When the pandemic hit, I was living in Minneapolis, MN and working as a corporate copywriter in the healthcare industry. I slowly realized that I needed a change. A year and a half later, my life could not be more different. I never thought I’d be working in the outdoor education industry with...
During the last day of the eight- to twelve-year-old camp, Outdoor Explores, we took the Campers to the Ice Caves nearby campus. Taking a large group of this age group into a pitch-black cave with slippery ice as flooring, meant we had to be absolutely positive that everyone had all the necessary...
This summer I truly feel like I’m the lucky one - I get to go to camp all summer long!After a very isolating past year filled with many uncertainties, I feel very grateful to be constantly surrounded and supported by a cohort of fantastic co-educators and campers. Getting to temporarily call Trout...
Although this is my second year serving as an AmeriCorps intern at Mt. Adams institute, this is my first experience working here at the camp, in-person with the campers and fellow counselors. I began my time with the program last summer, right in the middle of the pandemic. In-person summer camp...
Howdy! In late May, I packed up nearly all of my belongings and traveled 2,200 miles to the Pacific Northwest. Little did I know that I could flourish and challenge myself in this new environment to develop different strategies to help campers get a better glance at our big, beautiful, and...
Summer Camp 2021 is happening!! Day Camps for Summer 2021 will run Monday through Thursday 9am – 3pm. Check out the dates here! Cost per week: $325 | Shuttle Option: $50 | Scholarships Available Register Here! If the camp you are interested in is full, please sign up for the waiting list. If you...
I grew up just outside of Portland, Oregon. Despite living in one of the most beautiful and accessible places to nature, I didn't get into my hobbies of hiking, backpacking, and road tripping until I was a young adult. I decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail when I was 22, feeling like I needed...
Given the format change, we have reduced the price from $325 to $90 per camp; and added 1 additional sibling per family free of charge! We anticipate that camps will fill to capacity and recommend that you sign up sooner than later. At-Home Adventures (A-HA!) brings camp right to your home. Each...
Below are some important updates for Cascade Mountain School summer camps. First, the million dollar question . . .will summer camp happen this year? In these ever changing times, we unfortunately cannot provide a definitive answer just yet, BUT we can tell you how we plan to proceed: May 15th is...
Over two years ago, I sat in a Caffè Nero in Istanbul, Turkey, overlooking the Bosphorus Strait, writing my AmeriCorps application to work at Cascade Mountain School. I measured time by the number of barges that passed, shipping goods from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm. I...
Cascade Mountain School extends a huge thank you to all our community partners who support our programming year round by sharing their knowledge and practices, homes and trades, experiences and inspiration with our participants. YOU make our programming rich, deep, and grounded in the Columbia...
There is a certain personal power that possesses me and I believe it has propelled me through most of my bold, ill-advised, far-off and ultimately life-shaping experiences. That spirit goes along nicely with a sentiment from T.S. Eliot that I’ve come to own privately, “If you aren’t in over your...
Jocelyn Akins knows her audience. “Wanna bust your balls all day in the field with me tomorrow slinging frozen beaver?” This is the text I receive. Entirely out of the blue. Entirely unsurprising, given who it’s coming from. Jocelyn Akins (Dr. Akins if we want to get...
Trout Lake, WA - Mt. Adams Institute has received a $1,149,768 grant from AmeriCorps the federal agency responsible for national service and community volunteerism. This funding will support up to 74 AmeriCorps members across the country participating in Mt. Adams...
Sense of Place is returning to live, in-person lectures. Join us on March 9th at 7 p.m. at the Columbia Center for the Arts to learn about Rajneeshees in Oregon with Les Zaitz. This event will have limited in-person ticket sales, but will also be live-streamed so...
What a year this has been so far! Throughout my internship, I have been exposed to so many new learning opportunities. My position had a slow start, but as my qualifications began stacking up, so did the availability of work I was able to do. A large majority of what...
Trout Lake, Wash. (Oct. 3, 2021) — Mt. Adams Institute (MAI) received a $75,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust for facility construction and renovation on MAI’s campus. This includes final additions to the new pavilion, replacement of bunkhouse...
After spending the past ten years as the Executive Director of the Mt. Adams Institute (MAI), I have decided to step away from the organization.. . . AND that’s a good thing! Let me tell you why. In the beginning, MAI was just an idea that stemmed from finding myself...
Mt. Adams Institute (MAI) is recruiting a new executive director. Current leader, Brendan Norman, announced his resignation effective May 1, 2022. Norman, along with MAI’s founding board of directors, created the organization in 2011. MAI, a nonprofit organization...
The Umatilla National Forest (UNF) recently restricted access to the public due to unfavorable fire conditions. The unprecedented heatwave that washed over the Pacific Northwest in June set record-breaking high temperatures causing fire season to come early. Until the...
Congratulations to former Public Lands Stewards (PLS) Intern Robyn Reeder! She is the new Biotechnician at Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Our Outreach Coordinator Trevor was lucky enough to sit down and talk with Robyn about her new position and how PLS helped...
In honor of Great Outdoors Month, our AmeriCorps Program Director Aaron Stanton shared this thrilling story of his rescue on the river. "In 2018 I had the good fortune to raft and kayak the Grand Canyon. The trip did not end the way I would have liked, but it still...