I want to recommend Camp Unalayee, which my kid is eagerly looking forward to attending for her 3rd year. It's a very special summer camp, located in a really gorgeous, protected wild high-mountain environment within the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area, and based in Palo Alto, but with a regular contingent from the East Bay (a bus for each session picks up & drops off in Berkeley). It's a classic two-week sleep-away camp without any competitive sports or academic instruction, and it offers an experience of independence, & a chance to build life-long friendships, that most programs don't even approach. There's also a laid-back family camp session with a nice mix of newcomers & returnees of all ages including grandparents & babies. The featured activity is backpacking in small groups, a great way for kids to build self-confidence, muscles, social skills, & appreciation of nature. The camp has been in operation since the 1950s and has a very stable staff and a loyal multi- generational following. The unofficial camp culture is strongly environmentalist with a playful multi-cultural spiritualism: it's not for techies who can't live without their laptops & cell phones, or fundamentalists who might be offended by impromptu celebrations of earth and sky spirits, or conquer-the-earth survivalists. What's different about Camp Unalayee is how little hype there is, and how much good humor: you can just feel that people are joyful to be there. - a very happy parent

Re: Wilderness program for unmotivated video-gamer son
Camp Unalayee www.unalayee.org It's in the Trinity Alps and they have backpacking trips for teenagers in a stunning and pristine area of Northern California wilderness lover

The wilderness camp I referred to is Camp Unalayee, in the Trinity Wilderness area, up near the Oregon border. It's 2 rugged weeks of living in the wilderness. No cabins, no bathrooms no dining hall. THe kids do all their own cooking at the campsites. In the central camp there are latrines and solar "showers" and one of the most beautiful lake basins you will ever lay your eyes on. The camp has been around for 50 years. THey start out in coed groups ranging in ages from 10-17 for the first part of camp. Then kids elect to sign up for small medium or large scale hikes. Trips out of "central" can go as far as nearly 100 miles on the trail or as few as 3 miles. THe true hiking junkies can sign up for the full 2 weeks on the trail, but it's good to start with the in camp/out of camp at first since it is more rustic than many people can imagine. It's pristine wilderness combined with some good social and personal development, terriffic staff. I'd say it's been one of the formative experiences in both my boys' lives, imbuing in them a deep appreciation for nature and the place we have within it. For information: Camp Unalayee (650) 969-6313 office in Palo Alto Winifred