Wilderness camp offers youth spring break fun

SANDPOINT — Spring break is fast approaching and with the weather warming up, what better way for kids to spend it than being outside learning life skills?

Karie Lee Knoke — a contestant on the History Channel’s season nine of “Alone” — is hosting a version of the TV show for kids during the week of spring break at her Sacred Cedars Wilderness School.

From April 3-5, kids will get to explore nature and gain expertise that will “empower your young ones with the confidence and skills to thrive in the great outdoors.”

“This isn't just another spring break day camp,” Knoke said. “It's a chance for kids to discover their inner strength, learn valuable life skills and make new friends, all while having a blast in the beauty of nature.”

Knoke plans to teach the children basic wilderness survival skills, host hands-on activities that teach kids how to build shelters, identify plants, navigate the wilderness, and have team-building games inspired by the TV show designed for the kids to “learn, play and grow together.”

This isn’t the first kid’s camp that Knoke has put on at her wilderness school, and she doesn’t plan on it being the last, either.

“We’ve done a couple of private kids groups and the Alone Family camp last year,” she said. “They were huge successes, creating learning, outdoor activities and family fun for all. I keep getting asked about more kids programs, so I decided to do the Alone Kids camp during spring break this year. We are filling up fast, and I’m super excited about it.”

Knoke has loved the outdoors for as long as she can remember, spending her weekends on backpacking or canoe trips with her family. Being on season nine of “Alone” fulfilled her deepest childhood desires that she’s had ever since she read the book, “My Side of the Mountain.”

“Since then, all I wanted to do was go out with nothing but my knife and survive just like [the main character] did,” she told the Bee last year. “So I’ve been kind of preparing to do that all my life.”

This show was the perfect place for her to test her skills, she said. Plenty of safety procedures were set in place to ensure the wellbeing of all the participants — a fact that Knoke said was comforting while she was out there on her own. If something were to really go wrong, she knew she’d be able to get out of the situation.

Knoke stayed in the wilderness of Labrador for an impressive 75 days before she finally decided to end her journey. Little did she know, she was in second place. Thinking she was in fourth the whole time, Knoke said she may have stayed out a few more days if she had known she was doing so well. However, with her health declining as rapidly as her food sources, she would have been pulled out of the challenge by the producers regardless before she caused serious damage to her body.

After returning to Sandpoint, Knoke has focused all her attention on her Sacred Cedars Wilderness School that she runs on her property. Her goal is to help others better connect with the land around them.

Knoke offers classes for everyone, from the super-experienced to those who have never been in the woods before. While she plans to offer some family and children’s classes, her sole focus is on adults.

At the upcoming spring break camp, which will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., kids aged 8-16 are allowed to attend. Spots can be reserved at karieleeknokecom.