Rangers Apprenticeship: Year-Round Outdoor Program Portland, OR
Trackers Apprenticeships provide an opportunity for youth to work with highly experienced mentors throughout the year to develop self-reliance, confidence and character by gaining incredible outdoor skills including wilderness survival, animal tracking, intensive awareness, wild plants, and archery. In our apprenticeship program, every family member benefits from a rich village of learning.
The Rangers Guild
In the Rangers Guild you learn from masters of tracking, wilderness survival, invisibility and strategy. These arts that develop competency and confidence in both education and adulthood.
The Rangers Apprenticeship is for youth ages 9-10, 11-12 and 13-17. Trackers mentors guide apprentices through completing the basics of Rangers Level 1 and beyond.
What is the Rangers Apprenticeship?
When your child joins the Rangers Apprenticeship they become part of the Trackers Rangers Guild. Youth work with experienced mentors to develop authentic outdoor skills applicable to all aspects of life and learning. They work both independently and as part of a team to realize their goals. They connect with like-minded peers to share fantastic experiences. This is not just a club, this is a path of study in a deep set of ancient arts...
- Tracking Rangers Apprentices delve into the incredible world of wildlife by training to become master trackers of the most subtle sign.
- Wilderness Survival Apprentices train in proper archery form, focus and accuracy and craft their own wood bow. They make friction fire, emergency shelter, training in wilderness survival through immersive activities.
- Curriculum of the Shadows The Rangers Guild practices a martial art that teaches hyper-adaptive awareness through lessons in ecology, invisibility, stealth, leadership and systems awareness.
How it works
One weekend a month for nine months apprentices train in the field at our epic outdoor locations. Field days are from 9am-5pm. The older Rangers do two overnight expeditions, one in the fall, another in the spring. See below for class schedule. We feature specific age ranges for our Rangers Apprenticeship. Training is tailored for each age group.
Day programs...
Ages 6 Adventurers
Ages 7-8 Voyagers
Day programs & overnights...
Ages 9-10 Striders
Ages 11-12 Pathfinders
Ages 13-15 Guardians
A Family Program
Apprentices and their family also receive a free year membership in our Trackers Club, a fun monthly skills share where families train with our experienced instructors in wilderness crafts, naturalist studies and animal tracking. Trackers Club is open to immediate family members, so bring everyone along as we create a village of people who love the outdoors.
Commitment and Service
Becoming a Trackers Ranger is lifetime pursuit and a rite of passage. Apprenticeship also means refining leadership skills and mentoring younger or less experienced Rangers by assisting with other courses and camps at Trackers. There is also the option to add one day a week of our after school program where Apprentices can choose to learn leadership skills working with their mentors and aspiring Junior Rangers.
Rangers Apprenticeship
Time
Ages 6-8
9 Field Days
One Saturday every month, 9am - 5pm. See below for schedule.
Ages 9-17
7 Field Days
One Saturday every month, 9am-5pm. See below for class schedule
plus 2 Weekend Overnights
September and May. Friday evening to Sunday afternoon See below for class schedule
Location
Transportation is provided. All programs begin at the Trackers Scout Pit, 5040 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland, OR. Field Days occur at either Camp Trackers is Sandy, Oregon or at various local greenspaces. Overnights occur at Camp Trackers.
Register
Ages 6 1-year membership Tuition $949 paid in full |
Ages 7-8 1-year membership Tuition $949 paid in full |
Ages 9-10 1-year membership Tuition $949 paid in full |
Ages 10-13 1-year membership Tuition $949 paid in full |
Ages 14-17 1-year membership Tuition $949 paid in full |
Payment Plan 1-year membership Tuition 3 seasonal payments of $383 |
School Year Tuition
The Rangers Apprenticeship Program is regularly $1149 divided into 3-payments. You can save by paying in full. This includes mentoring, overnight camping for program weekends during the school year. Payment options include...
