“Long, long overdue, we wanted to thank you so much for the opportunity you gave camilita, she had a wonderful time, she enjoyed every part of the trip, in fact I asked her on a scale of 1-10, how would she score the washington cascades camp and she said 10 right away! She said she would do it again in a heartbeat! What a great learning experience! we were jealous! It was also a great preparation for her to start in school. I am amazed about how you can teach them to adopt the "leave no trace" living style in such a short period of time. I think the camp counselors have injected a big dose of inhibition to all of us, included us at home, we will be thankful to you all for a long, long time!”
Washington Cascades Camp
Washington Cascades Camp - Girls Summer Camp
Our Washington summer camp for girls is set in the Northwest corner of Washington State, where rocky, snow capped peaks rise high above turquoise lakes.
This Alpengirl multi-adventure camp session provides a perfect 2 week itinerary with a longer, more mellow backpacking trip to really enhance the feeling of “getting away from it all.”
With several different outdoor activities, this camp session really stirs up our enthusiasm for wild places in the Pacific Northwest!
DatesThis camp session is 14 days. July 8-21, 2012. AgeGirls attending are age 13-16 this summer and have completed grade 7th - 10th before this summer. This camp session is limited to 10 adventurous teen girls.Arrival & DepartureThe official arrival and departure location is the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, Washington (USA). Girls arrive on July 8 and depart on July 21. See Travel Information for details.
| TuitionCamp tuition is $2350 and includes everything except personal packing list gear and transportation to/from Seattle, WA. Highlights
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The Camp Itinerary
Ross Lake ~ North Cascades National Park~ Washington
Day 1: Arriving at SeaTac International Airport in Seattle, Washington, your Alpenguides will greet you and introduce you to the rest of your group for general camp introductions before hopping in the van for a drive to our first campsite. At the campsite, we’ll continue getting to know each other, learn how to set up our tents and enjoy the first of many delicious and fresh camp gourmet meals before our first evening of tent camping with new friends. Camping near Bellingham, WA.
Day 2: Yoga in the morning followed by camp introductions. We’ll walk from our campsite to the ocean where we will meet our sea kayaking guides who will take us sea kayaking out to Lummi Island. We’ll eat a delicious lunch on the island, while exploring the island and learning about wild harvesting, tide pools, and the ocean environment. We might catch a glimpse of eagles, otters, or seals with pups! Camping same.
Note: Yoga is an integral part of all Alpengirl camp itineraries and the start to most days.
Taking in the view in Washington Cascades
Day 3-8: Backpacking along a relatively level shoreline trail that follows the curves of turquoise colored Ross Lake in North Cascades National Park for 6 days and 5 nights. An introduction to backpacking includes learning how to properly pack, adjust and carry your backpack. We’ll lighten our load and only pack essential clothing, food and gear. Then, leaving our van and extra gear behind, we'll grab our cameras and backpacks for a round-trip total of about 20 miles. We will start out on Ruby’s Arm of Ross Lake and make our way along Ross Lake, stopping to swim along the way. On our second to last day of backpacking we have the opportunity to leave most of our stuff behind and hike to the top of Desolation Peak for stunning 360˚ views of peaks, rivers, and lakes. This adds 14 miles to our trip total, making us true Adventuresses! We end our backpacking trip by taking a boat taxi back to our van. Camping near Winthrop, WA.
Day 9: A rest day to re-supply food, take showers and do laundry. Camping same.
Day 10: Just outside of Mazama, WA we will meet our rock climbing guides who will harness us up and teach us the ways of the rock. We’ll rock climb all morning, getting a chance to climb and to belay our friends. If we are feeling up to it we might get the opportunity to learn how to rappel and rappel down a tall rock wall! Tonight we will enjoy a meal cooked over the campfire, including of course, s’mores! An Alpenolympic Talent Show event might take place this evening around the campfire. Camping same.
Day 11: On our way to the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, WA way we will stop for a swim at a nice sandy beach along the glacier carved gorge containing the beautiful and refreshing Lake Chelan. Camping near Leavenworth, WA.
Hiking along the lake shore
Day 12: After a lazy morning sleeping in and eating a large breakfast, we will meet our rafting guides and set out for an afternoon of whitewater rafting on10 river miles of the Wenatchee River. This raft trip includes the ‘bad boy’ rapids: Drunkard’s Drop, Snow Blind, and last but certainly not least - THE SUFFOCATOR. Camping same.
Day 13: Taking showers and doing laundry in Leavenworth, WA to prepare us for an afternoon of touring and souvenir shopping in this unique town. Tonight we’ll hold our end of session awards ceremony. Camping same.
Day 14: Departing from SeaTac International Airport in Seattle, Washington. See you next summer!
Itinerary Campsite & Amenities
8 nights are spent in tents in public “front country” campgrounds where we have pre-assigned campsites with neighbors and campground hosts nearby, running potable water, and private outhouses or flushing toilets.
5 nights are spent in tents in wilderness “back country” areas where we will purify our water before drinking and learn and practice basic Leave No Trace camping skills such as how to select a campsite and how to go to the bathroom and keep clean outdoors. Occasional campsites while in the backcountry have an out of the way outhouse available to us.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a sample itinerary. Alpengirl reserves the right to cancel or alter any aspect of our program, including program itinerary, trip dates, activities or location, as a result of unforeseen circumstances, including weather, environment, or health hazards. To the best of our ability, substitutions of activities will be comparable to, or better than the original activity.
Why This Camp ROCKS!
The Washington Cascades Camp provides Alpengirl’ campers with a WONDERFUL lengthy but not too challenging backpacking trip! Some Alpenguides claim that this backpacking trip is “the best!” out of all Alpengirl camp sessions - it’s long and mellow, and provides amazing views and refreshing swims.
