High Sierra Backpacking Trip

Date: JULY 12-17, 2026

Age: Guys Entering grade 7 and up

Register early for better pricing!
Register Before May During May After May
Price $425 $460 $495
This beginner/intermediate trip is designed to give you a true backpacking experience! You'll spend 6 days in the high sierras learning basic mountaineering skills, challenging your mind and body, and enjoying the great gifts that God has given us in His glorious creation.

As with all of our camps, the trip itself, though important, is secondary to the spiritual growth of each camper. The gospel and God's word are the central role throughout every day. Morning quiet time, group devotions, discipleship, and one-on-one time with God are key components of this trip.

This is the type of wilderness experience that every boy needs to see his creator in a new light. It will provide young men with an opportunity to come away a stronger leader, a stronger Christian, and more confident to meet the challenges in today’s world.

We are currently planning to explore the Hermit Valley Area of the Sierra Nevadas. If you have any questions you may contact the Trip Master: 
Karl Benson
[email protected]
209-681-5780
Welcome Letter

​Welcome to the 2026 High Sierra Backpacking Trip. We have an excellent trip lined up and I’m certain that you will have a tremendously rewarding experience. Enclosed you will find information you will need to get ready for this trip. 

Below is an equipment list of items to bring. Make certain that everything is labeled with your first and last name. Please do not bring any phones, music players, electronic games, etc (even for use in the car). Also, please bring some of your favorite snacks. 

We will meet in the front parking lot of Modesto Covenant Church, 913 Floyd Ave, Modesto CA. Meeting time will be 1:00pm on Sunday July 12, 2026

We will be hiking in and around the Mokelumne Wilderness Area, in between State Route 4 and 88. The altitude will be between 7,000 and 9,000 feet. It is very important that you be in good physical shape for this trip, since one person can make the trip difficult for the entire group. Please do a good amount of hiking, in your hiking shoes, with your pack, in the weeks prior to the trip. Check the pre-trip conditioning info below. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me. If you have friends interested in attending the High Sierra Backpacking Trip, send them to our website or have them call me.

Sincerely,
Karl Benson - Trip Master
[email protected]
209-681-5780
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What To Bring
REQUIRED ITEMS: 
  • Sleeping bag (Polarguard, Holofill, or other good synthetic fill)
  • Ground pad (Ensolite, ethafoam, Therm-a-rest, etc) 
  • Baseball-style hat or full brim hat – something to protect your face from the sun 
  • Sun glasses 
  • Sunblock or sunscreen 
  • Lip ice or chapstick 
  • 1 pair long pants, 1 pair shorts or swimtrunks 
  • 3 pair underwear
  • 3 pairs of wool or synthetic socks 
  • T-shirts (synthetic, not cotton. No wording/pictures inappropriate 
    for Christians)
  • Sweater or wool or synthetic shirt 
  • Windbreaker or jacket (layer principle for warmth) 
  • Warm beanie / stocking cap
  • Hiking Boots or Trail Running shoes
  • Toilet articles, a wash-cloth, and toilet paper (enough for 5 days) 
  • Whistle 
  • Flashlight or headlamp with fully charged batteries 
  • Canteen or water bottle 
  • Your personal Bible (there will be printouts of key scripture while backpacking) 
  • Pen(s) or pencil(s) 
  • Simple personal first aid equipment that includes band aids, neosporin/antibiotic cream, blister supplies, and a 4x4 gauze pad 
  • Small roll of duct tape for use in an emergency (you can wrap a bit around your water bottle) 
  • Backpack with padded hip belt which fits you. Can be internal or external frame. Should have sufficient room to carry your gear plus your share of food, cooking equipment, and other group equipment. 
  • A small bag with a fresh change of clothes and towel for the ride home 

OPTIONAL ITEMS: 
  • Pocket knife (not too heavy, maybe 2-3” long with a small pair of scissors) 
  • Camera 
  • Water Filter 
  • Backpacking stove with fuel
  • Backpacking tent 
  • Quick drying towel 
  • Mosquito head net
  • Mosquito repellent (liquid, not aerosol) 

