Twin Eagles Outdoor Adventure Camp

Twin Eagles Summer Camps

Wilderness Adventure Summer Camps for Kids & Teens
Sandpoint, Idaho · Spokane, Washington · Inland Northwest

Twin Eagles summer camps bring out the best in kids by connecting them deeply to the natural world, forging strong community, and developing genuine self-awareness. Since 2005 we've been offering day and overnight camps for ages 3 - 18 in Sandpoint, Spokane, and Priest River. Our highly trained instructors draw out kids' passions through nature based activities like:

Making fire by friction
Learning edible & medicinal plants
Exploring natural mysteries
Tracking wild animals
Building natural shelters
Discovering the language of the forest
Training as the native scouts of old did
Learning earth based crafts, stories, songs
and much, much more!

Through my son's participation in Twin Eagles, what I have seen grow most is a tremendous amount of respect. Watching his awareness of nature, people and everything unfold is just beautiful. His excitement in everything he learns and experiences - his yearning to learn more - has grown vastly. Thank You!”

- Tammie Martinsen

At Twin Eagles Summer Camps, we believe that deep nature connection is critical to whole child development. The experiences we offer bring kids back to a simpler, more connected way of life where their senses are honed to once again hear the call of the wild, revel in the feeling of mud squishing between their toes, delight in the beauty of wildflowers, and listen to the music in mountain streams. Kids develop authentic resiliency through real world challenges and traditional earth based skills as they experience the deep peace of the natural world.

As the deep nature connection journey unfolds, our learning community of kids and instructors become tightly bonded, feeling more like family by the camps end. Natural curiosity is fostered into a heartfelt passion for learning, and a love for the earth rises from deep within. Inspirational and meaningful experiences in nature serve as a doorway to powerful life lessons.

		 Top Ten Reasons to choose Twin Eagles Summer Camps
		 Kids get to be kids again, roaming wild and free in nature.
Real skills, real challenges, real adventures.  Trailing coyotes, making healing salves from St. Johnswort and Yarrow plants, crafting wooden bow and arrows.  Does it get any better?
Our highly trained instructors are some of the finest in the field.  First Aid/CPR certification, background checks, and a high level of training in both nature based mentoring and traditional earth skills are all requirements.  Our staff are adept at really listening to kids, drawing out their passions, and engaging them fully.
Our small group sizes (1-5 staff to camper ratio) allow for intimate learning groups to form that feel more like family by camp's end.  The deep bonds that form between campers and instructors alike last a lifetime.
We have the most fun!  Year after year, our campers, instructors and parents consistently report that the Twin Eagles experience is the most fun, engaging, and relevant.
The community.  Our nature based mentoring approach is rooted in authentic relationship building.  Each year the community grows stronger and stronger, and new families often report that they take it in like a breath of fresh air.
We're totally unique.  You won't find any other camp like us out there.
Safety.  We take campers physical and emotional safety seriously, and hold every member of camp to a high standard that creates a safe space for powerful experiences to emerge.
An honest guarantee.  If your child doesn't like our camps and chooses to leave before the camp's end, we'll give you a pro-rated refund for all the remaining days they don't attend.  Please see our application packet for more details.
We offer a genuinely holistic experience rooted in hope, connecting with what is truly important in life - nature, community, and self.

		

Summer Camp Options

Day Camps for Preschoolers - for ages 3 - 6
Day Camps for Kids - for ages 6 - 13 - New Themes!
Overnight Camps for Kids & Teens - for ages 10-18

Day Camps for Preschoolers ages 3 - 6

Children immersed in nature mentoring during their earliest years experience a foundation like none other. At this age, deep nature connection and lasting mentoring relationships draw out a common language and understanding for play and learning through full sensory awareness. Also deeply rooted in the child is a depth perception for the cycles of nature, stewardship of the earth and life itself.

Through our day camps for preschoolers, we inspire some of the most important of human attributes in the young ones: awe and wonder. We encourage children to learn about the fundamental elements of life through 100% direct experience with nature. Examples of activities at our day camps for preschoolers include foraging for wild foods, crafting toys and other learning items from objects found in nature, connecting with the lives of animals through games, creative movement and tracking, developing relationships with trees and plants through learning safely about fire, wood and much, much more!

As a parent, Twin Eagles Wilderness School fills the category of medicine for my child's soul. The magic that is created through the amazing instructors, the children, and the natural world isn't to be found easily in this fast 'developing' world. The places my child is able to explore, in relation to mentors, peers, the natural world and herself is so valuable and enriching to her developing being. She is continually being challenged in the perfect way for her, the mentors are so acutely aware of their role and so able to meet her in her true self just where she is in any given moment. I feel our lives are so blessed to have the resource of Twin Eagles Wilderness School in our community. I am truly grateful.”

