Age: 14-17 (teens need to have intermediate outdoor skills)
Dates: August 8-15, 2024
Dear Camp Solomon Schechter Family,
Spending time outdoors is more important now than ever before. Backpacking allows us to tune into the rhythm of plants, animals and the wild undulations of nature that are independent of our hypersonic modern world. Welcome to CSS’s Outdoor Adventure program! This year, teens on our Outdoor Adventure will spend 5 days in the backcountry. They will not only hike their way across beautiful mountains, rivers and meadows, they will also learn to cook over a fire, read topographical maps, plan trips, understand weather patterns, identify plants, eat wild mountain huckleberries, as well as acquire the skills to be comfortable being in the mountains and know how to conduct trip planning for their own adventures. Our adventure leads off with 2 days at our beautiful Jewish summer camp, Camp Solomon Schechter in Olympia, WA, where we will learn the basics and gear up for our upcoming journey.
Our journey will be a backpacking trip to Olympic National Park. The Olympic Mountains are a crown emerald in our National Park system, with incredible mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and wildlife. We will hike 5-10 miles a day and set up our camps in varied terrain with an opportunity to swim in rivers and/or lakes every day. Our 5-day backpacking adventure will be an amazing journey through one of the most iconic wildernesses in the contiguous United States! Not only will we journey through this incredible place, we will have an opportunity to form an amazing community with like-minded teens.
Judaism will be embedded in all our adventures. From journaling utilizing the weekly Parsha (Torah portion) to contextualize our adventures, to learning the Hebrew word of the day (e.g., fire/esh/אֵש) and water/mayim/מים), we will gain an understanding of how our ancestors learned, prayed in, and understood the natural world. Outdoor Adventure will also emphasize spiritual skill building, such as creating natural art, meditation and photography. We will keep kosher on our journey and learn the laws of kashruth, understanding why our ancestors cared about the food they ate.
Our guides are amazing outdoors people. Our lead guide, Josh Lake, has 30 years of experience as an outdoor educator, trip leader and Jewish educator. Josh has hiked around the world leading groups in Israel, England, Canada and throughout the U.S. He is a Wilderness Medical First Responder and has backpacked around the world, including many times in the Olympics. Josh is also a skilled Jewish Educator who makes any outdoor experience a Jewish discovery zone: from teaching how to cook Challah on a campfire to reading the stars for navigation. An outdoor adventure with Josh becomes a once-in-lifetime opportunity to learn from one of leaders in Jewish outdoor experiences.
This is an incredible opportunity to journey in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest while enjoying Judaism in a great community. You will build your skill set with great instructors, a great community and ready yourself for a lifetime of adventure. Join us for an amazing journey that you will never forget!
This is a small group experience with only 10 spots available. Hurry and register now as these will fill fast!
If you have any questions about registration, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We also have payment plan options for families that can’t afford tuition right now. Email or call the office at (206) 447-1967 to discuss payment plan options or financial assistance and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
See you next summer at Camp Solomon Schechter, where Judaism and Joy are One!
L’Shalom,
Zach Duitch
Executive Director
