Rite of Passage Journeys

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Bothell, WA
Rite of Passage Journeys

Rite of Passage Journeys honors life transitions through intentional rite of passage experiences for youth, adults, and elders.

Our programs use experiential learning to foster self-discovery, connection with others, and connection with nature. Our mission is to mentor youth, adults, and elders through life transitions, initiating soulful leaders for the next generation.

08/27/2026

Imagine hiking the rocky coastline of the Olympic Peninsula, surrounded by fog and the smell of seaweed and ocean air. Tide pools full of hermit crabs and sea anemones abound, giant whale bones lay washed up on the shore, and a black bear is making his way along the shoreline just ahead. All of this and more is what our most recent Call to Adventure group was able to experience on their magical trip along the Ozette Loop.

Participants spent their days hiking, exploring, foraging the abundant Huckleberries and Salal berries, playing games and helping tend to camp. They learned the basics of backpacking, spent time in council together sharing and practicing vulnerability and spent 5 hours in solo time on the beach at Cape Alava.

Call to Adventure is an excellent place to start for youth ages 10-12 who are interested in backpacking and rites of passage experiences. Keep your eye out for more information on 2027 dates coming soon.

07/22/2026

A glimpse into our ☀️ Summer ☀️ so far

1. Q***r Kinnection guide Sose Kendall-Brown practices their bow drill fire making skills on the beach during a lesson for participants.

2. Q***r Kinnection participants day hiking at Bagley Lakes near Mt. Baker. This basecamp centered trip takes place at beautiful RiverRoot Farm in Deming, WA and allows for ample time to connect with peers, play games, and explore the surrounding area.

3. Olympic Odyssey II participants and parents during their severance ceremony. We use red threads to symbolize the heart connection between families and their youth participants. This red thread is cut just before they journey up into the forest to begin their rite of passage experience.

We've still got space in our upcoming programs, including:

Call to Adventure: a week long backpacking program for all genders, 10-12 yrs
Olympic Odyssey III: an 8 day long backpacking program for boys ages 12-14
Moonrise: a week long basecamp trip for young women ages 12-14
Solo Crossing: a 21 day coming-of-age backpacking program for all genders, 15-18
Fire on the Mountain: 11 day coming of age backpacking trip for all genders, 15-18

07/12/2026

Our first Olympic Odyssey trip of the season has returned from the trail with stories, insights, learning and growth 🛤

The group navigated a rainy 🌧 first few days of their trip, hiking from Slab Camp to Camp Tony and arriving at Gray Wolf Camp to prepare for their 11 hour solo near the confluence of Gray Wolf Creek, Cameron Creek & Grand Creek.

During solos, participants spent time alone in their chosen spots near the river. Some chose to fast from food 🍕, others fasted from technology 📱, friends 🫶🏾, family ❤️, and the conveniences of modern life 🏠.

This time offers an invaluable gift in this day and age: the time and space to be with oneself in quiet contemplation, supported by the plants, animals, mountains and streams of the Olympic wilderness.

Participants also rose to the challenge of a couple of long hiking days 🎒, learned backcountry cooking techniques 🍳, tarp shelter building ⛺, Leave No Trace principles 🗑 and much more. There were also more than a few stories of some epic rock, paper, scissors games 💎📄✂

We’ve still got space in our 3rd Olympic Odyssey session from July 30-Aug. 6th.

🔗 Visit the website link in our bio for more information! 🔗

07/03/2026

A few more spaces are still available in some of our most popular Summer wilderness programs.

Read below and visit our website for more information and to connect with our team: https://www.riteofpassagejourneys.org

🏳️‍🌈 Q***r Kinnection, Jul 12-19th. All Genders, Ages 14-18 🏳️‍🌈

A basecamp wilderness retreat for q***r youth to receive support, challenge and mentorship from peers & adult guides.

🗻 Olympic Odyssey II & III, July 21-28th & July 30-Aug 6th, Boys Ages 12-14 🗻

An opportunity for boys to explore, self reflect, and cultivate resiliency through the challenge of backpacking in a supportive community of male mentors and peers.