- Jennifer Ott

Spokane Day Camp for Preschoolers · ages 3 - 6 · $165 scholarships available
Mon June 17 - Fri June 21 · 9 am - 1 pm daily · Indian Springs (S. Austin Rd.)

Space still remaining

Sandpoint Day Camp for Preschoolers · ages 3 - 6 · $165 scholarships available
Mon July 8 - Fri July 12 · 9 am - 1 pm daily · Oden Bay, Sunnyside Rd.

Space still remaining

To Apply

Registration is currently open for Twin Eagles Summer Camps 2013
To apply, click the button below to download and complete an application packet.
You can also contact us to request an application packet via US Mail.
Scholarships are available for all summer camps - click here for more information.

We're so confident that your child will love our camps that we offer you our honest guarantee. If your child doesn't like our camps and chooses to leave before the camp's end, we'll give you a pro-rated refund for all the remaining days they don't attend. Please see our application packet for more details.

This application is a fillable PDF form. Please be sure you are using the latest version of Adobe Reader to fill out these forms - it's free!

Day Camps for Kids ages 6 - 13

Our week long day camps are an ideal starting point for kids ages 6 to 13 to embark on the deep nature connection journey. Grand adventure, creative expression, huge fun, and unending exploration all join together in these unforgettable experiences that help kids discover comfort and confidence being outdoors and bring their spirits to life.

Passionate engagement opens the door for deeper teachings to take root. Authentic gratitude, self-confidence, patience, good communication, awareness, teamwork, problem-solving, and respect for all things all build as kids deepen their connection to nature, community, and self.

Hands down, the summer outdoor adventure camp offered by Twin Eagles was my son's favorite experience, over and above any art camp, sports camp or other organized activity he has attended. I believe the overwhelming positive response can be attributed to the unique nature based mentoring process Twin Eagles offers children, answering some core childhood needs that too often go unmet for many of today's busy children. Particularly, Twin Eagles offers children the experience of becoming a community that shares stories, songs and rituals, and that learns through age-old mentoring practices that build on a child's sense of wonder and expand children's awareness about their place in the natural world. This experience is precious.”

- Carrie Lipe

NEW FOR 2013 - Day Camps for Kids THEMES!!

That's right, starting this summer all of our day camps for kids ages 6 - 13 will be based on an inspirational theme! Be it Wilderness Survival Camp, Gone Fishin' Camp, or Nature Ninjas Camp, all of our day camps for kids will be even more engaging than ever, now with an exciting theme for the week! Please note that our Day Camps for Preschoolers and Overnight Camps remain the same as years past, as the themes only apply to our Day Camps for Kids ages 6 - 13.

Wilderness Survival Camp

There is an ancient calling deep in the heart to experience the freedom and adventure of living wild and free, close to nature. A desire to provide for one's own needs directly from the Earth, ultimately leading to self-confidence and a powerful sense of place, an almost indescribable, magical sense of oneness with the natural world.

This is the journey of wilderness survival. By the week's end, the experience won't be just learning to survive, but to thrive in the wilderness. During this week of camp, we'll steep in a variety of nature based activities. Possibilities include:

Making fire by friction
Building strong natural shelters
Safe use of knives and carving
Harvesting wild edible plants
Tracking wild animals
Stalking and catching frogs
How to obtain clean water
Earth crafts like basketry and cordage making
The bow and arrow
Traps, throwing sticks, and slings
Primitive cooking over a fire
Lostproofing
Navigation by map & compass, sun & stars

Wilderness Survival Day Camp · kids ages 6 - 13 · $245 - scholarships available
Spokane, WA · Mon June 17 - Fri June 21 · 9 - 3 daily · Indian Springs (S. Austin Rd.)

Camp Full! Consider Spokane Nature Ninjas Camp or email us for waiting list.

Wilderness Survival Day Camp · kids ages 6 - 13 · $245 - scholarships available
Sandpoint, ID · Mon June 24 - Fri June 28 · 9 - 3 daily · Oden Bay, Sunnyside Rd.

Space still remaining

Click here to apply

Gone Fishin' Day Camp

Sitting by the water's edge with your hand made fishing pole, time slips away as you lose yourself in the nuances of subtle waves. All is right in the world and a deep sense of peace permeates your very soul. Then, out of the blue:

BANG! Like electricity, you feel a hard bite on your line. FISH ON! You can feel the essence of life surge through you as you bring it in...

