Alpendude is a new summer adventure camp for boys age 12-14 that offers 2 weeks of teen adventure travel in SW Montana with wilderness backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, canoeing, fly-fishing, sea kayaking, Yellowstone National Park, white water rafting, yoga and hot spring soaking.

For many years, Alpengirl camp parents have been asking for a teen boys' camp version of our fun and action-packed outdoor teen adventures in the western U.S. Camp parents have expressed difficulty in finding a suitable alternative to traditional boys camps, boy scout camps or Outward Bound type programs and have been searching high and low for a boys only summer adventure camp similar in nature to Alpengirl.

Great News Parents...Alpendude Summer Adventure Camp for Boys has arrived!

Summer 2010 marks the first Alpendude boys adventure camp summer session. This session is open to a small adventurous group of 12 "dudes" or campers, age 12-14. No experience is necessary to join the group. The session is designed for those new to adventure sports and wilderness camping, we teach everything at a beginner level and introduce you to a ton of activities in 14 fast-paced and action-packed days. Average fitness and a willingness to commit to the group in the interest of safety and enjoyment are required. You'll be guided by 2 adult male role-model outdoor adventure gurus personally selected for their professional outdoor leadership experience with teen boys and their ability to make all events from "campfire gourmet" cooking to Leave No Trace education... FUN!

Welcome to AlpenDude!

The latest addition to the Alpengirl teen adventure camp family!

Day 1: Arriving at the Bozeman airport, your Alpendude leaders will greet you and introduce you to the rest of your group before driving away to our first campground in the mountains. You'll enjoy being a member of an outdoor cook crew and preparing and eating the first of many healthy and appetizing "campfire gourmet" meals tonight followed by a good nights sleep in tents or under the stars.

Day 2: Yoga introduction and an introduction to backpacking basics followed by about 1 mile of hiking above an alpine lake to start our 5 day backpacking trip. We take it easy on the first few days of backpacking to allow you to adjust to new elevation gains and backpacking. No camping or backpacking experience is necessary, however, average fitness is required. Note: Yoga is a start to every day at camp. At Alpendude we introduce yoga as an athletic practice that is intended to unite mind and body while increasing flexibility and balance and ultimately results in overall body control, strength and relaxation. Yoga is sure to improve your performance in other sports you may enjoy such as soccer, skiing, rock climbing, skateboarding, basketball, etc.

Day 3-6: We'll continue to have a group-determined backpacking route and itinerary based on weather, trail conditions, ability and interest that best meets the groups desires and safety. We could backpack anywhere from 3-10 miles each day on a progressive backpack trip or we could decide to set up a higher elevation base camp and go off-piste on lengthy day hikes to explore mountain lakes and peaks with grand views of the mountains all around us. After backpacking, we'll load our gear back into the van and drive out of the mountains to the valley below for showers and laundry.

Day 7: A relaxing day by the river with an educational beginner-level introduction to the sport of catch and release fly-fishing. Local fly fishing guides will teach us about fishing tackle and rods, knot tying, fly selection and trout behavior and will provide casting instruction. We'll end the day by trying out our skills at a nearby world-class fly fishing river followed by an evening of soaking and live music at a nearby public hot spring pool. Camping riverside in a public campground nearby.

Day 8: Continuing on our loop around the SW corner of Montana, we'll drive over the continental divide to cross the border into Idaho and meet our sea kayaking guides for a full day of lake sea kayaking, swimming and hiking. Camping riverside in a forest service campground near the Idaho-Montana border.

Day 9: Mountain biking near Yellowstone National Park. Mountain biking is introduced at a beginner level on gravel roads and/or trails and is non-technical. Camping riverside in a forest service campground nearby.

Day 10: Introductory flat-water canoeing and swimming on the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in Idaho today. Camping same.

Day 11: A pre-sunrise "alpine" start into Yellowstone National Park will hopefully prove rewarding with best wildlife viewing possibilities and least amount of vehicle traffic. Old Faithful, wolves, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, geysers, elk, bears, bubbling mud cauldrons, bison, and more during our road-based Yellowstone tour with short exploratory hikes. Camping same.

Day 12: Class II-IV whitewater rafting on the Gallatin River and camping in a forest service campground nearby.

Day 13: An early morning drive brings us closer to the end of our loop through southwest Montana for a full day of rock climbing, rappelling and belaying in Gallatin Canyon. Tonight we'll have our closing camp award ceremony and other surprises! Camping same.

Day 14: Departing from Bozeman, Montana Gallatin Field Airport. See you next summer!