What to Expect
(A letter to campers from UWS camp director)
Welcome to Camp!
We’re looking forward to awesome adventures with YOU! We have a strong interest in seeing that you have a great experience with us and that you see a rewarding future with us as we continue to offer more diverse programs in new locations. Under Western Skies offers you an exciting opportunity to learn new outdoor skills, camp in tents or under the stars, cook and eat healthy "campfire gourmet" cuisine, “morning group” session for increased strength and relaxation, connect with new friends, challenge yourself physically and mentally, fuel your enthusiasm for wild and scenic places, and to experience a larger world.
Get ready to make it your Best Adventure! By wearing in your hiking boots, reading all the information provided to you in the mail before camp starts and here on our web site, and by exercising regularly prior to camp (rigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes 4-5 times per week for a month prior to camp) you'll be better prepared for camp. There are a few things we’d like to highlight about the Under Western Skies experience:
- Boys attending are expected to display acts of human kindness and to develop an appreciation of individual differences. There is a huge diversity in the type of people encountered at camp, some will have similar lives outside of camp, and others will have very different lives. Camp can open your eyes to new ways of thinking, to new cultures, and to new ways of being. An UWS camper has an open mind and welcomes diversity.
- Camp is a GROUP experience. Your attitude influences the group. A majority of time at camp is spent with the group as a whole. A positive attitude is expected.
- Your camp guides will greet you upon arrival at the designated airport (see camp travel information). Once your entire group is present you'll travel by van to the first campsite. UWS is a nomadic style of teen adventure travel camp; this means we travel from adventure activity location to adventure activity location by van, aiming to keep drive distance and van time to the bare minimum so we can maximize our outdoor time. Our passenger van and all of your belongings will be available to you during a majority of camp; you will NOT have to carry all of the things you brought with you listed on the camp packing list.
- You will be sharing a backpacking style tent with 2 or 3 fellow campers in "front country" (typically forest service campgrounds with outhouses or full service bathrooms) and "backcountry" wilderness areas (no outhouses, no running water). Camp guides will select your tent mates before you arrive at camp. Friends/Siblings will have an opportunity to share a tent during the second half of camp.
- You will learn and practice "leave no trace" camping and travel practices including things like how to properly keep yourself clean and go to the bathroom in the backcountry, purify drinking water, and keep a clean camp and cooking area.
- There will be several days without shower or laundry facilities.
- You will have very limited phone calls during camp. You will call your parents 3 times during the 2-week camp session: upon arrival at camp on day 1, on the day before leaving camp on day 13, and before departure from camp on day 14.
- With your cook group, you'll cook and present dinner to your new friends at camp! We strive to select healthy and diverse recipes that challenge your cooking skills and develop your palate (pal-ate n: a personal sense of flavor and taste). You'll try a variety of foods new to you and you'll enjoy old favorites like French toast with yogurt and granola, and chicken fajitas with beans and rice (vegetarian options always available).
Welcome to our Summer Adventure Camp Family!
Adventurously Yours,
Andrew Heath
Under Western Skies - Camp Director
