Wolf Camp is an outdoor school with summer camps & weekend workshops in King-Pierce-Thurston County.
We are an outdoor school with camps, classes, workshops, expeditions and apprenticeships specializing in wilderness skills including:
- wilderness survival
- traditional technologies
- wild edible and medicinal plants
- wildlife tracking and birding
- hunting, fishing and gathering
- sustainability and self-sufficiency
- outdoor teaching, parenting and leadership
- environmental policy - climate, wolves, etc.
Keywords: camps, summer camp, wilderness camp, day camps, nature camps, youth camps, survival skills, survival, wilderness survival, animals, plants, crafts, outdoor camp, overnight camp
Interview Q&A
How long have you been in business?
20 Years, since 1996
What is your primary product or service?
Summer Camps, Nature Classes, Survival Workshops, Earth Skills Apprenticeships, Etc.
How did you first become interested in your line of business? (if owner) - What is your background? (If owner or store manager)
Chris Chisholm founded Wolf Camp in 1996, and he is author of the Wolf Journey Earth Conservation Courses. He grew up in the north woods of Minnesota, spent his high school years in Germany and tromping around the Alps, studied in the Ecuadoran Andes for his college junior year abroad, and moved to the west coast after earning a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1991. From 1992-95, Chris worked as a Level II Certified Youth Counselor at Sea Mar Community Health Centers. He taught Spanish from 1995-97 at the Whatcom Hills Waldorf School, and was an active member of the Whatcom County Chapter, Washington State Music Teachers Association from 1996-2003. In addition to running Wolf Camp and the Conservation College, he has taught for the North Cascades Institute, Waldorf Schools and various other organizations up and down the west coast. Chris is considered an inspirational storyteller, musician, teacher, counselor, outdoorsman, conservationist, cooperative businessman, and friend to all who have shared time with him at Wolf Camp. Chris has received training in Wilderness First Aid and Site/Risk Management over the years from the Wilderness Medicine Training Center, most recently with a WFA Certification in May 2016, and completed training as an EMT in 2009. Other recent trainings also include American Red Cross Lifeguard Certification in June 2016. He was certified as a basic tracker by Joel Harden Professional Tracking Services and was an active member of Snohomish & King County Search & Rescue tracking teams throughout 2009-2010. He also earned a Level II Wildlife Trailing Specialist Certificate from Cybertracker, Int’l in 2012 with a score of 87% and also holds a Cybertracker Track & Sign Certification.
Kimberly McKillip Chisholm grew up in Puyallup, Washington. She is a delightful teacher with a B.S. in Wildlife Science from the University of Washington College of Forest Resources where she specialized in corvids and birds in general. Kim was a member, trainer, and past president of King County Search Dogs, a unit of King County Search & Rescue, of which she and her late border collie, Skye, were active members for 12 years. Among other certifications and accolades, she received her Permaculture Design Certificate through Sustainable Tacoma-Pierce in 2010, her Wilderness First Aid certificate from the Wilderness Medicine Training Institute in spring of 2016, and her Cybertracker Track & Sign Certification with a field evaluation score of 87% in the fall of 2013. Wolf Camp and the Conservation College operates its home office at Kim’s late grandparent’s old farmhouse next to Clark’s Creek & Park which includes rare artesian springs surrounded by lowland old growth forest on Washington State Fish & Wildlife lands.
How do you differentiate yourself from other businesses in your category and area?
The answer is two-fold. First, our hallmark 6-1 average, 8-1 maximum student-teacher ratio is critical for any outdoor program to run safe, profound and fun experiences in the field. Second and equally important, our professionally-trained instructors are skilled in the arts and science of teaching – not just the subject matter we love to share.
How many locations do you have and do you have plans to expand?
We are based in Puyallup WA but offer camps, classes and workshops in Olympia, Lake Sammamish, Mount Rainier and the Yakima Canyon.
Provide detailed directions to your location
Our Lake Sammamish location is the 200 acre Hans Jensen Group Camp, 4460 East Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE, Issaquah WA 98029 with private entrance across from the boat landing off East Lake Sammamish Drive, not to the main state park entrance.
What type of payments do you accept?
All
Which areas do you service?
Seattle Metro, Lake Sammamish, Olympia, Puyallup & Pierce County
Who owns your company or runs daily operations?
Kim & Chris Chisholm
What is the best compliment anyone can give you?
Here's one of many testimonials listed on our website: "We can't say enough good things about this camp - it's not just about the learning which there is plenty of that, but it's much more. We have repeatedly sent our daughter who is now 13, and can't wait until our 5 year old is 6 so she can begin as well. Chris and Kim, the camp directors, and the camp instructors are all top notch. We sent our daughter here the first year when she was going through a difficult time and she came back inspired and healthy and couldn't stop talking about her experience and everyone she met at Wolf Camp. We are very thankful she has this camp to look forward to every Summer!" - Lori F.
Contact Wolf Camp and the Conservation College:
