Adventure Trip Program Overview
Caring ... Honesty ... Respect ... Responsibility
For over twenty years our Adventure Trip program has fostered personal growth through incredible outdoor experiences,
and we aim to make the next twenty even better.
We seek the intangibles: increased self-esteem and an appreciation of people and nature.
Our guides are amazing role models that inspire and encourage each participant to
achieve their best. We offer the same great opportunities as our more expensive counterparts (small groups, qualified leaders, great adventures)
but enhance the model by keeping in touch with the Echo spirit.
Safety is our number one priority!
Our guides are 21 years old or older with broad camping experience and Wilderness First Responder, CPR, or Lifeguard certification.
In addition, our guides participate in specialized training at Echo to fully prepare them for the summer.
They are also mostly long-time Echo staff members that have extensive outdoor
knowledge and incredible group-facilitating skills.
Furthermore, we examine our safety procedures annually and modify them as necessary.
Our program fosters personal growth through both individual and
group experiences. Whether it's your first or fourth adventure trip, and
whether you prefer kayaking, canoeing, biking, or hiking, there's a Camp Echo Adventure Trip for you!
Adventure Trip Program Statement
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Camp Echo offers Adventure Trips of varying intensity and duration for teenage boys and girls.
Trips are designed to promote self-confidence, enhance group dynamics, and to further technical outdoor and leadership skill development through challenging wilderness experiences.
Participants gain an appreciation of the natural world through immersion in it and develop respect for the environment through the practice of low impact camping skills.
Adventure Trip Progression
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Participants in higher-level trips benefit from previous trip experience and from mastering skills taught in lower-level trips,
but participants may join Echo's trip program at any level, with or without experience,
because the necessary skills are taught or reviewed prior to or during each trip.
Beginner Adventure Trips
Introductory hiking and canoeing trips.
Experienced trip guides teach participants introductory wilderness skills, including fire safety, leave-no-trace concepts, personal hygiene while camping, and cooking simple meals.
The wilderness setting and terrain are appropriate for beginners, and the group is never far from advanced medical care.
Age-appropriate team elements and initiatives build group cohesiveness.
Basic Adventure Trips
Basic backpacking, canoeing, and biking trips.
Participants help select campsites, have more cooking responsibilities, and lead the group with a map and a compass.
The wilderness setting is slightly more remote: participants may be several hours from advanced medical care.
Participants are expected to be physically able to hike, canoe, or bike for about six hours a day over moderately difficult terrain.
Age-appropriate team elements and initiatives teach leadership, decision-making, and good judgment.
Intermediate Adventure Trips
Intermediate backpacking, biking, and kayaking trips.
Individual participants or groups practice and advance their wilderness skills as the "leader of the day."
Under adult guidance, they organize campsites, map out the route for the day, and play a key role in meal preparation.
The wilderness setting is more remote, and terrain requires participants to test themselves physically throughout the day.
The many opportunities for leadership extend personal growth and enable participants to gain skills similar to those taught in Echo's L.I.T. and C.I.T. programs.
Advanced Adventure Trips
Advanced backpacking and kayaking trips for four weeks.
Practice advanced wilderness skills in physically challenging settings.
Just as in intermediate level adventure trips, participants act as "leader of the day" in groups or as individuals, making even more decisions that include choice of routes, meals, and campsites.
Individual and group challenges, both at Camp Echo and in the wilderness environment, build self-confidence and prepare participants for further leadership experiences.
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