“In Jillian’s words, ‘Alpengirl Rocks!’ Jillian had an experience she will never forget! She came home from the Washington trip more confident and more mature than I have ever seen her. She learned that she could exceed her own expectations for herself, that she could work harder and tolerate more difficult physical situations that she believed. Jillian is so so proud of her accomplishments - she refers to an Alpengirl experience almost daily - even 3 weeks later! The two weeks that Jillian spent with ALpengirl was indeed well spent. She was both challenged - to hike just a little further - and rewarded - filled with pride when a difficult task was accomplished. She came home a little bit sturdier, a lot more compassionate, and much more confident in her own abilities. Through experiences at Alpengirl, Jillian has taken several important steps toward growing up. Her best day was kayaking - her day to be the leader. She learned how to consider others needs when it was time to make a decision, and how to encourage and inspire the group. Sending Jillian on an Alpengirl trip is the best decision I ever made and we’re looking forward to next summer!”
Washington Olympics Camp
Washington Olympics Camp - Girls Summer Camp
Our Washington state summer camp for girls is set on the Olympic Peninsula in the Pacific Northwest where ecological diversity abounds!
This multi-adventure Alpengirl trip fills up every summer and is completely different from any of our other trips both in landscape and activity.
Only on this Washington Alpengirl camp trip can you hike out of the rainforest to the top of a rocky “High-Divide” ridgeline to find yourself standing in a field of purple gentians and yellow glacier lilies while admiring a 360-degree view of snowy peaks and giant glaciers surrounding you.
From ocean tidepools to lush rainforests to alpine lakes – this all girls camp session will have you brimming over with enthusiasm for wild places!
DatesThis camp session is 14 days. July 23 - August 5, 2012. AgeGirls attending are age 12-15 this summer and have completed grades 6th-9th 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 23 and depart on August 5.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
Finding Starfish on the beach
Day 1: Arriving at SeaTac International Airport in Seattle, WA, 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 Port Townsend, WA.
Day 2: Yoga in the morning followed by camp introductions. We will drive a short distance to meet our sea kayaking guides who will gear us up and get us out on the water. Our kayaking adventure usually takes us out on the Port Townsend waterfront. This kayaking adventure may allow us to see eagles, herons, otters, and seals with pups! After a full afternoon of kayaking, we’ll head to a local organic farm where we will pick blueberries for tomorrow’s breakfast, ending a ‘berry’ awesome first day of camp. Camping same.
Note: Yoga is an integral part of all Alpengirl camp itineraries and the start to most days.
Day 3-5: Backpacking leisurely along the beach for 3 days and 2 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 and hit the beach! On our first of backpacking we’ll backpack about 1.5 miles up the beach to set up camp where we’ll stay for both nights during this trip. Our second day on the beach is filled with day hiking and tidepool exploration along with Alpenolympic events, sand castle building and ocean swimming. The tide pools here are one of the world’s richest, most diverse habitats for inter-tidal marine wildlife. Learning how to make a campfire, we’ll cook a gourmet dinner and enjoy s’mores around the fire while telling stories and listening to the waves crash on the beach. Alpenolympic Talent Show entertainment tonight! On our third day of backpacking, we’ll backpack back to the van and take a quick drive into town for laundry, showers, and food re-supply. Camping near Forks, WA.
Hiking up the Sea Wall Ladders
Day 6: Forks, Washington is home to the Twilight book series and movies, so, on our rest day here we will explore the town a little and play some vampire baseball! Camping same.
Day 7-11: Enjoying our 5 day, 4 night (1 rest day) 17.6 mile loop backpacking trip. We’ll start in the Sol Duc rainforest and hike up to the High Divide with breathtaking views of Deer Lake, Heart Lake and Seven Lakes Basin as well as the awe-inspiring peaks of Mt. Olympus, surrounded by glaciers. On the evening of day 4 or 5 of this backpacking trip, we’ll plan to swim and have a bucket hair washing Alpenolympic event to keep us feeling fresh and clean! Hopefully we’ll catch a glimpse of mountain goats, deer, or elk. We’ll finish our backpack with a long descent and soaking and showering at Sol Duc Hot Springs. Camping near Sol Duc.
Day 12: A new and different second day of sea kayaking in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. We’ll explore the beautifully rugged shoreline and perhaps get a chance to get out of the kayaks for some swimming. Laundry will be done. Camping near Port Angeles.
Day 13: We’ll hop on a ferry in Port Angeles and arrive in Victoria, British Colombia, Canada for an afternoon of exploration and souvenir shopping. Tonight we’ll have our traditional end of session awards ceremony. Camping same.
Day 14: Departing from SeaTac International Airport in Seattle, Washington. See you next summer!
Sporting Beach wear
Itinerary Campsites & Amenities
7 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.
6 nights are spent in tents in wilderness “backcountry” 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 Olympics Camp gives you 2 different days of sea kayaking, an amazing backpacking loop, the best beach campfires ever, the chance to get your picture taken with a Twilight movie character impersonator, a day trip to Canada, an almost guaranteed chance to see a mountain goat and a purple gentian wildflower in the same day, and ecological diversity, from ocean to rainforest to alpine!
