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Imagine hiking through the rugged peaks of New England’s White Mountains or cutting through the waves of the Atlantic on a sea kayak during your mod break. Under the guidance of professionally trained leaders, students can experience the thrill and challenge of such adventures through our longstanding Wilderness Program.

Students travel north to the White Mountains for backpacking trips in the fall; a cross country skiing, snow shoeing or ice climbing trip in the winter; or to Maine, for canoeing or sea kayaking trips in the spring.

The program provides opportunities for healthy physical and mental challenges for students of all skills levels, while teaching outdoors and survival skills. Through these trips, students gain a deeper sense of community through collaboration and respect for each other—their success depends on it!

Wilderness Program

“We try to get as many students as we can out in the woods for shared group experiences, where they can learn both how to lead and how to be a supportive member of a group. I think there’s great value in having students experience a place that they wouldn’t normally experience — wherever that place may be – and the Mod System allows for trips like this one in a way that other school’s can’t.

— Kevin Smith, Science Department Chair and Wilderness Program Director

Photo from Fall 2022 Wilderness Trip

 

Wilderness Program Nuts & Bolts

  • Mod break trips earn participants 1/2 an athletic credit.
  • There is a cost associated with mod break trips. The cost varies depending on the trip. An estimated cost will be announced when trip registration begins. Financial aid is available for students receiving aid through the school.
  • Day trips are free for all participants
  • Completion of 2 day trips in a single school year earns the student 1/2 athletic credit.
  • CSW should be able to provide all equipment and clothing necessary for participation in any of our trips (possible exception being bikes).
  • CSW is dedicated to the health and safety of trip participants and leaders. Pre-trip communications will include information about health and safety precautions and backup plans in place to protect trip participants. 

Wilderness Program Leaders

List of 3 members.

  • Photo of Kevin Smith

    Kevin Smith 

    Science Department Chair and Wilderness Trip Guide
    781-398-8338
  • Photo of Leah Wang

    Leah Wang 

    Wilderness Trip Guide
  • Photo of Aidan Wang

    Aidan Wang 

    English and History Faculty
    781-398-8313
"Over my four years at the Cambridge School of Weston, I attended every wilderness trip that was available to me and I have made connections that helped form me into an open-minded and adventurous person.I felt connected and valued by the program from our first hike up Mount Madison to my last tearful kayaking trip. To Kevin and Leah, Thank you for letting me go on this journey with you and for supporting me through every phase of my high school life. I hold the photos of my trips dear to me, each one holding thousands of inside jokes and even more memories."

— Camila P. '23

Upcoming Wilderness Trips

Additional trips or trip changes will be announced as they arise.

CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.