As of today, all of our Big Trips have returned to Camp! Campers from our four oldest units – Islanders, Wayfarers, Mountaineers, and Troubadours – have now completed their four day/three night trips, and we’re so excited to hear about their wonderful experiences.
The Hunt Canoe Big Trip posed for a parting photo as they prepared to embark on their four day trip through the San Juans.
So what are Big Trips? For four days each week during the first two weeks of the session, our oldest campers set out on a grand adventure. As a unit, campers embark with staff trip leaders on trips that are at once challenging and magical. There’s a sailing trip, a kayaking trip, a canoeing trip, a biking trip, and a backpacking trip. Due to this year’s COVID-19 prevention protocols, all of our trips have been based in the San Juan Islands (no mainland trips). Campers arrived at their sites via camp boats or their own paddling, and they stayed at overnight spots that are either privately-owned or sparsely populated.
Campers are involved in trip planning, meal prep, and gear inspection before, during, and after their trips.
By sharing the difficulties and victories of a strenuous four-day trip, during which everyone faces a variety of physical and mental challenges, a group of tripmates undergoes a transformation. Campers who barely knew each other return to camp united by strong bonds of comradery. It’s not an overstatement to note that lifelong friendships are often created in the crucible of these trips.
Big smiles on the way to the hiking Big Trip on Cypress Island!
But that’s not to say that Big Trips are made up entirely of exertion and obstacles to overcome. That’s a part of the experience, but there are so many opportunities for joy and beauty and relaxation and laughter, too. It’s the mixture of all these things that makes the moments so special. While the physical and mental challenges of the Big Trips are real, so are the incredible relationships and irreplaceable memories that our campers bring back with them.
Big Trippers experience some of the most beautiful spots in the San Juan Islands during their adventures.
For all of these reasons, the Big Trip program is one of the most beloved and highly-anticipated elements of going to camp at Nor’wester. Many younger campers dream about what their Big Trip experience will be like and count down the summers until their Big Trip year. Our middle units, the Foresters and Voyageurs, also have their own extended trips, Little Big Trips. These similar but slightly shorter expeditions will head out from Camp next week. Look for updates on those trips later on!