Fire on the mountain

Ages 15 - 18 | August 17 - 27, 2024 | Return to Youth Programs

“I have made deeper connections here than I ever did at school or at home. Being in the wilderness and going on a solo journey has changed my life for the better. I've made friends to keep, gathered thoughts to remember fondly, and found more respect for other people and myself. This was a great experience.” – Jane, age 16

Program Details | Sample Itinerary | Skills Introduced | Program Staff | Other Programs

There is nothing like time in the wilderness to get fresh perspective and renew yourself.

Each summer in the Pacific Northwest, the grandeur of the mountains calls to be explored. If we have the opportunity to make it out there, we find all kinds of wonders, as well as a quietness in which we can hear our own voice more clearly.

What teen participants taking this journey over the years have said is that they want to enjoy the beauty and adventure of the wilderness, and to have some dedicated opportunities for self-reflection. This is what Fire on the Mountain is all about. Looking at ourselves and where we’re at isn’t always easy, but it always feels good to get clear and motivated about our next steps.

Along with three guides and up to eight other participants, you will spend almost the entirety of these eleven days in the wilderness, backpacking and developing skills in wilderness living, connecting with peers and mentors, playing games, enjoying some solitude, and much more. Along with being down-to-earth, experienced wilderness guides, your mentors will provide a safe and supportive setting to reflect deeply, share honestly, and set personally-meaningful intention for yourself going forward.

In 2016, we renamed this journey ‘Fire on the Mountain’ after a few years of seeing it inspire participants to connect with their authentic voice, their truth, their fire. There will be campfires with storytelling and talking circles under the stars by night. By day, we’ll keep cool and hydrated along the trail, enjoying big views, beautiful rivers, and opportunities to swim and play. Halfway through the journey, participants prepare for and undertake a 24-hour solo.

On this program we welcome young people with any amount of backpacking experience, including none. Participants should be in physical condition to hike up to 6 or 7 miles in a day with a heavy pack; however, physical challenge isn’t the purpose of this experience, and most days will be less strenuous. This journey serves as a great introduction to the more rigorous wilderness backpacking and personal challenge and growth opportunities available on our 3-week Solo Crossing program.

Come be part of a tight-knit community for 11 epic days, and feel in yourself the expansiveness offered by these stunning mountain landscapes.

check out 3-week solo crossing

PROGRAM DETAILS

Ages 15 - 18
All Genders

August 17-27, 2024

Olympic National Park
Program starts/ends in Bothell, WA

$2095.00; Deposit $500.00
Financial Aid is currently available

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check out 3-week Solo Crossing

Questions? Check out our FAQ page or send us a message!

On our final morning, we rise early to greet the sunrise from Blue Mountain.

Participants enjoy Nature Sit-Spots and Journaling activities.

trip description

Day 1 | Participants and families meet at the Journeys basecamp for a gear check and send-off ceremony. After a van ride and a stop at the Olympic National Park headquarters for bear cans, we arrive at the 1st campground, have a fire, get to know each other and prepare for adventures ahead.

Days 2 - 10 | Time to start up the trail! We will embark on a backpacking expedition, hiking 5-6 miles per day and setting up camp as we go. Along the way we learn and practice backpacking and wilderness skills & community skills, while also playing fun games, enjoying the great outdoors, exploring nature, and engaging in nightly Council talking circles around the campfire. Halfway through the journey, participants prepare for and then undertake their 24-hour solos.

Day 11 | Time to return home! Full from the wonders and sights experienced and our new friendships, we'll make the triumphant journey back across the ferry to basecamp and waiting families. And yes, we'll have some stories to tell...

Skills Introduced

Fire on the Mountain Staff

fire on the mountain 2024 guide team

Akasha Dove

Program Guide

Although her roots reside in the foothills of Northern Colorado, Akasha is happiest chasing new outdoor spaces, perspectives, and communal connections. Even when she is surrounded by complete unknown, nature consistently serves as her container for growth, euphoria, and stillness. Akasha was raised subconsciously tending to awe and honoring the changes of the natural world that mirror the changes within human beings. Her Mother, both Mama and Earth, have served as her greatest teachers, graciously cultivating space for curiosity, empathy, and transformation. She has taken this connection between self and nature around the world: mentoring youth in Spain and Chicago, living communally on an off-grid organic farm in Hawaii, and working on environmental conservation projects throughout Southeast Asia and Oceania. As she settled into life as a full-time student, she found that her deep reverence for nature and all other than human beings led her to rite of passage work. Sharing her passion for wilderness, art, and nature-based ceremony is a reciprocal relationship that has brought her a deeper understanding of self, others, and the Earth. As a freshly graduated Outdoor Recreation and Psychology major, Akasha is stoked to bring her academic and personal connection to wilderness play and transformation to her second season working with Rite of Passage Journeys. When she is not on a trip this summer, she will be spending her new moments of graduated bliss reading, dancing, laughing with friends, and enjoying her cooking and baking creations in pretty places.