Come join us for a full week of fishing with Twin Eagles. We'll have grand adventures together as we connect with this ancient and modern expression of providing food from the wild. Activities will include:

Learning modern and primitive fishing
Make your own fishing pole to bring home
Make your own tackle to bring home
Learning experientially all about fish -identification, where they swim, what they eat, where they go and why they go there, their daily rhythms and more.
Learning good practices of caretaking your fishing gear
Tying good fishing knots
Learning to respect fish and the waters they swim in
Learning to respect all fishing laws and ethics
Learning patience and the quiet mind - essential skills of fishing
Learning to kill, gut, clean, cook over an open fire, and eat your catch

Please Note: Twin Eagles Wilderness School is all about deepening authentic connections to nature. We value the experience of the full circle of life, and will be fishing for food. Kids will have the opportunity to respectfully kill, gut, clean, cook, and eat the fish we catch. We recognize this may be a sensitive area for some families and encourage parents to discuss this with kids prior to camp.

As well, we can't promise that we'll catch fish. Just like any good fishing trip, sometimes the fish bite, and sometimes they don't. Either way we'll have a grand time and bring back great stories from our week.

While I have helped my children connect to nature and wilderness, Twin Eagles Wilderness School brings it to a whole new level for them. The Twin Eagles nature based mentoring approach is very powerful on many levels. Twin Eagles Wilderness School is one of my top three favorite parts of the Sandpoint area!”

- Michael Welp

Gone Fishin' Camp · Day Camp for Kids ages 6 - 13 · $245 - scholarships available
Sandpoint, ID · Mon July 1 - Fri July 5 · 9 - 3 daily · Shepherd Lake, off Sagle Rd.

Space still remaining

Click here to apply

Nature Ninjas Camp

Enter the ancient, secretive world of the nature ninja. Nature ninjas are the eyes and ears of the tribe, protectors of the village. They are masters of stealth, camouflage, and invisibility, traveling unseen and unheard amongst the shadows.

Like the native scouts of old, nature ninjas learn the language of the forest and the subtle track and sign left behind by wildlife in order to foretell danger drawing near.

Immersed in the wild places, they hone their senses to befriend the animals and birds - fox and weasel, wren and thrush. Wait... the birds give away the approach of another clan, prepare for ambush...

In Nature Ninjas Day Camp, we'll practice skills such as:

Natural camouflage, stealth, and invisibility
Learning the language of the forest
Immersion in nature & sensory awareness
Wild animal tracking
Practicing blindfold activities to enhance the other senses
Playing awareness games
Stalking and natural, silent movement
Learning to move with the ebb and flow of nature
Developing balance in body, mind, and heart
Making smokeless fires and other invisible survival skills
Capture the Flag and other stealth awareness games

Twin Eagles provided a profound experience to our children. Through the guidance of their instructors they developed a more fundamental connection with nature and thus, themselves... Whether you live in the heart of the city or the remote wilderness, we would recommend their outdoor adventure camp to all!”

- Bryce & Tammy Powell

Nature Ninjas Camp · Day Camp for Kids ages 6 - 13 · $245 - scholarships available
Spokane, WA · Mon July 1 - Fri July 5 · 9 - 3 daily · Indian Springs (S. Austin Rd.)

Space still remaining

Nature Ninjas Camp · Day Camp for Kids ages 6 - 13 · $245 - scholarships available
Sandpoint, ID · Mon July 8 - Fri July 12 · 9 - 3 daily · Oden Bay, Sunnyside Rd.

Space still remaining

To Apply

This application is a fillable PDF form. Please be sure you are using the latest version of Adobe Reader to fill out these forms - it's free!

Overnight Camps for Kids & Teens ages 10 - 18

Once a year, Twin Eagles offers a lucky group of adventurous youth and teens an opportunity to immerse themselves in nature for a tremendous experience of living, learning, working and playing in the natural world away from the rush and din of our modern society. Twin Eagles Overnight Outdoor Adventure Camp is an experience unlike any other.

Working together within mentoring relationships, overnight campers learn wilderness skills such as building and sleeping in primitive shelters, fire by friction, wild edible plants for food and teas, crafting wooden bowls and spoons, pottery using clay from the local river, primitive cooking, making cordage, weaving baskets, and making stone tools, just to name a few. Overnight campers deepen their awareness by honing the senses through animal tracking, bird language and a variety of other possible activities.

