Mentorship Training Schedule
This program has two parts: weekly evening meetups to train Trackers Elements (skills) and monthly weekend overnights to put your skills to the test in a real-world adventure! Our program runs from September to May with a two-month break over the winter season, during which you can join events with the greater Trackers community.
Wednesday Evening Meetups
Get ready for our monthly campouts by training and collaborating in weekly evening meetups. Strengthen your outdoor and expeditionary skills. Train in essential Trackers Elements (skills) with your team: navigation, expedition planning, essential outdoor skills and even martial arts. With your mentor and Team, create an adventure plan for that month’s upcoming campout.
Monthly Weekend Campouts (Overnight)
Put your skills to the test. Get out in nature for epic monthly campouts. Train and prepare to be outdoors in every season. Explore and learn to be comfortable in different wilderness environments. Set goals with your Trackers Team. Build essential expeditionary experience to live a life of true adventure! Our mission: help you develop the skills necessary to explore the wilderness… and the world!
Experience Goals
Our expert Guides lead action-packed camps filled with hands-on outdoor skills:
- Connect in weekly evening meetings training martial arts & Trackers skills.
- Adventure with your Trackers Team and mentors in monthly campouts.
- Learn the way of the Tracker! Develop incredible awareness and observation skills.
- Train with the Rangers: Wilderness Survival, Tracking, and Stealth.
- Tend to the land with the Wilders: Farming, Folk Craft, and Gardening.
- Forage with the Mariners: Fishing, Water Craft, and Sustainability.
- Create with the Artisans: Woodworking, Handcraft, and Storytelling.
- Become invisible! Sneak through the forest playing games of stealth.
- Build expedition skills: Preparation, Organization, Planning.
- Learn how to care for expeditionary gear, equipment & vehicles.
- Connect with new and old friends while exploring and having fun.
Teams - Exceptional & Self-Directed
Our expectations for all participants in this program are high. As a Tracker and a member of a Trackers Team, you must aspire to exceptional progress. In many activities we trust youth to explore and engage in projects in a self-directed manner. With training, teams are given more operational freedom than in a typical camp program. Together, teams participate in cooking, explore on their own, and set group goals. With greater freedom comes greater responsibility. You do this together in a Trackers Team. Your focus is contribution to each other and community.
Location
Overnight Campouts Drop-off for weekend campouts is at our SE Portland Trackers HQ. From there we shuttle to private and wilderness sites for overnight camping. We teach skills for youth to campout through all seasons.
Wednesday Meetups We meet at SE Portland Trackers HQ to spend time in our archery range, train martial arts, and plan for our weekend expeditions.
Our Guides
This program is led by Edan Kahane. Growing up in New York, Israel, Indiana, North Carolina, and Massachusetts, Edan is a born explorer. After earning a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, Edan joined Trackers in 2016. He has worked as a Guide, a founding teacher for our micro Forest School, Bay Area Regional Director, and Portland’s Director of Field Operations. Edan is now the Primary Guide and Manager of Trackers Immersion, leading this program’s high-level mentoring curriculum. He is passionate about sharing his years of experience in tracking, wilderness skills, and innovative educational methods in this premier outdoor experience.
Additional Guides are chosen and trained by Edan and Trackers Founders based on extensive experience in outdoor education and youth mentoring. Every guide is thoroughly vetted and background checked.
How It Works
From September to May, there are monthly overnight campouts (10 weekends) and Wednesday evening meetups (24 weeks). Grade 6-8 and 9-12 have campouts on different weekends.
Training Schedule
10 weekend overnight campouts
Friday (5:30 PM) to Sunday (3:30 PM)
Grade 6-8
September 16-19, 2022
October 7-9, 2022
October 21-23, 2022
November 4-6, 2022
January 27-29, 2023
February 17-19, 2023
March 3-4, 2023
March 17-19, 2023
April 7-9, 2023
April 21-23, 2023
Grades 9-12
Septebmer 23-24, 2022
October 14-16, 2022
October 28-30, 2022
November 11-13, 2022
February 3-5, 2023
February 24-26, 2023
March 10-12, 2023
March 31-April 2, 2023
April 14-15, 2023
May 5-7, 2023
+ 24 weekly evening meetups
Wednesday (5:30 PM - 6:30 PM)
September 14, 21, 28
October 5, 12, 19, 26
November 2, 9, 16
January 25
February 1, 8, 15, 22
March 8, 15, 29
April 5, 12, 19, 26
May 3, 10
+ Graduation Day
Parents, Guardians, and the entire family join students and Mentors for a community celebration of what we learned in our year.
