Find Your Sense Of Purpose And Have Fun Achieving Your Full Potential
Young Mens Mentoring and Wilderness Camps
Mountain Wisdom is committed to fostering healthy teens and families by providing fun-filled transformational experiences and challenging outdoor adventures focusing on nature awareness, leadership, and responsibility
Young people today struggle with feelings of frustration and anxiety as they try to find their place in life. Our modern culture of technology often disconnects them from the world, resulting in feelings of isolation, lethargy, and depression. Unfortunately, more and more teens are turning to drugs and alcohol to relieve these feelings.
Many young people are living lives of complete nature deprivation. We believe that the benefits of connecting to the natural world include stress reduction, a sense of belonging, improved self-confidence and self-discipline, a broader sense of community, and possibly a sense of spirituality - an appreciation for powers larger than oneself.
We believe that the wilderness is a fun and inspirational classroom. Operating in a setting without electronics enables campers to slow down and develop concentration and focus, bringing them closer in touch with the natural world while having a wonderful time.
Since 2003, we have been privileged to provide teens with a safe and enjoyable experience in an environment where they learn greater respect for themselves, their peers, and the world of nature. And we have been honored to be part of countless treasured memories.
Mountain Wisdom Programs
2026 Young Men's Ultimate Adventure
Become A Man Of Integrity And Honor
July13-18, 2026
Mountain Wisdom runs wilderness-based rites of passage experiences that help young men move from adolescence toward mature, responsible manhood through challenge, connection, and skill building. We take them out of the noise of everyday life, no electronics, no junk food, and we give them a week of real adventure, real brotherhood, and real mentors who notice them, support them, and hold them accountable.
All of this happens on the beautiful Tri-Mountain Retreat property in Ellijay, a peaceful, wooded setting with over 400 acres of fresh air, open gathering spaces, and room to roam, hike, and reset in nature. Healthy hearty meals are provided and dietary needs are accommodated by our kitchen staff
During the week, the young men do the fun stuff they will be talking about for months: hiking, stand up paddle boarding, canoeing, archery, drumming, singing, obstacle courses and slackline style balance challenges, supervised lake time, group games, and a few friendly competitions that teach sportsmanship. We mix in practical outdoor skills like fire building, shelter building, knots, tracking, nature awareness, and learning how to move through the woods with respect and confidence.
We also build a strong inner game, without making it mysterious or heavy. Staff guide leadership circles, journaling, and conversations about respect, friendship, choices, consequences, and how a young man shows up for his people. We include structured reflection and guided threshold moments so they can name who they want to become, practice telling the truth, and bring home a clearer sense of purpose.
Young men leave with confidence, self-esteem, and the lived experience of self-reliance. They learn to listen, lead, follow, cooperate, and take care of each other. They build a code of honor, strengthen their connection to nature, and step back into family life with better habits around responsibility and respect, plus a new sense that they are not alone.
Our staff bring deep experience in outdoor leadership, youth mentoring, and facilitation, and we run a tight safety container. We lead with clear standards, strong communication, and two-deep leadership, and we model the behavior we ask from the young men. That blend, capable staff plus meaningful challenge plus a supportive tribe, turns a week in the woods into a real turning point.
We offer scholarships and flexible payment options when families need support, because we want all young men at camp.
"Be an example."
2026 Boys and Men Integration Weekend |
Dates TBD
For: Boys (12 and up), Men- Fathers, Grandfathers, Uncles, Brothers, Sons, Mentors and Elders
Men of all ages come together in community to deepen their relationships with each other and nature so that they gain a better understanding of who they are as a man, and unite with confidence and courage. Gain respect and honor for men from other generations with different perspectives and wisdom. This transformative experience will include activities like team building, archery, axe throwing, hiking, and campfire time with drumming and storytelling.
Healthy meals will be provided, with special dietary needs accommodated.
Participant Fee: $200 Per Participant
Includes all meals, snacks, and programming.
Partial Scholarships are available.
Family Rates Available | $300 for Two - $400 for Three
Trending Fire Mentorship Program
A Safe Place For The Young Guys To Explore Their Potential
Mountain Wisdom’s ongoing mentoring program, Tending Fire, is designed so that male youth 12-17 have a consistent space to connect with adult male mentors to discuss whatever is on their mind, and to ask for whatever guidance they may need. Currently this space is on Zoom, every Sunday from 8-9 PM (EST). There are 2-4 mentors on every call.
The program has been active since June of 2024 and has proven to be a benefit for a number of young men who have chosen to participate. Even if they are not on every call, they know that the mentors are. This provides a consistency which is a huge asset to any mentoring program.
Tending Fire is a safe place for the young guys to explore their potential and to be vulnerable in sharing what’s going on for them. The mentors create this safety by having a few crucial guidelines in place for everyone on the call to follow, and also by having their own set of guiding foundational principles. Over time a trust develops between mentees and mentors and it creates a fertile soil to grow in.
