What will your kids do on their summer vacation?

Watch TV? Play video games? Spend hours on the Internet?

For most kids, the answer is probably "all of the above." But if they go to a
wilderness camp, their answers might also include the following:

"Traveling through the wilderness with a small group tends to teach you about yourself," says Paul Danicic, director of YMCA Camp Menogyn. "There’s a physical challenge to it, there’s a mental challenge to it, and there’s an emotional challenge to it."

With most wilderness camps, long trips are rite-of-passage-type experiences reserved for veteran campers.

From its fixed base on West Bearskin Lake, Menogyn sends about 600 kids each summer on canoeing, backpacking, and rock climbing trips. Trip lengths range from eight days to 50 days.

With most wilderness camps, long trips are rite-of-passage-type experiences reserved for veteran campers.

"People experience very deep connections to programs like Widjiwagan and Menogyn," says Liz Flinn, executive director of YMCA Camp Widjiwagan. Flinn is walking proof of her statement; she started out as a camper herself, "many, many years ago."

Typically, wilderness camps operate from a fixed base. Your child will probably spend a couple days at base with his or her trip group, packing food, planning the route and learning basic skills like knot-tying and canoe strokes. He or she might also take a swimming test. After that, the group leaves on their trip.

Trip groups are usually small and single-gender, which helps forge tight friendships.

When choosing a trip, consult with your child.

Camps have different age guidelines. Menogyn, for example, takes campers
from ages 12-18, while Outward Bound offers courses for teens and adults. Check with your camp of choice for individual guidelines.

When choosing a trip, consult with your child. If he or she has never canoed before and is leery about the idea of an extended stay in the wilderness, sign the child up for a residential camp whose sessions include short trips. If your child has some wilderness experience and is eager for more, then check out a two-week backpacking trip.

Maybe you’re wondering: Who’s in charge of your precious children while they’re paddling across lakes and traipsing through the woods?

Many counselors, or "trail guides" as they’re sometimes called, are former campers. They’re definitely not in it for the money.

"You’re underpaid and overworked," says Jeff Krohn, who worked as a counselor for a camp in the Rocky Mountains, "but if you like kids and the outdoors, it’s one of the best jobs you’ll ever have."

Guides are usually college-aged, with medical training and extensive wilderness experience.

"A lot of our staff are really knowledgeable about the environment they’re traveling through," says Flinn. "So they’ll teach kids about trees and plants and water quality and stuff like that."

Trip costs range from $640 for an 8-day Superior Hiking Trail backpacking trip to over $2000 for a 50-day whitewater canoeing expedition in the Canadian Arctic. Scholarships are available at most camps.

Equipment costs can be minimal or exorbitant: you can buy a fancy fleece jacket at a major retailer for $100 or a wool sweater from a thrift store for $3. Your call.

Gunflint Wilderness Camp for Boys
Ages 10-18
2 and 4-week sessions, including trips
www.gunflintcamp.com
(800) 451-5270

YMCA Camp Menogyn
Ages 12-18
Trip lengths 8-50 days
www.campmenogyn.org
(612) 822-2267

Northern Tier High Adventure
Charles Sommers Canoe Base (Ely)
Boy Scouts: Ages 10-18
Trip lengths 6-10 days
http://www.ntier.org
218) 365-4811

Outward Bound
Ages 12-adult
Trip lengths 4 days-3 months
www.outwardboundwilderness.org
(866) 467-7651

Camp Thunderbird
Ages 8-16
4-8 week sessions including trips
www.camptbird.com
(877) 567-9140

Camp Voyageur
Ages 10-17
Trip lengths 3-16 days
www.campvoyageur.com
(800) 950-7291

YMCA Camp Widjiwagan
Ages 12-18
Trip lengths 8-50 days
www.widji.org
(651) 645-6605