Adventure Trips
Cape Cod Adventure Camp
The best of Trips and the best of Summer Camp! Programs include surfing at White Crest Beach, kayaking, cycling, and windsurfing. We also make the most of the facilities at Camp Burgess & Hayward, with scheduled waterfront, climbing tower, high ropes and the chance to join in with big all-camp events.
We offer three tracks for the Adventure Camp experience; Regular, Service Focus and Fitness Focus. Regular is as described above. The Service Focus will incorporate two hours each day of service projects, whereas the Fitness Focus will incorporate a longer bike ride and daily runs and swims.
Cape Breeze
Cape Breeze is a packed week, filled with activities that Cape Cod is all about: sailing, windsurfing, and kayaking. Spend nights at Base Camp and days on some of the best stretches of water on the Cape. We start this adventure with the basics of sailing and progress toward more advanced skills. Day trips and instruction are led by professional sailing and windsurfing schools. The highlight of the week is a day trip on Nantucket Sound, where we get to take the helm of a large cutter‐rigged sail boat.
Cape Cod Surf
Learn to surf or develop skills under safe, professional instruction in Wellfleet on the National Seashore. Surfing on the Cape is tide dependent, so we spend around half our day on the beach, with the other half dependent upon your program. If the tide is early, we may camp overnight in Wellfleet.
Cape Surf 1
Great surfing plus time to visit some cool places on the Cape and schedule a couple of activities on camp.
Cape Surf & Stuff 2
Each day, along with surfing, we have another great activity planned. It could be beach photography, drumming or beach yoga. Many of the photos on the Trips pages were taken during our photography class.
Cape Surf & Strings 3
We burn a lot of energy surfing so we plan to spend our post/pre‐surf time taking some guitar lessons. When we don't have lessons there will always be guitars lying around camp to strum away.
Cape Surf & Stuff 4
Same as the earlier Cape Surf & Stuff except with warmer water.
Castaways
Could you survive as a castaway on an island? We recreate the scenario on our very own Pinkham Island in the middle of Spectacle Pond next to our Base Camp. Participants spend Monday to Thursday on the Island with two experienced staff as their guides. Their main objectives will be to build shelter and fire, before embarking on a series of group challenges ‐ given to them daily using a message in a bottle. Successful completion of the challenges will allow the group to obtain luxury items and extra equipment so that they are able to eventually build a raft and sail off the island. Participants will always have enough food and water, and staff will have access to a cell phone. The island is close to shore and if necessary participants can wade off to get to Camp Hayward. This is a scenario only, and at no time will participants be in danger or out of reach of help. Our Burgess & Hayward campers regularly camp overnight on this island. The goal is to build self-reliance, trust, confidence, and skills in backcountry camping.
Bike Trips
Gentle hills and lots of places to swim make the Cape & Islands a great place to bike.
Nantucket Bike
We leave Base Camp behind for a week of cycling the quiet back roads of this special Island. It's not all cycling though, as we have time to swim, take a surf lesson and visit the old town. We stay at the Surfside Hostel where we cook and interact with guests from around the world.
Martha's Vineyard Bike
Cycle the quiet back roads and bike paths of the Vineyard, as we explore this historic island. We take a surf or kayak lesson, visit the towns and learn about the native Wampanoag culture. We stay at the island's hostel where we cook and interact with guests from around the world.
California Surf Adventure
The California Surf Adventure is one of our classic trips; there is a good reason we have been running this trip for so many years. You can learn to surf or improve existing skills in the warm, consistent waves of San Diego. We camp on the beach at YMCA Camp Surf, taking surfing lessons at the beautiful Imperial Beach. Our free time is spent playing beach volleyball, rock climbing, and exploring the old town and beaches of this great city. Most meals are provided by Camp Surf and we get the chance to meet other campers and groups from around the country. Other highlights include a Padres game, San Diego Zoo and La Jolla beach, where we spend several days developing our surfing skills with Surf Diva Surf School.
The Big Chill
Spend what for many is the last free week of the summer, hanging out with friends on some of Cape Cod's best beaches. After a sleep‐in, we grab some brunch and take food and games to a beach of the group's choosing. Bring your books, magazines, iPods, and beach toys because the plan is to do a whole lot of chilling. Most high school students are busy once school starts, so the goal is to provide the opportunity to unwind and relax. We will spend evenings at Base Camp lounging in a hammock, maybe watching a movie and cooking some delicious food. We want as many of the participants from the summer programs as possible for this as a big reunion, so we have lined up a special pricing structure.