Note: Please contact Trip Master (Karl Benson) if you are going to bring a tent, stove, or water filter. 209-681-5780 or [email protected]. If you have never been backpacking before and are missing a piece of equipment, call Karl and we may be able to lend you a piece of gear. For shoes, socks, etc go to a mountaineering store and ask their advice or you can get most of your questions answered by watching the YouTube videos of HikeLight.com. This website is excellent on ultralight backpacking.
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PRE-TRIP CONDITIONING

PRE-TRIP CONDITIONING

THIS MUST BE DONE PRIOR TO THE TRIP FOR THE OPTIMUM ENJOYMENT AND SAFETY OF ALL WHO ATTEND. START AS SOON AS YOU CAN TO GET READY. IF YOU DO NOT CURRENTLY WORK OUT DAILY, START SLOWLY AND WORK YOUR WAY UP. CLIMBING IN ALTITUDE IS EXTREMELY STRESSFUL ON THE BODY, YOU MUST BE IN GOOD SHAPE! 

WEEK ONE:
The first five days, walk briskly, alternating with jogging, for 30 minutes. In addition, do a series of stretches, crunches, and curls and work with weights or a weight machine for at least 15 minutes. On the sixth day, hike for one hour with a pack weighing at least 30 pounds. Rest on the seventh day. 

WEEK TWO:
The first five days, increase your walking / jogging time to 45 minutes, and include hills. Increase weight time to 30 minutes. On the sixth day, hike for one hour in any mountainous or steep hilly area with your 30 pound pack. Rest on the seventh day. 

WEEK THREE:
All the way through to the beginning of the trip: Increase your daily walking / jogging time by 15 minutes each week as your schedule allows. 

REMEMBER TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER DURING YOUR WORKOUTS
Electronics Policy

CELL PHONE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE POLICY

​All camps conducted by Sequoia Brigade Camp, whether in a wilderness, rural, or suburban environment, are designed to enable the camper to “break away” from the normal aspects of life, and grow closer to God, to His creation, and to fellow campers.  

With the above in mind, it is required that no camper may bring a cell phone of any kind, or any type of electronic device for recreational use. No cell phones, video game systems, music players, laptops, etc. If in doubt, don’t bring it. Cameras and flashlights are fine, but not cell phone cameras!

Camp leaders will have access to cell phones or appropriate communication devices where available in case of emergency.

If you have questions or special needs please contact the camp director or tripmaster for the camp or trip.
Electronics Philosophy

WHY DOES SEQUOIA BRIGADE CAMP NOT PERMIT ELECTRONIC DEVICES?

Electronic devices keep us tethered to outside influences - and to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram​—no matter where we are. But when we are at camp, these distractions can keep us from engaging with fellow campers and counselors. It is crucial to regularly spend time away from the internet, says William Powers, author of Building a Good Life in the Digital Age. Here are some further insights. When we engage in a mental activity—doing a crossword puzzle, say, or playing the piano—our brains create what are called neural pathways so we can perform that activity again more readily. “The more time you spend toggling rapidly among digital tasks, like scrolling, texting and answering emails, the more you will tend to think in a distracted way,” Powers says. To reclaim the kind of sustained attention it takes to read a book, Powers says, you have to unplug periodically. For this reason, at Sequoia Brigade Camp we use printed Bibles, rather than digital ones.
  
Taking a break from devices also enhances our ability to read emotional clues. Sixth graders who had no screen time for five days did substantially better at reading human emotions than those who had been glued to their devices for five days, according to research by developmental Psychologist Yalta T. Uhls, PhD, senior researcher at UCLA’s Children’s Digital Media Center. Obviously, campers and counselors need opportunity to interact where each individual can relate most effectively to each other.

An additional break from digital occurs in the area of recording experiences. Instead of photographing everything with a smartphone (and then posting it to Facebook or Twitter), “we can record in our mind and on paper,” says Craigan Usher, M.D., clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University. He says “our experiences don’t need to be mediated by a Twitter update.” Questions and discussion time after camp is over help to reinforce memories and lessons learned.

Be upfront with your campers about why the rules are important. “Bring them on board so they understand in a personal way what they’ll gain by doing this radical thing,” Powers says.
Directions

Modesto Covenant Church

This is where we will meet to begin and end the trip.
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