Today's Lesson: Working As One
Water Bottles

Expedition Survival Tip

The key to a perfectly gooey s’more is all in how you toast the marshmallow. For best results, position yours an inch or so above the flames.

Volunteer

Volunteers are the backbone of the Big City Mountaineers program. Adult mentors guide our youth to overcome challenges and illuminate the meaning of their accomplishments. Big City Mountaineers is always looking for qualified, positive adult role models to fill our needs as adult mentors. We offer weeklong high adventure expeditions (backpacking or canoeing), as well as shorter excursions in some locations.

Volunteer for a Weeklong Expedition (7-day backpacking or 8-day paddling):

Our weeklong backpacking expeditions take place in California, Colorado and the Pacific Northwest and may take you as high as 12,000 feet above sea level, depending on the trip location. Our canoeing expeditions take place in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota. As a BCM Team Member, you will be expected to hike or paddle up to eight miles per day, while working with youth who may have never experienced the outdoors. You need to be prepared to handle the tough parts of the day in a positive manner so the youth learn how to handle their own obstacles with confidence. All weeklong programs run during the summer months.

New Volunteers – Attend one of our Information Sessions in your area.

*All NEW volunteers must reside within 200 miles of Denver, Oakland, or Portland for backpacking expeditions, and within 200 miles of Chicago and Minneapolis for paddling expeditions. This policy was created to improve the quality of the experience for the teens we serve by giving them easier access to volunteers who have more direct training and who can participate in local events and activities more frequently.

Volunteer for Single Day Outings in Your Area:

Love to mentor youth in the outdoors, but can’t commit to a full week expedition? Go on one of our single-day outings that involve outdoor activities in local parks, including hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, snowshoeing and climbing, designed to introduce urban teens to the outdoors. Single-day outings are often times used before or after weeklong trips to begin or continue relationships between youth and adult mentors. Single-day outings will take place in the evenings or on weekends throughout the year.

Front Country Volunteers:

Planning and fundraising for BCM expeditions is a year-round process. We rely heavily on volunteers for help in our offices, with gear management, and other special events. Most of these opportunities will take place in one of our regional locations; however, there is a chance for remote volunteer opportunities for certain projects.

Interested in learning more? Apply now