Solo Crossing

A community-based three-week backpacking adventure designed to help teens navigate the road from childhood to adulthood.

"After her Journey, our daughter knew she could survive anything. What a positive passage into adulthood! She learned to speak her mind with clarity, grace, and integrity. This has been the most significant growth experience of her life."--Program Parent

"Attending Journeys was the beginning of our son's personal transformation into a young adult. His experiences with personal reflection allowed him to understand his own worth."--Program parent

The Solo Crossing program is a chance for teens to imagine how they want to be as adults, and then explore and practice what this means to them and their families, friends and communities. On the backcountry trails of the Olympic Peninsula, participants are challenged in mind, body and heart, within a supportive community of peers and mentors.

During three exciting weeks, teens develop a range of personal and interpersonal skills. A Ropes Course Challenge allows them to experience the rewards of working as a team. The first leg of a backpacking trek lets them practice teamwork and wilderness skills. They do other activities, such as a Walkabout and an End of Childhood ritual. Group discussions help participants focus on what each will seek as they cross the threshold into adulthood.

Mid-program, the youth embark on a solo vigil when they leave the group setting to be fully in their own company. Guided by nature and personal quiet, they contemplate letting go of their life as a child and looking forward to living courageously as an adult. After the vigil, their new insights are tested and integrated during a second backcountry trek. Throughout the program, each participant has an adult mentor – a journey guide – who helps them explore ideas that occur to them during the crossing.

During the final stage of the journey, participants sit in a council circle telling epic stories of their Solo Crossing and sharing visions of their future. Mentors, peers, and elders offer support as they talk about how to make their rite of passage relevant to their new lives.

Outcomes for Solo Crossing:

• Improved self-confidence
•  Group communication and problem solving skills
• Understanding and taking responsibility
• Ability to listen to intuition
• Creative self-expression
• Leadership and teamwork skills
• Improved physical strength and personal resolve
• Knowledge of natural history of Northwest terrain
• Low-impact camping techniques
• Understanding of a healthy and appropriate path to adulthood
• Completion of a transformative rite of passage