W.I.L.D. (Wilderness Immersion and Leadership Development): Teen Rites of Passage Backpacking Camp

Join Back to Earth for a transformative adventure in the Sierra Nevada Mountains this summer. Make new friends, expand your horizons, overcome challenges, deepen your sense of self.

Since 2014, Back to Earth has guided backpacking adventures for teenage boys in some of the most stunning places in California. Our programs combine technical backcountry skills, mindfulness, and personal ritual, inviting young men into relationship with what is wild and sacred in themselves, and in the world.

Our 2025 season is almost full! A handful of spots remain across the following trips:

July 7-16 - for rising 10th grade and up - 1 spot remaining

July 14-20 - for rising 8th and 9th grade - 2 spots remaining

July 28 - August 3 - for rising 8th and 9th grade - 4 spots remaining

See the full trip information, summer schedule, and registration details at www.backtoearth.org/wild

*Trips in 2025 will run in Yosemite National Park, the John Muir Wilderness, Sierra National Forest, and Tahoe National Forest. Pick up and drop off take place at a public park in Emeryville. Transportation to and from the mountains is provided.

Want to speak to a real live person, and see if this is a good fit for the young person in your life? Reach out to BTE Director Eli Marienthal at eli [at] backtoearth.org (eli[at]backtoearth[dot]org) to set up a time to talk.

We look forward to hearing from you!