Wilderness Trips 20/03

WILDERNESS TRIPS

Wilderness trips are among the most important aspects of each camper’s Wavus experience.  Every camper, no matter their age, will spend at least one night out in the woods away from camp with their cabin.

As a camper grows older and more able, her trips become more extensive and demanding. While the youngest girls are on their trip for only one or two nights, the older girls are away from camp for 13 to 22 days of canoeing or backpacking in the most remote and beautiful parts of Maine.

Wilderness trips offer campers the opportunity to develop a reverence for the wonders of nature. Each girl is encouraged to learn how to take care of herself and her equipment, to set and attain goals, and to have the fortitude and resilience to overcome challenges away from the comforts of home. All Wavus trips practice and teach the Leave No Trace Principles of Outdoor Ethics.

Wavus trips are designed so that the least-experienced girls do not feel unduly pushed, yet each camper can be proud of what she has accomplished. Most trips include both veteran campers and girls new to the experience, and this allows for a cooperative relationship that draws out the best from each member of the cabin. None of the trips require any particular wilderness tripping experience, and girls receive the necessary basic training before leaving camp. Then, as the trip progresses, each girl grows more capable and confident.

Ages and grades completed are provided as general guidelines. There will often be some variation to this progression.

Age

Grade Completed

Cabin Name

Primer Trip Destination

Nights

Type

Trip Destination

Nights

Type

8 - 10
2 - 4
Junior Wavus
None
N/A
N/A
Bremen & Hog Island
1
Ocean
8 - 9
2 - 3
Lupine
Hog Island
1
Ocean
Camden Hills State Park
2
Hike
9 - 10
3 - 4
Aster & Laurel
Damariscotta Lake
1
Canoe
Mount Blue State Park
2
Hike
10 - 11
4 - 5
Cedar, Juniper, & Spruce
Camden Hills State Park
1
Hike
White Mountain National Forest
4
Hike
11 - 12
5 - 6
Ash, Elm, & Oak
Damariscotta Lake
1
Canoe
St. Croix River
5
Canoe
12 - 13
6 - 7
Kineo
Hermit Island
2
Hike/Ocean
Moosehead Lake Region
6
Hike/Canoe
13 - 14
7 - 8
Moose
Carrabassett Valley
2
Hike
Moose River
6
Canoe
13 - 14
7 - 8
Penobscot
None
N/A
N/A
Bigelow Mountains & East Branch Penobscot River
10
Hike/Canoe
14 - 15
8 - 9
Allagash
None
N/A
N/A
Allagash Wilderness Waterway
12
Canoe
15 - 16
9 - 10
Long Voyage
None
N/A
N/A
The Long Voyage
17
Canoe
16 - 17
10 - 11
Maine Trails
None
N/A
N/A
Appalachian Trail
21
Backpack

Ages and grades completed are provided as general guidelines. There will often be some variation to this progression.

Junior Wavus

Bremen & Hog Island
1 Night
Ages 8 - 10
Grades 2 - 4

Lupine

Hog Island
1 Night
Camden Hills State Park
2 Nights
Ages 8 - 9
Grades 2 - 3

Aster and Laurel

Damariscotta Lake
1 Night
Mount Blue State Park
2 Nights
Ages 9 - 10
Grades 3 - 4

Cedar, Juniper, and Spruce

Hog Island
1 Night
White Mountain National Forest
4 Nights
Ages 10 - 11
Grades 4 - 5

Ash, Elm, and Oak

Damariscotta Lake
1 Night
St. Croix River
5 Nights
Ages 11 - 12
Grades 5 - 6

Kineo

Sugar Island (Penobscot Nation)
2 Nights
Moosehead Lake Region
6 Nights
Ages 12 - 13
Grades 6 - 7

Moose

Tumbledown Mountain
2 Nights
Moose River
6 Nights
Ages 13 - 14
Grades 7 - 8

Penobscot I, II

Bigelow Preserve
3 Nights
East Branch of the Penobscot River
5 Nights
Ages 13 - 14
Grades 7 - 8

Allagash

Allagash Wilderness Waterway
12 Nights
Ages 14 - 15
Grades 8 - 9

Long Voyage

The Long Voyage
17 Nights
Ages 15 - 16
Grades 9 - 10

Maine Trails

Appalachian Trail
21 Nights
Ages 16 - 17
Grades 10-11

Blue pins are water based trips, green pins are land based trips.