May 13, 2023
+ Optional Community Programs
Dates vary. Apprentices and their immediate family get free admission to Trackers Campfire, Family Archery Range, and other Community Events.
Overnight Camping
This is real camping! Overnight camps are 100% outdoors and in the fresh air. We camp out under the stars while connecting with friends and nature. Each student has their own tent and we eat all meals outdoors.
Learn More Camping & Meals.
Registration
Reserve your place with a non-refundable deposit. The remaining tuition is two monthly payments.
10 monthly weekend campouts + 24 evening meetups
Secure your spot with a $50 deposit, then 9 monthly payments averaging $271 (total $2495).
Scholarship & Discounts A 25% scholarship is available to Teen Staff who work at Trackers.
Overnight
About Overnights
Join us for real camping! Be ready for a rugged outdoor experience. Trackers Overnight Camps are 100% outdoors. We eat all meals outside. There are no bunkhouses or indoor spaces, just a personal tent that each camper has all to themselves. In the right weather, we even sleep out under the stars.
Trusted Care Trackers Guides facilitate each camp adventure. They are experienced outdoor educators, well-versed in Trackers and industry standards of safety and care. Guides are skilled at the crafts they teach and proficient at leading an epic wilderness adventure. All Guides are thoroughly background checked and have the required medical training.
Location Overnight camps take place in fantastic wilderness and rural locations. Parents drop-off at our SE Portland location and Wayfinder, our bus, shuttles students across to key wilderness location across the state for epic adventures.
Tents & Shelters Each camper sleeps in their own personal tent supplied by Trackers. Tents are all-weather to keep out rain or inclement elements for a comfortable and cozy camping shelter. Campers must bring their own sleeping bag and pad—we give equipment recommendations upon registration (see below). Campers learn to care for their own tent and organize their Tracking Kit (gear & clothing) to stay clean, dry, and well maintained. Instructor tents are centrally located, so camper support is easily accessible at all times. All activities take place outdoors, in the fresh air. Covered structures have a maximum of 3 walls, while most are roof-only (no walls). This is an authentic camping experience.
Meals We serve meals completely outdoors. Depending on the season and camp logistics, food may be cooked over an open fire or on personal camp stoves. Meals are simple, using menus common to backpacking or overland expedition kitchens, for example, hearty stews. We make sure campers are well fed for their action-packed activities each day, but please understand that this is not the camp for choosy eaters. Due to the rugged nature of this camp, it may be difficult to provide accommodations for specialized diets. If your child has a severe, systemic food allergy, contact us and we may be able to work with your Medical Doctor (MD) to see if adjustments can be made to meal plans.
Your Tracking Kit (Gear & Clothing) We collaborate with families to outfit your camper with appropriate gear and clothing for the authentic camping of Trackers Overnight Camps. Our goal: to get campers ready while empowering them for future adventures beyond their week at Trackers! The Tracking Kit you assemble will include a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, outdoor clothing, and other personal gear. Before camp begins, we send you packing recommendations with links so you can stock their kit efficiently and cost effectively. A camper’s Tracking Kit can last them through years of future expeditions.
Family Success Meeting In the months before camp, mentoring begins with a free webinar for parents and campers on Trackers Spark, our online learning platform. During this session, you meet our Overnight Camp Director and learn what to expect during your week, how to pack your Tracking Kit, and other tips to prepare for your week of adventure.
COVID-19 Protocols Real outdoor camping is safer! We DO NOT use bunkhouses or indoor areas during Trackers Overnight Camps. We follow essential protocols for distancing and care, requiring vaccinations and performing medical check-ins at camp drop-off and each morning of camp. Campers wear face coverings for social distancing. We eat all meals outdoors, spacing individuals to maintain proper distance between campers. Trackers Earth follows all evolving state and health guidelines, operating camp under their guidance. All programming is outdoors or under open air shelters. Fresh air is a core protocol at Trackers.