Community living offers these youth opportunities to experience the interconnectedness of all life - through sleeping in tipis, song, storytelling, and more. At our overnight outdoor adventure camp, tangible and intangible skills are learned such as communication & teamwork, inner stillness & patience, thankfulness & respect for all things, awareness & common sense, self-confidence, problem solving and more. In the process, participants of our outdoor adventure camp gain an unforgettable experience, make enduring friendships and develop a foundation of experiencing themselves and the earth in a whole new, yet very old way.

Yet all this is just the beginning. Year after year, our campers tell us that their most memorable experiences are those that offer them the greatest challenge and ask the most of them. These more intensive activities are never the same and always epic fun. In the past some have included:

Nighttime scout games that draw forth great stealth and hone the senses to a keen edge.
Group wilderness survival camp outs where small groups leave our base camp to practice wilderness survival skills - we build and sleep in our own natural shelters, supplement our meals with wild edible plants, and make fire the old way with a bow and drill kit.
Intense action archery games using handmade wooden bows and safe, padded foam arrows.
For the older and more mature teens, wilderness survival solos. This is the one activity we get the most requests for, as it serves as the ultimate test and initiation for an older teen to build their own natural shelter, make fire by friction, harvest wild edible plants, and purify their own water. Beyond this, it is a quest for something much deeper that will impact their whole beings - belief in themselves, genuine competence acknowledged by their community, and an indescribable felt sense of connection and oneness with the wilderness.

Overnight Camp for 10 - 13 year olds · for kids · $595 - scholarships available
Sunday July 21 - Friday July 26 · Medicine Circle Eco-Retreat, Priest River, ID

Only 1 spot left!

Overnight Camp for Teens · for teens ages 13 - 18 · $695 - scholarships available
Monday July 29 - Sunday August 4 · Medicine Circle Eco-Retreat, Priest River, ID

Only 2 spots left!

Thanks for preparing such a great week for the kids and doing such a great job mentoring human beings. We LOVED LOVED LOVED the instructors, they were all exceptional, exceptional people. The kids returned peaceful, introspective, brimming with skills (Jackie explained how to bow drill to a bunch of people walking by as he worked it on the sidewalk) and content. Jackie and I were up this morning early outside throwing sticks and fox walking. I will do my best to steward the flame which you have helped ignite.

I know you will be happy to know that Isabel declared deep in the night before bed, 'Mom! I took risks and I liked it. I was outgoing and I liked it. I made so many more friends that way and got to know them in a deep way.' When I asked if Twin Eagles had pushed her to her edge even in the dark her conviction came through loud and clear, 'Mom they pushed us far over and over and over. We did things we didn't know we could do.'

I hope you can hear the singing from where you are and feel the throwing sticks hitting the earth and smell the sap collected from a neighbor's tree... your work lives on.”

- Lisa Layera

I am happy to report that Tristan had a wonderful time at Twin Eagles summer overnight camp. I simply cannot thank them enough for giving him such an incredible life-altering experience. He learned to carve a bow, make arrows, make and use a bow drill to 'bust' embers for camp fires, track animals like a native scout, imitate bird songs and identify plants. Best of all, in his own words, he learned how to find his warrior 'center', walk lightly and cautiously 'like a fox' and use his 'owl eyes' for seeing all things at once and the connectedness between the natural world and himself.

In days and nights filled with activities, he also practiced sitting quietly and communing with nature in his very own 'sit spot' that made him feel happy and comforted, or as he said 'grounded to the earth and connected to the trees and sky'. His week was filled with activities that nurtured body and soul. He played hard in all-community games that encouraged them all to be brave as self and strong as group within a very real, and living, tribal-style kinship.

Overall Tristan was the recipient of so much support, love and understanding that observing it in action yesterday was almost mind and heart boggling. After a day of presentations to the families that were filled with stories and memories that honored both the challenges and freewheeling good times undertaken by all, I could not help but cry when I saw him hugging each of the campers and counselors goodbye and seeing how they were giving him, in return, genuine affection. Afterwards on the drive home I said 'Tristan I have never known you to have so many friends!' And he replied, 'they are not my friends, they are my other family.'

On the drive home he treated us with his personal stories, the rules to best conduct favorite games, his proudest moments, his best memories and his favorite songs from the week's journey. I am so grateful and so touched by how all the amazing people at Twin Eagles lovingly walked our son through what has turned out to be, perhaps, the most significant and positive learning experience he has ever gone through away from home. I can't say enough about how lucky we were to find them and have him take part in the last week of their summer program, except to say to them and the universe: Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

- Alison Barrows-Young