Payment Option 1 Pay in Full $949
Receive a $200 discount when you pay in full and only pay $949 see above
Payment Option 2 Seasonal Payment Plan 3 seasonal payments of $383 (total $1149)
Tuition is divided into 3-seasonal terms. Fall term tuition due upon acceptance. Winter term tuition due November 1. Spring term tuition due February 1. Contact Us to set up a payment plan.
Scholarships We have scholarship awards available for families in need. Submit a scholarship application
Legend of the Rangers Guild
The Rangers are hunters and scouts for the village. They are versed in the arts of wilderness survival, tracking and awareness. In their listening they find a silence, one that compels them to protect what is Wild.
Flow is the Way of the Ranger. They follow the trail of the cougar, deer and other animals. With finely honed senses they become the eyes and ears of the village, living completely with the land and tending to it as if an invisible ghost.
The Remembering is here. There was a time you forgot who you were, how it feels to release an arrow, the music of the bowstring resonating, the route of your blood, the path of those who came before.
You felt you were asleep for a long while. The world engined on. And then, one day, you woke up.
This program comes with...
• Mentoring and guidance to accomplish the learning levels of a Ranger
• Working with our top Trackers Instructors as mentors
• Rangers embroidered patch and hoodie
• A frost mora wood carving knife
Class Schedule
Class is the last weekend of each month from September to May with holiday breaks. Please Note The 2013 November weekend is November 23-24, 2013.
Please Note This is a working schedule for 2013-2014. We will be adding and adjusting elements to announce the full schedule in May. New elements will include additional family days and opportunities!
Ages 6-8
Weekend 1 September 28, 2013
Weekend 2 October 26, 2013
Weekend 3 November 23 & 24, 2013
Optional Family Holiday Celebration & Winter Archery Tournament December 14, 2013
Weekend 4 January 25, 2014
Weekend 5 February 22, 2014
Weekend 6 March 29, 2014
Weekend 7 April 26, 2014
Weekend 8 May 31, 2014
Community Summer Celebration & Archery Tournament June 7, 2014, 10am-4pm
Ages 9-17
Overnight Weekend 1 September 27-29, 2013
Weekend 2 October 26, 2013
Weekend 3 November 23 & 24, 2013
Optional Family Holiday Celebration & Archery Tournament December 14, 2013
Weekend 4 January 25, 2014
Weekend 5 February 22, 2014
Weekend 6 March 29, 2014
Weekend 7 April 26, 2014
Overnight Weekend 8 May 30-June 1, 2014
Community Summer Celebration & Archery Tournament June 7, 2014, 10am-4pm
Core Studies
The core studies of the Rangers Guild are always the focus of our programs. The foundational skills of Rangers Level 1 begin you on your path of learning.
Trackers Level 1
☐ Do a weather journal
☐ journal one dog track (include measurements)
☐ journal one deer track (include measurements)
☐ journal one domestic cat track (include measurements)
☐ find a clear track and trail up to 50 more in the same line
☐ demonstrate the 4-major animal gaits
☐ do a profile journal of a mammal
Survival Level 1
☐ use a bow drill
☐ find South via the sun
☐ identify 3 poisonous plants
☐ build a debris hut in a group
☐ make 1-foot of cordage from natural materials
☐ make a Digger Bopper by demonstrating woodcarving knife safety
☐ one spring followed all the way to source
Shadows (The Curriculum of Shadows) Level 1
☐ 1/2 day silent
☐ 1/2 blindfolded
☐ one group bird sit
☐ practice camouflage with dull, dapple, fuzz
☐ demonstrate silent movement in Rangers formation
☐ demonstrate Whiskers by approaching a ground bird within 10-feet
☐ 1-hour moving at half-speed
Arcs
Arcs are what bridge the community together. They include studies such as leadership and teach, archery and more.
