Intro to Backpacking: Gear Shakedown

General Weekend Information

Dates: May 1st - 3rd, 2026

Location: Wild River State Park, group camping site

This weekend is open to people of all genders.

‍Camping for Friday and Saturday night

• We have a group site reserved. There will be access to water and vault toilets.

• Wood for campfires (assuming no restrictions)

• S’more Fixings

Instruction/Support

• Optional pre-trip virtual meeting and/or other support to answer questions and track down gear if needed

• Informal help with general camping skills (setting up tents, using stoves) while camping

• Organized workshops on Saturday (optional)

Fun and Fellowship

• Cool folks to adventure with

• Recommendations and ideas of activities and adventures in the area

Our group will be approximately 6-12 or so participants this year, so you can expect plenty of connections and adventure buddies but not a huge group. It is possible that we may have some “commuters” who are choosing not to camp with us which may change these numbers slightly.

• Food. You’ll be in charge of your own food for the weekend, but we can help you plan and answer questions.

• Tents and camping gear. If you don’t have your own, UMD, St. Scholastica, REI, and other businesses have rentals available. Contact us if you have any trouble - we can help you track gear down!

• State Parks Passes. All cars parking in the state park need one. Carpooling is a great option if you don’t have one. You can buy one online or in person on arrival. Some public libraries also will check them out to you for various lengths of time for free.

• Guarantee of good weather. May can be a fickle time in Minnesota. It might be beautiful spring with flowers or it might be soggy and wet! Please see the cancellation policy below.

At Adventure Ecologies, we believe that all human and nonhuman beings have value. We seek to create safe spaces for people to explore and grow, and we ask that our participants nurture these spaces by treating others how they would like to be treated. This means using folks’ correct names and pronouns, apologizing when we get things wrong (and taking actions to fix it), and respecting people’s cultures, abilities, backgrounds, personal space, and goals.

If there are accommodations that will help you to participate fully in the weekend, please reach out to us so we can have a conversation about how we can best meet your needs. We recognize that the outdoor community has not always welcomed people from all backgrounds, genders, body types, disability, age, socioeconomic status and other variables. We are working to do better and appreciate your feedback if there are things that we can improve to meet you where you are at.

If you make this weekend physically or emotionally unsafe for other participants by your actions or words and are unwilling to correct your behavior, you will be asked to leave, and your weekend fees will be forfeited.

This weekend has a sliding fee scale, ranging from:

• $120 (Supported by the community)

• $150 (Covering your costs)

• $180 (Supporting other’s adventures)

You also have the option to contribute to the “Pay it Forward” fund, which helps provide scholarships for others, if you prefer rather than the supporting rate (or in addition to it). We appreciate it! We have options for scholarships if they are needed.

You can choose to use a credit or debit card or pay using an ACH transfer. If you’d prefer to pay in cash or using a physical check, please reach out to anna@adventureecologies.com

There are also funds to offset some costs for BIPOC folks to attend. If this applies to you, please let us know at anna@adventureecologies.com.

A payment plan, if needed, will have a goal of being paid in full by April 24th. However, in special situations we may be able to spread it out over additional months past the end of the trip, if it will make this trip accessible for you.

Cancellation policy

So that we can cover pre-weekend expenses, we’ll have the following cancellation policies. If you are attending with scholarship assistance, please treat your registration as if you are paying to attend, even if the financial amounts look different or do not apply.

• If you cancel prior to April 1st, we’ll keep the 15% down payment (this helps us cover processing fees)

• If you cancel between April 1st - April 10th we’ll ask for 50% of the trip fee (you’ll be refunded 50%)

• If you cancel between April 11th - April 24th, we’ll ask for 75% of the trip fee (you’ll be refunded 25%)

• If you cancel on or after April 24th , no refund unless our wait list can fill your spot.

However, if we have a wait list and can fill your spot, we’ll plan to reimburse you all but the deposit, which helps to cover the transaction fees. You can also choose to take a credit towards a future adventure with us instead of a refund (there are slightly less transaction fees so you’ll get a slightly better deal).

Why the cancellation policy? We get it - life happens sometimes, and it is a bummer to miss out on a trip you thought you’d be able to go on. We do our best to keep our fees as low as possible, and cancellations making budgeting challenging. Without this policy we’d have to build the costs of potential cancellations into our fees, making the weekend more expensive for everyone!

In the case of low enrollment, we may need to amend our plans. In this case, we’ll reach out to those who are registered to offer solutions. If this is the case, we’ll plan to offer discounts to offset the change. A decision will be made about this by April 15th, 2026.

Severe Weather

Minnesota weather can be unpredictable and everyone’s safety is our top priority. In the case of severe weather, we will make sure to maintain clear communication about the weekend plans. We will not plan to cancel the weekend due to weather unless there are extreme circumstances.

In the case of a snowpocalypse or other extreme weather event we will work with everyone registered to find as fair of a solution as possible. We may end up being able to reschedule, in which case your registration would be transferred.

Illness of our Staff

If the staff member running the weekend gets sick, it is important to us that we keep the rest of the community safe. We will try to find a sub to host the weekend, but the campsite will still be hosted for the group, so the fun can continue without us (we’ll check in with the state park). In the case we aren’t able to find a sub, we’ll plan to let you know what will be provided, factor in the loss of helping/instructing, and issue a refund to you accordingly.

Covid and other illness

Unfortunately, a Covid is still a thing, as are other bugs. With changing situations, we’ll plan to follow whatever the CDC and the MDH guidance is for this weekend. Our community’s safety is our priority.

If you test positive for Covid or you aren’t feeling well, please stay home. We do still have to abide by our cancellation policy for budgeting purposes, but we will happily provide you with a discount code to apply to a future adventure with us.

Pets

We love our pets, but group camping weekends can be stressful for them. Therefore, pets cannot be brought to this weekend. Certified service animals are welcome – please let us know if you’re bringing one.

Minors

In general, this is a weekend designed for adults. While we love kids, we feel that it is important for adults to just take care of themselves sometimes, to be able to fully explore what they are capable of and make connections without obligations.

However, older children who are attending with a parent or guardian may be a good fit, depending on their maturity level. If you are considering bringing a minor with you to this weekend, please reach out to anna@adventureecologies.com to discuss.

We’ll hopefully be able to offer some camping trips oriented towards families in the future!