Trackers Northwest TrackersNW, Trackers PDX A series of camps run by one head office, meant to teach children and teens outdoor skills Portland, Oregon

My two daughters, ages 10 and 14, recently spent 5 days at a camp here in Portland, Oregon called TRACKERS NORTHWEST. The camp's stated mission is to "revive outdoor lore and traditional skills" by offering "prestidigitation, epic quests, ancients arts and remarkable fellowship." They also claim to "lead the way in standards of safety for outdoor camps and programs." All of that couldn't be further from the truth. My daughters had a horrible week at the hands of the counselors who were indifferent to the camper's basic needs and border-line abusive. Here are a few examples of what my daughters, and the rest of the campers, endured:

- No bathing facilities (apparently the shower was "broken" and couldn't be fixed, so the campers did not bathe for 5 days and nightswhen we picked them up they were filthy and smelled horrible, plus they were covered in hundreds of bug bites all up and down their legs)

- The drinking water came from a garden hose that laid in the mud

- The campers were horribly undernourished, given plates of quinoa and canned tomato sauce every night for dinner. One lunch consisted of nothing but dried out broccoli wrapped in a tortillano sauce, no condiments, and nothing on the side. The one night they took a break from the quinoa they were given chocolate chip pancakes and nothing else. (the counselors, on the other hand, had a stash of food that the campers were not allowed to touch)

-Each camper had a knife for carving activities, but no knife safety instruction was offered (my daughter actually had to request that her younger sister be given some direction as to how to use her knife)

- The counselors invented a game called Pirate Apocalypse where the campers would lose any item they did not have packed in their bags next to their sleeping bags. (meant to keep the dirt-floor tents organized) The lead female counselor sent a 16 year old boycounselor in traininginto the girls tent unannounced where he proceeded to not only collect water bottles and other personal items, but he also made derogatory comments about my 10 year old daughter's underwear and attempted to take medication away from my older daughter. She had to beg him to not take her bag away, fearful that she would not have access to her daily medication.

None of this was known to us until we picked up our children because they were not allowed to call home for the entire week. (the counselors claimed at one point that there was no cell phone service even though they were observed watching videos on their iphones by the campers) Also, there was no instruction or aid given to the campers about checking for tics and other bugs. (even though much of their time was spent literally rolling around in the woods) My youngest daughter came home with a tic on her head and has now been on antibiotics for almost a month with swollen lymph glands, lethargy, and sleeplessness. We are waiting to start a Lyme's disease testing process. In a meeting with the owner of the camp after all of this happened, he promised to help with the medical billsbut yesterday we received a letter from his lawyer stating that Trackers NW is not liable and that we will not be receiving anything from them.

Needless to say, we will never send our kids back to any Trackers Northwest camps or classes. This whole thing has been hugely upsetting to them since it was meant to be a highlight of their summernot to mention the ongoing medical problems my daughter is now enduring. The Trackers Northwest experience is nothing like the claims on their website or literature. I would highly recommend avoiding their camps or anything connected with their organization.