🛤️ Solo Crossing, Aug. 2-22nd, All Genders, Ages 15-18 🛤️

A chance for teens to spend time on the backcountry trails of Western Washington to explore the meaning of their transition into adulthood.

07/01/2026

Q***r* Kinnection offers q***r youth the support, challenge, and mentoring that they are yearning for to grapple with the questions that matter to their emerging spirits:

🫆Who am I, beyond my roles, relationships, or vocation?

👣 Where do I stand in the world?

🕸️ Where and with whom do I belong?

🌏 What will I contribute to this world?

This trip is an exploration of self and community, nestled in the mountains and valleys of the North Cascades. It is basecamp centered experience on a private, remote property on the Wild Middle Fork of the Nooksack River, just below Mt. Baker. While it is not a backpacking trip, It is a journey of discovery, inquiry and adventure.

Visit our website to learn more and register! Link in bio 🔗

*We use the term q***r to include the full breadth of the LGBTQ2IA+ communities, and to powerfully claim the crucial importance of q***r people as part of healthy, vibrant and diverse human societies. We acknowledge that the term q***r has been used in the past as a derogatory term, and is still hurtful to some in the LGBTQ2IA+ community. We are joining with the many LGBTQ2IA+ communities and individuals who are reclaiming the word q***r as an empowering and uniting expression of the many complex identities within the community.

06/30/2026

Our first two trips, Olympic Odyssey & Call to Adventure are both out on the trail and therefore our Summer season has officially begun! We are excited to welcome these groups back and hear about their adventures.

A summer full of learning, growth and fun is ahead of us!

06/25/2026

Staff Training was an incredible experience thanks to our basecamp staff and guides. Thank you to everyone for spending these three days immersed in all things wilderness rites of passage. It is going to be an amazing Summer ☀️

06/24/2026

This past weekend we held our annual Staff Training which included a Heart of Journeys event and an honoring of our beloved Elder, Nancy Lanphear. Nancy was the first recipient of our newest award:

The Hearthkeeper Award for Community Care

Nancy embodied this award with her open and loving heart ♥, her commitment to service to Journeys and her dedication to creating space for all people to feel welcome and cared for while they are here at RoPJ 🕊 We love you, Nancy!

Huge thanks to the Songaia Community for hosting and to Jambient for their amazing musical performance!

06/10/2026

⤵⤵⤵

Solo Crossing is a 3-week backpacking adventure designed to help teens navigate the road toward young adulthood with confidence and clarity.

🔗 Learn more at the website link in our bio! 🔗

Solo Crossing is a chance for teens to imagine how they want to be as adults, and then explore and practice what this means to them and their families, friends and communities. On the backcountry trails of Western Washington, participants are challenged in mind, body and heart, within a supportive community of peers and mentors.

During three exciting weeks, teens develop a range of personal and interpersonal skills. A long backpacking trek lets them practice teamwork and wilderness skills. Solo time, journaling and nightly talking circles help them connect to and articulate their deeper thoughts and dreams. Individual mentoring helps youth name the transition that they are engaging in on this journey.

Mid-program, the youth embark on a solo vigil when they leave the group setting to be fully in their own company. Guided by nature and personal quiet, they contemplate letting go of their life as a child and looking forward to living courageously as an adult.

After the vigil, their new insights are tested and integrated during a second backcountry trek. Throughout the program, each participant has an adult mentor – a journey guide – who helps them articulate their gifts and their dreams.

During the final stage of the journey, participants sit in a council circle telling epic stories of their Solo Crossing and sharing visions of their future. Mentors, peers, and elders offer support as they talk about how to make their rite of passage relevant to their new lives.

🔗 Learn more at the website link in our bio! 🔗

06/05/2026

Join us tomorrow at Pride in the Park, hosted by Seattle Pride

Address

22401 39th Avenue SE
Bothell, WA
98021

Telephone

+14254857396

Website

http://www.riteofpassagejourneys.org/

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