Outdoor Trip Basics: Sleeping, Eating & Hygiene | BOLD & GOLD

Getting ready for a BOLD & GOLD trip can bring up a lot of questions, especially about the parts of outdoor adventure people do not always think about ahead of time. From staying clean to managing meals, medications, and bathrooms, we want participants and families to know what to expect.

BOLD & GOLD trips are designed to help young people build confidence, leadership, and connection through outdoor adventure. With the right preparation, participants can feel ready for all parts of the experience, including the “dirty details” of spending time outside.

Food on BOLD & GOLD Trips

All meals for overnight trips are provided by BOLD & GOLD. Participants only need to bring a bag lunch for the first day.

Instructors create meal plans based on the dietary needs of the group and bring food that works well for wilderness travel. Everyone has the opportunity to learn how to cook and prepare meals while on trip.

Menus are largely vegetarian and often include grains, pasta, cheese, beans, vegetables, dried fruit, and nuts. Because meat is heavy and spoils easily, it is less common, though some trips may include items like tuna, summer sausage, or dehydrated chicken.

A typical day may include oatmeal or granola for breakfast, dried fruit for snacks, tortillas with cheese or peanut butter and jelly for lunch, and dinners like burritos, rice and beans, pasta, or macaroni and cheese.

Participants also receive a supply of sweet and salty trail mix to snack on whenever they are hungry, along with additional group snacks during the day.

Staff work hard to provide healthy, balanced, and culturally relevant meals for each trip and can accommodate many common dietary needs, including lactose intolerance, pork-free, beef-free, gluten-free, nut-related needs, and other common food allergies.

On backcountry trips, drinking water is purified using a chemical treatment or filtration system, and water used for cooking is boiled. Instructors teach participants how to properly treat water before drinking.

Medications and Health Support

All trips are equipped with over-the-counter medication, such as Tylenol, ibuprofen, Benadryl, Dramamine, cough medicine, and decongestants. These items do not need to be sent with the participant.  

All medications must be turned in to staff at check-in, where it will be given to instructors. All participant medication, supplements, or vitamins, prescribed or over the counter, must be reported on the Camp Care Info Form. Please bring enough medication to last the entire length of the program. All medications, supplements and vitamins must be in the original packaging/bottle and unexpired. Additionally, prescription medication must include labeling that identifies the prescribing physician, the name of the medication, the dosage, and the frequency of dispensation. Prescription medications must be in the participant’s name.

Participants who use inhalers should bring TWO inhalers in case one is lost or broken and a spacer if used. Participants who require epinephrine should bring TWO epi-pens. No loose pills/vitamins in Ziploc bags. Our staff can re-package medications that come larger containers into smaller containers appropriate for their trip. Participants are not allowed to self-administer medicine.

Hygiene on Backcountry and Frontcountry Trips

A common question we receive is how participants stay clean on a trip. While backcountry and frontcountry trips do not include access to showers, practicing good hygiene is still very possible. Participants can brush their teeth and may take a “camp shower” using a bandana, a little water, and soap. All trips bring soap, hand sanitizer, and sunscreen as part of group gear.

• Bathrooms on BOLD & GOLD Trips - Bathroom facilities vary by trip and location but most frontcountry trips have access to traditional bathrooms or pit toilets. On backpacking trips, campsites often have pit toilets nearby. All trips are equipped with toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and extra menstruation supplies. Instructors also teach participants how to use the bathroom responsibly outdoors and how to stay clean while following Leave No Trace practices.
• Menstruation on BOLD & GOLD Trips - Managing menstruation on trip is very doable and is another common question we receive. We encourage participants who menstruate to bring pads or tampons, even if they do not expect to get their period during the trip. Changes in diet and activity level can affect menstruation. If a participant gets their period on trip, that is totally okay. All groups bring supplies to help participants stay clean and healthy. On frontcountry trips, participants often have access to bathrooms with running water and trash cans. On backcountry trips, used menstruation supplies are placed in small opaque blue bags, packed out with the rest of the garbage, and disposed of in a garbage can.

More Resources

Download Leave No Trace Menstruation Guide (link to PDF)

Learn More Before Your Trip

Want more details? Learn more about what to bring, how trips work, and how to prepare >>

Or contact our Camping & Outdoor Leadership admissions team at campinfo@seattleymca.org or call (206) 382-5009 (select option 4, then option 3).