Trip Overview
Few regions in North America can compare to the geographical diversity and astounding natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. With snow-blanketed mountains, broad rivers, lush valleys, endless ocean, and abundant wildlife, the region is home to some of the world’s top outdoor recreation. Washington State will be your home for two weeks while you hike the snowy peaks of Olympic and North Cascades National Parks, raft the Sauk River, kayak the San Juan Islands of Puget Sound, and give back through a rewarding community service project. In this spectacular setting you will make new friends, achieve new heights, and expand your world with each day’s adventure.
Hiking in Olympic National Park
We’ll meet in Seattle and enjoy the rest of the day getting to know one another and preparing for our amazing adventure ahead. Our group will bond quickly as we spend our first days together breaking in our boots amid the majestic peaks and crystal clear lakes of Olympic National Park. After our a few days of spectacular hikes in the Olympics, we’ll head east north to begin the next phase of our adventures.
Sea Kayaking in the San Juan Islands
Emerging from our hiking in the Olympics feeling confident and accomplished, we’ll transfer to Puget Sound and trade in our hiking boots for sea kayaks. The San Juan Islands will be our playground for three days as we hone our kayaking skills and explore this diverse coastal ecosystem with professional guides. We’ll camp on uninhabited island beaches, soak up the sun, and keep an eye out for seals, bald eagles, and orca whales. While here, we’ll also volunteer with a local organization to help keep the San Juan Islands pristine.
Rafting and Hiking the Cascades, Seattle Exploration
After our getting our feet wet (literally) kayaking, we will continue our journey east to the vast wilderness of North Cascades National Park. We will spend a few days exploring the many trails in the area – every day will be a stunning adventure as we hike from unspoiled lowland forests to high alpine country where pristine lakes, glaciers, and snow-capped mountains abound. Our time in the Cascades will be capped off with a day of whitewater rafting on the exciting Sauk River with professional guides. We’ll finish up our trip back in Seattle where we’ll explore the sights for a day and enjoy a final, celebratory dinner in one of the city’s great restaurants.
Trip FAQs
Please see our General FAQ page for many more frequently asked questions and answers!
Aside from the trip cost, what are the additional expenses for this trip?
How physically challenging is NWMC?
Given a rating of Challenge Level 4 (out of a maximum of 10), we consider NWMC to be an intermediate hiking trip that any moderately fit, motivated student can successfully complete with some prior preparation. Compared to similar hiking trips, we believe that NWMC is slightly more challenging than Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, but easier than Alaska Mountains & Coast. We consider NWMC to be comparable in challenge level to our Iceland Mountains & Coast or Costa Rica Mountains & Coast trips. Please note that all of Apogee’s Challenge Levels are not scientific and are subjectively calculated by the Apogee staff.
How will I communicate with my child while they are on this trip?
We are a technology-free program, meaning that your child won’t have access to their phone or other electronics over the course of their trip. We have one mail stop on Northwest Mountains & Coast program; parents, relatives, and friends are welcome to use this to send letters to a student. Note that we do not allow packages to be sent – letters and postcards only. If you have an urgent message to get to your child, please call our office and we’ll work to get you connected with your child.
Where will my child be sleeping at night?
The group will be camping every night over the course of the trip; they will spend ten nights in established, front country campsites, and two nights in the “backcountry” (two nights of island camping). Leaders will separate students by gender into tent groups, and will rotate those groups several times over the course of the trip. Students will share a tent with one or two other students.
I’m worried about wildfires affecting my child’s trip. What are Apogee’s wildfire contingency plans?
Like you, we’ve been concerned as we’ve followed the wildfires throughout the West over the last several years. While the devastation has been alarming and often heartbreaking, the good news is that our trips have not, for the most part, been majorly impacted by the wildfires. That said, we have changed itineraries in the past without hesitation when necessary. During the summer, we monitor new and existing wildfires on a daily basis. When it comes to the need to move a group or otherwise change an itinerary, we will always err on the side of caution. In the event that a wildfire – either the fire itself or the resulting air quality – becomes too close for comfort, we have evacuation and contingency plans for each location and activity of our trip. We will make sure to keep families in the loop with up-to-date information if we need to change the itinerary in any way.
My child will be flying to this trip start. How will they connect with their leaders?
Please note that Apogee staff members do not travel with students; our trip leaders will already be in Seattle on arrival day and will stay in Seattle after the trip ends. Apogee staff and trip leaders will have a detailed flight itinerary for each student who is flying to the trip start and will be at the airport to greet them on arrival. Once students are with their leaders, they will call home to let their parents know they have arrived and are with their group. Please see our blog post for specifics regarding students traveling as Unaccompanied Minors. Further, we encourage you to coordinate travel with other attendees; we’re happy to put you in touch with other enrolled families from your region. We will provide enrolled families with a Travel Information document covering details specific to traveling to and from Seattle, including airport information and arrival and departure time windows. Please contact Apogee with any specific questions or concerns regarding drop-offs and/or pick-ups.
What does the community service portion of this trip entail?
The specifics of our community service projects and the number of hours we volunteer varies slightly from year-to-year. In the past, we have worked to collect and contribute data to the Department of Natural Resources to increase knowledge about the ecosystem in the San Juan Islands during our sea kayaking portion. Students can expect 2-3 hours of community service work, usually over the course of one day.
Should my child bring special gear for rafting or sea kayaking?
In short, no. Your child will be suitably prepared for rafting and sea kayaking (and all of the activities on the NWMC trip) if you follow the packing list we provide. Apogee’s outfitters provide all rafting- and kayak-specific gear, and the packing list includes everything else that your child will need.
Is there a backpacking component to NWMC?
In a word, no. While our NWMC group will backcountry camp on an island, they’ll be loading all of their gear onto their kayaks, not into backpacks, to reach the island. The beautiful thing about the Pacific Northwest is there are no shortage of spectacular day hikes just a short distance away from our group’s campgrounds, so the group will never be packing their camping gear their backpacks for an overnight backpacking trip. As such, students will not need a internal frame backpack – a daypack will do just fine!
How much weight will my child carry on the hiking portions of this trip?
Not a lot. As there is no overnight backpacking on this trip, your child will be carrying between five and ten pounds during their longer hikes, composed mostly of an extra layer of clothes, rain gear, water, and snacks.