Archery Arc 1
☐ demonstrate proper form in stringing a bow
☐ demonstrate nocking your arrow
☐ demonstrate proper archery form
☐ demonstrate three different draw methods
☐ loose thirty arrows into a target 30-feet away
☐ hold a bow at full draw for 4-minutes
☐ hitting an 10-inch target 30-feet away with a bow and arrow set
☐ hitting an 8-inch target 25-feet away with a rabbitstick
Leadership Arc 1
☐ observe people and their body language for 30-minutes
☐ help a partner with a bow drill
☐ build a successful 5-minute fire in team
☐ help out with a Trackers class or camp, or educational day
☐ teach a skill to family for 1-hour
☐ collect one story from an old person
☐ plant native plants bare soil
Frequently Asked Questions Rangers Apprenticeship
Is my child guaranteed to finish all the Rangers Guild Basics in the year?
These skills require a good deal of commitment. Developing them is again to training in a martial art or other craft. While many "basics" are even covered and accomplished in class, in order to complete all the Rangers Guild Basics (Level 1) it is up to your child an family to incorporate a good deal of independent study. Some students may even take 2-years to complete Rangers Level 1 and this is considered perfectly acceptable.
Does this program require prior experience?
No, in fact our Rangers Apprenticeship works best with varying levels of experience. Similar to a martial arts dojo, more advanced students are occasionally charged to help teach a skill to beginning students. With oversight from a guild mentor, this proven method helps creates a true learning community.
How much time commitment will my child need to give to independent study?
This is up to you. This time spent training away from mentors is purposeful and equally important as the guided training. The primary goal of this training is self-sufficiency and competency. The Rangers Guild Basics are only benchmarks that denote they have delved and committed personal discipline to this skill set and craft. It is up to the teen apprentice and their family how much time is spent. Expect at least an average of 2-hours a week of personal study working on bow-drill (fire with no matches), tracking (parents may need to take their kids to a greenspace) and more. Any additional time spent is greatly encouraged.
What does my child get out of this? Do they become an awesome outdoors person?
Yes and more. The Rangers Guild is about cultivating personal accountability the larger community. Because "survival" skills entails trusting your well being to knowledge, awareness and respect in the out of doors, than we innately cultivate and great sense of purpose and responsibility. This is not disciplined study simply for self-discipline sake. Instead it is about profound experience that cultivates a richer awareness and competency in the world we live.
Is the after school elective included or separate from the tuition?
The after school elective is a supplemental membership families can register and sign up for separate from primary Rangers Apprenticeship program. It is offered at our normal after school rates (learn more). The after school program is even more intensive training opportunities with our program mentors.
What am I getting my child and our family into?
Trackers offers really "fun" camps. We are often touted as one of the best out there. Yet this is something that goes far beyond that one week experience. At Trackers we have a very deep well of outdoor skill sets that require intensive training and apprenticeship. The depth of the training is akin to and in many respects more encompassing than a martial art. Training here will exceed anything found in most "scouting" programs. It requires great focus and diligence on your child's (tween's and teen's part). And we also believe such rigorous study in nature based skills actually enhances academic and physical capacities. The ecological thinking inherent in animal tracking fosters an incredibly functional breadth in puzzling together systems and exactly how the world "works". The calm focus and diligence required for outdoor survival skills offers real world experience in humility, patience and thoughtful long-term planning. Our Curriculum of Shadows builds an incredible depth of awareness for both details and flow.
What is the role of program mentors?
Program mentors are the best of Trackers instructors and representative of the Rangers Guild. The are coordinators and developers of all logistics and curriculum in our field days. During the program they introduce each skill of the Rangers Guild Basics (Level 1), providing ample foundation for your child to practice during independent study. They also tailor their curriculum and mentoring to each individual student, checking in consistently where they are at with both the basics and also their feeling and well-being in the program. They are often a phone call away when your family has a question about a skill, best places to train or how your child is doing in the program.
What will the special summer camps entail?
Every summer we offer Rangers Guild or Wilders Guild cohorts lead by specific mentors of the respective guilds. Instead of the usual 1-week summer camp this one is 4-weeks of guild apprenticeship. Each cohort learns together while exploring the Pacific Northwest through a mix of day and overnight activities. Their focus is adventure in truly awesome wild places along with completing the basics of the Guild they have joined.
