Questions parents ask

Backpacking has real risk, and we're not going to pretend otherwise. We do what we can to mitigate the risks, to create a safe environment. We keep a ratio of one guide for every six campers, and Ezra and Dovid Tzvi are certified in adult and pediatric First Aid, CPR, and AED. They personally lead every trip themselves, not a hired counselor doing this for the first time. In the field, our guides have final say on route, pace, and daily schedule, and they'll change the plan without hesitation if weather or terrain calls for it.

Mornings start with Shacharis, often on a ridge as the sun comes up. We eat breakfast, learn some torah, then we pack up and pack out. Then hiking: real trail miles through the Slide Mountain wilderness. Lunch is often eaten with a gorgeous landscape view from the top of some of the tallest mountains in the region. Nights are spent in tents at backcountry campsites, around a fire, with no cabin in sight. No phones, no screens, for four straight days.

We do not currently run trips through shabbos, but if we find there is demand for an uplifting shabbos in the wilderness, we would be excited to provide that experience. Both of the guides have experience camping on shabbos. They can teach skills like eiruv building, and halachos that pertain to this unique experience.

The food really kosher. We strictly adhere to the orthodox standards of kashrus. We do eat cholov stam. If you personally adhere to more stringent standards, please include that in your application, and we will be sure to accommodate.

No. We ask about hiking experience on the application so we know where to start, not to screen anyone out. Guides adjust the pace to the group, and first-time hikers are exactly who we plan for.

Once a group is out on the trail, there's no simple pickup; that's part of what makes the experience what it is. Our guides talk through hard moments with campers directly. We're upfront about this before you commit, not after.

Our guides are First Aid/CPR/AED certified and handle it directly in the field. Because this is backcountry, not a campus with a nurse's office, we ask parents to carry their own health insurance (our liability coverage doesn't replace it) and to consider travel or medical evacuation insurance, since a backcountry evacuation can be a real cost that isn't always covered by a standard plan.

$1,000 per camper. That covers his spot on the trip with our guides, all food, transportation from The White Shul and back, and a tent and hiking pack on loan for the trip (packs are returned after). He brings his own sleeping bag, clothing, and personal gear; we send a full packing list once he's accepted. Once you apply, we'll follow up with full payment details.

Yes. For every new camper you refer who goes on a trip, you get $100 off your son's trip, with no limit. Just have the family put your name in the "Referred by" box on their application.

Tell us on the application; there's a short health check built in. If he's accepted, we'll send a link to a full health form before the trip so our guides have everything they need in the field.

One of us will personally be in touch within a few days. The trip choices on the application already match your son's grade, so you're only choosing among options that make sense. If he's accepted, we'll send a private link to fill out the health form, waiver, and code of conduct online, along with payment details.

Please do. Call R' Dovid Tzvi at (516) 382-0568 or R' Ezra at (773) 946-0081, Sunday to Thursday between 4 and 10 PM, or use the Request a call form on our Contact page and we'll call you at a time you pick.

Full refund 30 or more days before the trip, 50% refund 14 to 29 days before, and no refund inside 14 days, except if we're the ones who cancel, in which case it's a full refund regardless of timing. Complete terms are in the liability waiver sent to accepted families.

We'll send a full packing list once he's accepted, so nothing gets missed: boots that are actually broken in, layers, and no cotton anywhere near the top of that list.