire by bow drill. I would definitely recommend this experience to other teenagers with a love for nature and a sense of adventure. ~Best, Masha
What we are not
Parent’s, we are not a bed and breakfast, a motel, or leisure Inn for your teenager. We do not cater to students’ wants. However, we do offer our young people an opportunity to excell in a supportive environment.
Chores and supporting camp
Yes, we have chores at camp. We have water and firewood to haul, dishes to do, kitchen and general camp clean. Teens as part of everyday camp help with chores to keep a clean it and organized. We all pitch in together, including staff, to help give everyone more time for adventure, learning, and fun.
Nature, you, and your child
“How can our kids really understand the moral complexities of being alive if they are not allowed to engage in those complexities outdoors?”
~Richard Louve; author of Last Child in the Woods and the Nature Principle
“Wilderness has a monumental transformative effect on our children. It is not enough for them to learn about nature only in the class room or a walk in a park. To know this deep and transforming experience a child must be immersed in wildness immersed in the sights and smells and sounds of nature. She must wake up to the dawn song, the rustling of birds scratching in the leaves, and greet the day with the splash of sharp coolness from a mountain stream upon her face.” ~Mark Wienert
Tom Brown Jr. in his Field Guide to Nature and Survival For Children says:
“Keeping children always confined to houses, buildings, cars, and heavy clothing will eventually cut them off from what life is all about. You take away all possibility for them to really feel the intensity of life…By encapsulating our children, we cut them off from the feelings of anything real, and we teach them to resist the forces of nature…If you are going to the beach, the woods, the swamps, or the wilderness, really get into it, roll in it, and get rid of all protection that will separate you from fully appreciating where you are. Become alive, not removed and insulated, and teach your children to do the same.” ~Tom Brown Jr.
Wetland Restoration Project
Each summer teens take part in the ongoing wetland restoration project of a Darlingtonia bog damaged by illegal off-road ATV vehicle use. This valuable hands-on participation in a wetland, stream course, and habitat restoration is a tremendously empowering experience for our young people.
Lifesong students are able to experience first hand that hard work and enthusiasm makes a positive difference in the world through positive action by helping to restore this beautiful and important wetland.
Request an application for your teenager today!
Sponsor a Teen to Camp
Sponsoring a teenager for a camp is a gift that lasts a lifetime and can make a huge positive difference in a teen’s life. Especially those whose families do not have the resources to send their son or daughter to camp. Please sponsor a teen to camp this summer and help make a positive difference forever in someone’s life. If you wish to find out more please contact Mark. Thank you.