Wilderness Trips

To enhance self-confidence while building teamwork skills and traits.

To learn responsible and safe backcountry travel, camping and survival skills.

To foster an appreciation for the natural world and wild places.

To have new and fun experiences in unique and adventurous settings!

Please check out our packing list and what camp will provide here.

Prohibited Items: These items are not allowed at Camp and will be confiscated by Camp staff.

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco products – including cigarettes, vapes, and chewing tobacco, All electronic devices, Cell phones, Matches and lighters, Flammable substances, Weapons, Sharp implements – including knives and hatchets

Special Note: Snacks and drinks (excluding soda pop and candy) are now allowed in reasonable quantities. Please be advised that all snacks and drinks will be stored and monitored by counselors. Due to the nature of summer camp, we advise that no items of sentimental or monetary value are brought to camp. Camp Daggett is not responsible for any lost, damaged or stolen items.

Wilderness Campers arrive Sunday afternoon for check-in, experience a day of adventure and teambuilding on our ropes challenge course on Monday, and depart for their Wilderness Trip on Tuesday. The group will then put their newfound skills to the test as they head off on a four-day, three-night adventure in the wild – arriving back at Camp Daggett on Friday.

Although the trips vary in location and difficulty, each focuses on “Leave No Trace” backcountry ethics, basic survival abilities, and the general history and ecology of the area. Campers will learn skills such as filtering water, thumbnail navigation with a map, hanging a bear bag, and more. Pathfinder campers will also experience “dispersed camping” some nights, meaning they will not be in a campground; instead, they will find a nice place along the trail. Campers will have to filter water from streams, dig holes to bury human waste, eat while sitting on the ground instead of a picnic table, etc.

Each trip will be led by two knowledgeable and experienced staff members—one male and one female guide. At least one guide per trip will have CPR, first aid, and lifeguard certifications.

All Wilderness Campers may arrive at the Adventure Center beginning at 3:00PM.

As part of the camper registration process, parents of campers who require medications will meet directly with the Camp Health Director at the Health Cabin to discuss your camper’s needs and to check-in all medications.

PLEASE NOTE: All medications must be brought to camp in their original bottles and/or packages.

Campers may be picked up from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on Saturday. There is no set arrival time for pickup. Camper medications may be picked up at the Health Cabin. When your camper is packed up and you are ready to leave, we will be doing in-car check out as you exit camp by the canoeing shed.

PLEASE NOTE: A photo I.D. will be required to pick up your camper on Saturday morning.

Camp Daggett operates as a youth summer camp licensed by the State of Michigan. We implement high quality programming while adhering the licensing standards set Michigan’s Camp Licensing department. Below are some pertinent policies and protocols for our Summer Camp program. This is not a comprehensive list of Camp Daggett policies – additional policies may apply.

Gender Identification Policy

Camp Daggett prohibits discrimination against or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities on the basis of sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Summer camps must ensure that they do not discriminate against individuals (including youth campers, adult volunteers, and staff) on any of these bases. While this policy is not new, the Camp Daggett Board of Trustees are seeking guidance each year on how to update and implement this policy.

Camp Daggett staff will address all campers by the name the camper choses. Cabin assignments will be made based on the camper’s sex assigned at birth (as recorded on their birth certificate). Accommodations will be made for private bathroom, shower and changing areas for those requesting such accommodations.

Social Networking Policy

In general, we at Camp Daggett view social networking sites (e.g., Facebook and Instagram), personal Web sites, and Weblogs positively and respect the right of campers to use them as a medium of self-expression. However, we share the concerns of many families, schools, and camps regarding the dangers associated with young people’s use of social networking Web sites. Therefore, it is our feeling at Camp Daggett that if a camper chooses to identify himself or herself as a camper at our camp on such Internet venues, some readers of such Web sites or blogs may view the camper as a representative or spokesperson of the camp. In light of this possibility, our camp requires, as a condition of continued participation in the camp, that campers observe the following guidelines when referring to the camp, its programs or activities, its campers, and/or employees, in a blog or on a Web site.

Campers should be respectful in all communications and blogs related to or referencing the camp, its employees, and other campers.

Campers should not use social networking sites, blogs, or personal Web sites to disparage the camp, other campers, or employees of the camp.

Campers should not use social networking sites, blogs, or personal Web sites to harass, bully, or intimidate other campers or employees of the camp. Behaviors that constitute harassment and bullying include, but are not limited to, comments that are derogatory with respect to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, color, or disability; sexually suggestive, humiliating, or demeaning comments; and threats to stalk, haze, or physically injure another person.

Furthermore, our pledge is to put your children in the company of the most trustworthy and capable young adults we can hire—counselors who are well suited to the task of caring for campers. The effort we put into screening and selecting our staff is part of that pledge. Our staff members work with your children in the context of a visible, well scrutinized environment that has many built-in checks and balances. Counselors are supervised by senior staff guided by clear, firm policies regarding behavior. Their actions are also visible to co-workers and campers. In general, we discourage our staff from having contact with your children after camp and from sharing information through social networking sites, blogs, or personal Web sites, since we cannot supervise it. We hire our staff for the camp season and train them extensively in such policies, but we cannot take responsibility for their behavior off-season. We also respect their desire for continued privacy during the off-season.

We recommend that you as the parent supervise your child’s online activities just as you do other aspects of their life in your home, and we hope that, in particular, you will discuss this information with your child. Please know that we remain committed to the health and safety of all members of our community. As always, we appreciate your support and welcome your comments.

Camp staff will make every effort to work closely with parents and campers to ensure a safe camping experience at all times. In order to help facilitate this process, we ask all parents/guardians to please clearly identify all food allergies that your child has, prior to attending Camp, that may cause a concern for your child while they are here.

Our Health Director reviews all camper applications prior to the start of each camping session and will contact parents, ahead of each week, to clarify any health concerns that may exist, as well as, to develop a plan of action for your child. There will also be an opportunity during check-in for parents to meet with our Health Director to update any food allergy issues and discuss potential concerns. Additionally, Camp Area Directors, Counselors and kitchen staff are all notified about campers with special dietary restrictions or concerns. Those campers who require suitable food alternatives (as instructed by a family doctor) will be accommodated to ensure your child’s safety and well-being.

PLEASE NOTE:

When sending snacks with your child, please try to avoid peanut-based products. When there is a camper with airborne allergies to nut products, the counseling staff will request peanut-based products are removed from the area.

We ask that you please limit the number of snacks sent with each camper during the week. Your child will be well-fed and will receive nightly snacks during his/her stay with us, thus, there is little time for your child to enjoy snacks sent from home. Furthermore, managing large quantities of snacks only burdens our counselors and takes away from the valuable time they have to spend with your child in other activities. Please be advised that all snacks and drinks will be monitored by cabin counselors and staff.

Reminder: As stated in our Prohibited Items Policy, soda and candy are NOT allowed in Camp. Such items will be confiscated and returned to you at the end of the week.