Ascend Wilderness Experience is hosting a volunteer trail stewardship car-camping weekend at Big Flat campground in the Coffee Creek area October 19-20. This trip will consist of two days of easy to moderate difficulty day hikes that will also include some log outs and light brushing on nearby trails.
For those new to hiking or trail work, this is a great opportunity to learn from experienced guides and for seasoned hikers, it's a great way to appreciate and give back to our local trails. As always, all food, gear, transportation and guidance are provided at no cost.
Ascend trips are open to all skill levels with gear available to borrow from an extensive gear lending library.
Join Ascend in a fall adventure tending our public trails and enjoying AWEsome company. To learn more and sign up, visit ascendwilderness.org or call 530-739-1177.
Ascend Wilderness Experience has concluded its summer season with an impressive amount of trips under our belt. For our fall season, we still have a few more trips available, but first, let's dive into what has happened so far!
During the month of May, Ascend had an all adult stewardship project on the Waldorf Crossing trail that saw some badly needed clearing, brushing, and logouts! In June, our 5-day adult stewardship trip to the Canyon Creek trailhead received a lot of love from our staff + volunteers, helping clear 55 trees from the trails caused by last winter’s big storms and doing miles of brushwork. We also had an adult day hike trip up to Shimmy Lake where some moderate brush work was done. Our 7-day Teen Stewardship Trip saw 8 teen volunteers collaborate with the United States Forest Service to do some heavy-duty trailwork on the Boulder Lakes trail system that also included 55 logouts, retreading, and brushing work. The month of June also kick started our youth backpacking program with two day hikes, one on the Lewiston Lake trail and another in Whiskeytown Falls.
In the month of July, Ascend provided youth ages 9-14 backpacking trips ranging from 3-5 days to East Boulder Lakes, Boulder Lakes, Paynes Lake in the Russian Wilderness, and Deadfall Lake. Two teen trips that included youth from the Dream Quest Youth Center and volunteer teens, participated in a trip to Boulder Lake and Stuart Fork. The Teen Field Science Trip up Stuart Fork was a collaboration with BigFoot Trail Alliance and Cal Poly geologists. We were joined by Executive Director Michael Kauffmann, a noted local author, as well as Botanist Liz Houghton who engaged the teens in the world of plotting and soil sampling. An all-ages 2-day backpacking trip was completed up at Boulder Lakes that involved light-duty brushing. To spread awareness of Leave No Trace ethics, Ascend tabled at Stuarts Fork and Canyon Creek Trailheads during the Fourth of July weekend to hand out information on trail conditions and permits for campfires to bustling crowds going into the wilderness.
September and October will see a couple of trips, some of which are still looking for volunteers to join. An all adult 7-day stewardship backpacking trip in collaboration with BigFoot Trail Alliance will be taking place the last week of September going into October to the Long Gulch trail system. This trip will include pack support from the USFS with their famous pack mules and will focus on trail work that will also include logouts and brushing while camping under the stars. Lastly, we will culminate our fall season trips in October with a Car-Camping Stewardship Trip in the Coffee Creek area, location is still TBD.
If you or anyone you know are interested in joining one of Ascend’s upcoming trips please contact us via email at Information.ascend@gmail.com or contact us by phone at 1-530-739-1177.
Upcoming Trips:
September 29th - October 5th – Long Gulch trail system, adult stewardship, 7-day backpacking with brushing and logouts in collaboration with the USFS and their famous pack mules as pack support.
October 19-20 – Location TBD, structure of the trip will be Car Camping with the option of a day hike to our work area.
We know you have all been chomping at the bit to sign up for Ascend's summer programs. We are officially launched and have an exciting schedule planned for 2024. We have trips for all ages; youth 6-18, teen internships, adult stewardship and multi-generational/family trips. We have something for everyone, whether you're absolutely new to backpacking and hiking, or you're looking for a more immersive backcountry experience. Check out our Trip Description page for more details on each date we have planned. To apply, click here to access our digital registration form. Our deadline to apply is May 15! Both youth and adult day hikes are first-come, first-served. You can apply anytime before May 15 for our youth multi-day backpacking trips and those groups will be curated once we have all the applications, but those spaces are also limited due to wilderness permit group size restrictions. (Our Adult Autumn shoulder season trips registration window is open until August 15).
Call the office for any questions, 530-739-1177. See you on the trails!
With such enthusiasm and support from kids, parents, and schools alike, Ascend Wilderness Experience's Spring Break Day Camp returns again this year for another AWEsome time! We are thrilled to offer a safe place for youth during Spring Break (April 1-5) at East Weaver Campground. The relief this day camp provides to working parents has been a solution for our community even more powerful than we expected. You can fill out an application here or drop by Ascend's office to pick up a printed copy from the box outside the office door (we're located next to White Wolf Gym on Forest Ave. in Weaverville).
This year's Spring Break Day Camp promises to outshine 2023's since we have a knowledge base from which to launch improvements to last year's successful program. Spring Break Day Camp is a way for kids to connect with nature, identify with their role in our environment, and learn organically, away from screens for a bit. They are educated about the wilderness in a fun, hands-on way, while having a great time playing and interacting with one another. Stewardship is always the backdrop for an Ascend Wilderness Experience. By building compassion for our surroundings, humans develop respect and appreciation for many things.
As an all-inclusive program, Ascend's Spring Break Day Camp provides everything a child needs to participate and be well nourished*. Donations are graciously accepted, but not required for enrollment.
*Thank you to our local business sponsor for their generous contribution to provide healthy meals and snacks: Trinity River Lumber Company in Weaverville, CA
In wrapping up 2023, we are looking at the numbers and are blown away by Ascend's accomplishments this year - Ascend hosted 16 more days in wilderness than the previous year and served over twice as many youth!
This accomplishment is largely thanks to the launch of our very first Spring Break Day Camp (SBDC) in April 2023. This program offered outdoor education and adventurous day hikes to 60 youth, ages 5-14, during the week of spring break at no cost to families. SBDC also employed high school counselors during the week, providing adult mentorship and references as well as a source of income to teens during their time off from school.
Ascend wants to make sure to offer this excellent opportunity for youth in April of 2024!
During December, all donations to Ascend will go to supporting Spring Break Day Camp. Please consider including Ascend in your end of year giving!
