Enrollment: Applications* and Registration** opens Aug 1 at 9am. Due to the long term nature of this program we ask teens to apply before registration. 

*New participants: Teen application to be a part of Bear Tracks. This includes a writing element. Send applications to beartracks@vermontwildernessschool.org – you will then be invited to register if this program is a good fit for your child at this time. 

**Returning participants: Use this link Vermont Wilderness School CampBrain Portal to register for Youth Programs: Year Round – Bear Tracks 2026/2027.

Ages: 12 – 16 (other ages by permission)

Where: Guilford, Vermont

When: Full Program includes all seasons: Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer.

Autumn : October, 10am Friday the 23rd to 3pm Monday the 26th • (Oct 23 – 26)

Winter : February, 3pm Friday the 5th to 3pm Sunday the 7th • (Feb 5 – 7)

Spring : April, 3pm Friday the 23rd to 3pm Sunday the 25th • (April 23 – 25)

Summer : June, 10am Friday the 11th to 3pm Tuesday the 15th • (June 11 – 15)

Cost: Access Price: $1,275 / Sustainer Price: $1,560 / Supporter Price: $1,950 • Included in tuition: quality nutritious food and craft materials.

Access Price: Program enrollees that may struggle to fund their basic needs and that would not be able to access this program without a discounted payment option should consider paying at this level. Participants that experience a financial barrier to enrollment at this price can and should apply for our scholarship and reparations tuition aid.

Sustainer Price: Program enrollees that are able to meet their needs with relative ease and prioritize investment in education and entertainment should consider paying at this level, which will ensure the viability and stability of our programs moving forwards.

Supporter Price: Program enrollees that move through the world with financial ease and have access to family and community resource abundance should consider paying at this level, which will ensure the viability and stability of our programs.

Sliding Scale Pricing Information

Scholarship and Reparations Funds available.

Food: Healthy meals will be cooked with the students in the woods. We ask for a potluck contribution of vegetables on Friday night. 

Overview of the Schedule 

Bear Tracks camps start in the autumn, and run through each season until the next summer, with a total of four meetings in each cycle. The Winter and Spring programs run from Friday afternoon to Sunday. The Autumn and Summer programs run longer starting Friday morning and going into the next week (days subject to very), allowing for time to dive into more intense projects and deepen our sense of connection with the place we stay. 

Description 

Bear Tracks is an overnight year-round program born from noticing young teens yearning to push their edges and deepen their skills in new ways. The program has now expanded to two cohorts. If your child is looking to expand their edges in a community of similarly driven young adults, please apply! 

Each season, Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer, we gather for a multiday camp in the woods to develop and deepen our ancestral skills and ways of being that connect us with the earth. We will explore skills such as carving, hide tanning, animal processing, tracking, fire-making, foraging, basket-making and more. We will be out in both easy and challenging conditions, learning to be comfortable in wind, rain, snow and sun. During our time together we will work to expand our awareness, cultivate our curiosity, and hone our naturalist skills; play, explore and strengthen our connection with each other, ourselves and the natural world. 

Through these experiences we aim to foster a deep sense of belonging within the natural world. By working on both physical and relational skills, we deepen our understanding of ourselves as part of nature, awakening our desire and ability to love and relate to the natural world in a positive way. Learning that we humans can become caretakers and stewards, in reciprocal relationship with all species and the land.

Bear Tracks is the overarching name of the program. Within this program there are two cohorts of students, each led by a team of two highly skilled mentors passionate about offering this next level of skill and challenge to the students. Each cohort spends time in their own group, while also coming together as a larger Bear Tracks community for skills sessions and community moments of play and learning. 

Mentors

Jasmyn and Ellie, the program dreamers and directors of Bear Tracks, grew up within strong nature connection communities from both Vermont in New England to Sussex in England. They have each worked with youth for many years, developing a wide range of mentorship and earth skills. Each of them has the great fortune to have been supported, taught, and shaped by incredible mentors through our own youth and are passionate about passing along similar enriching experiences and support to the next generation.

Owen grew up in the same nature connection environment and community in Vermont, is passionate about craft and land-based skills and has been a frequent guest teacher, storyteller, and supporter of Bear Tracks.

Tashi and Ruby have joined Bear Tracks as the leaders of the second cohort. They bring a wealth of skills and experiences from deep nature connection learning and teaching in both Vermont and California communities. Both of them have been working in the field of nature connection for many years, taking young adults on expeditions, teaching folk and ancestral crafts, and embodying these skills in their own lives. They are both passionate and kind mentors, eagerly passing on their experiences and skills. 

Applications* and Registration** is Open. Due to the long term nature of this program we ask new participants to apply before registration.

*New participants: Youth application to be a part of Bear Tracks. This includes a writing element. Send applications to beartracks@vermontwildernessschool.org – you will then be invited to register if this program is a good fit for your child at this time. 

**Returning participants: Use this link Vermont Wilderness School CampBrain Portal to register for Youth Programs: Year Round – Bear Tracks 2026/2027.

 

Review our scholarship and cancellation policies for more information.

Questions? Email office@vermontwildernessschool.org or jasmyn@vermontwildernessschool.org