Pacific Northwest Explorer

Your first full day will begin with surfing at the famous beaches near Seaside, OR. During your two-day surfing program, you will learn the basics of surfing and gain confidence in the water alongside your trip mates. Each day also includes interactive lessons on marine biology and environmental stewardship, beach games, and other fun and educational activities. Surfing in Oregon is an experience you’ll never forget.

After surfing, you’ll travel to the Columbia River Gorge area near the Oregon-Washington border. Your next activity, whitewater rafting on the White Salmon River, will be a great change of pace but every bit as thrilling! Fed from the glaciers of majestic Mt. Adams and flowing through spectacular basalt canyons, this is a truly distinct and exhilarating stretch of river. Whitewater rafting on the White Salmon River epitomizes the lush and wild character of the Pacific Northwest in one exciting raft trip. Following your rafting adventure, you’ll have a day to hike to Multnomah Falls and explore the Bonneville Dam of the Hood River Gorge.

From here, your next destination will be Smith Rock State Park, a well-known climbing mecca in the US. You will have expert climbing instructors teach you the ins and outs of rock climbing in this remarkable area of high desert cliffs and crags. Once your skills are superbly accomplished, you’ll take on one of the best-known routes in the area: the Tyrolean traverse of the “Monkey’s Face!” The course will be a challenge, but your rewards—unparalleled views and a monumental sense of accomplishment—will truly be as great as the obstacle you will have overcome to get there.

Once home to the Nez Perce Native Americans, the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa Mountains will be your home for your next adventure. You will spend the next five days and four nights in this incredible area. This vast region has almost 60 high alpine lakes, which are surrounded by open meadows, bare granite peaks and ridges, and classical U-shaped glacial valleys. After a day of prep, your journey on foot will begin. You will quickly learn the basics of backpacking as you traverse the area’s well-established trails. Working with your team of peers and leaders, you will acquire skills such as minimal-impact travel, campsite selection, and navigation with maps and compasses.

Following your days of climbing, you’ll begin preparation for the culminating segment of your trip. Mt. Adams is one of the highest peaks in the Cascade Range and offers stunning views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier. Following a day of climbing instruction on the flanks of this glaciated volcanic peak, you will embark on a memorable three-day climb. From the top of Mt. Adams, an awe-inspiring view of the entire Cascade Range will sprawl in front of you as you celebrate your accomplishment.

Your group will make its way back to the Portland area for your final day. Your last night together will conclude with the traditional WA farewell banquet, where you and your trip mates will reminisce on your adventures together. On your final morning, you will part ways with your heads and hearts full of memories of lifelong friends.