A boys' program,
out on the Baylands.
Our first program is for boys, out on the trail, learning to move, explore, and look out for each other. Every week, with the dads beside them.
What a gathering looks like.
A small group of boys, five to thirteen years old, around ten at a time, out on the Baylands Nature Preserve in Palo Alto. We keep the group small so every boy is known, encouraged, challenged, and mentored at his own level. We meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for three hours a day, and the day moves through the four steps from start to finish. Over time we will roam other Bay Area and peninsula wild places too.
Start to finish.
Check in
An emotional check-in and a welcome circle. Each boy sets an intention for the day.
Head out
Free play, hiking, and climbing where it is safe. Tracking, and whatever wild things the day turns up.
Learn as we go
Hands-on lessons, sparked by whatever the day serves up.
Reflect
Stories, journals, and gratitude. We share what we saw before heading home.
What the adventures include.
The curriculum follows the boys' questions. Lessons in ecology, communication, problem solving, and confidence arrive through what they meet on the trail, not off a worksheet. The goal is simple: a lifelong love of learning.
The shape of the year.
We run the year in three sessions. A boy can come for one or grow across all three.
Where I feel called to begin.
Wild Wanderers begins with boys, not because boys matter more than girls, but because this is where my own experience and relationships have led me. I believe boys do well where they can move, explore, and feel what they feel without shame, and figure out who they are without pressure to fit someone else's mold. My hope is that every child has a place like this. This is simply where I feel called to begin. If it grows, a girls' program would not be a copy of this one. It would be shaped by women leaders, built around girls' own experiences.
Start where he is. Grow from there.
Three stages on one trail. He steps in where he fits and moves on when he is ready.
Brave is not reckless.
Vetted mentors
Every man on the trail clears a background check, references, and a walking interview out on the ground before he is ever with the boys.
Trained and covered
CPR, first aid, and child-safety training, with general liability and accident coverage built for outdoor youth programs.
Clear consent
Signed waivers and informed consent, and we are plain with you about the risks.
Known ground, risk sized right
We work a stretch of the Baylands we read before we set out, and we scale the challenge to the boy and the day. Healthy risk is part of it. We just keep it from tipping into reckless.
What it costs, for the fall.
For the fall session, tuition is $60 a day, or $180 a week for all three days. That covers the mentors, the gear, and the mornings out on the Baylands. Scholarships and sliding-scale spots are part of the plan, because no boy should miss the trail over his family's money. If you have a question about the cost, reach out and we will talk it through.
Find him a place.
Spots are limited each season, out on the Baylands. Tell us about your boy and we will take it from there.