Apply

The application process for True North Treks is pretty straightforward. Because there are a few steps, please make sure to read and follow our application instructions below before getting started.

Application Steps

Step 1: Medical Approval.
For SURVIVOR ONLY treks, we ask all young adult cancer participants to have their primary physician, oncologist or medical care provider who is most knowledgeable of their cancer history and related medical status complete our medical form (available here: Medical History Form, either as a printable PDF or a secure online form).

***It is important to note that as a primarily field-based organization we do not have the capacity to accommodate individuals currently receiving active cancer treatment that could potentially put them at risk for infection or other medical complications in the backcountry. As treatments are changing and maintenance therapies are becoming more common, if you are currently still on some form of treatment and feel that your situation enables you to safely participate on a trek, please apply as we look at each person on a case-by-case basis to ensure they are able to safely participate.

Please ask your medical care provider to return the completed form to the attention of Gwen Victorson (gwenvictorson@truenorthtreks.org) as soon as possible after you send it to them. Once we receive your form it will be reviewed by our medical advisory board members who retain final approval decisions, which can take weeks.

For SURVIVOR/CAREGIVER treks, we also require caregivers to send us their completed Caregiver Medical History Forms, however caregivers may complete it themselves without needing a medical professional to do so on their behalf unless we have questions or concerns. Caregiver medical history forms should also be emailed to Gwen Victorson (gwenvictorson@truenorthtreks.org). Caregivers also need to complete the remaining steps 2-5 below as well.

Step 2: Online Application: Complete the following online application below to the best of your ability. If you are a caregiver who is applying for a survivor/caregiver trek, you also need to complete your own separate application form below.

Step 3: Refundable Deposit: Our treks fill up fast, and we have waiting lists every year. Sometimes participants withdraw their application after they've been accepted and we've purchased flights, made logistical arrangements, and told others there were no more spots. While we fully understand that sometimes life happens (especially if it has to do with a medical situation), we require each of our applicants to put down a refundable deposit of $350.

You can either: 1) download/complete the form below with your credit card information and email it to gwenvictorson@truenorthtreks.org or 2) mail a $350 check to TNT to the attention of Gwen Victorson at 707 North Forest Avenue, Sandpoint, ID, 83864 within 2 weeks of submitting this application. While we reserve the right to use this deposit if needed to offset costs associated with unforeseeable expenses related to your participation, this will NOT be acted upon (eg., your CC won't be charged or we won't deposit your check) unless you have gone far enough into the application process where we have purchased your flight and/or turned others away and cannot recuperate the expenses. We will communicate with you first before any action is taken.

TNT Credit Card Authorization Form
File Size:	1134 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Step 4: Booking Flights: Once you have: 1) Completed your online application; 2) Been medically approved, and 3) Provided us with your deposit, we'll book your flight.

Step 5: Pre-Trek Orientation: After all of these logistics are in place, we'll put you in touch with one of our staff, who will set up a phone call to get some information on your experience in the outdoors and what gear you might have (or not have) and what you can do to be best prepared. It will also be a good time for you to ask any specific questions you might have. We'll also send you some pre-trek info to help you get a sense of the area and some of the activities we'll be doing.

Our Gratitude In Advance For Your Responsiveness & Conscientiousness: As you can imagine, we're processing a lot of applications with a very small and mostly volunteer staff. We greatly appreciate your efforts to be responsive to our emails or phone calls if we have any follow up questions. If you encounter any problems or have questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us and we'll be happy to assist!

Applicant Information

* Indicates required field

1. Name as it appears on your driver's license *

First

Last

2. Address *

Line 1

Line 2

City

State

Zip Code

Country

3. Email *

4. Primary Phone *

5. Secondary Phone *

6. Birth Date (MM/DD/YYYY) *

Age Eligibility
Young adult cancer survivor applicants: 18-39 years old and diagnosed with cancer during that period; Caregiver applicants: >/=18 years old; Alumni Only-Trek Applicants: Any age; 40's-50's trek applicants: diagnosed as an AYA but currently in your 40's or 50's

7. Gender *

Male Female

8. Preferred Personal Pronouns *

9. Type of Cancer (caregivers can select N/A) *

10. Other Cancer *

11. Year Diagnosed (caregivers can respond N/A) *

12. Place of primary cancer treatment (caregivers can select N/A) *

13. If non-NCI designated treatment hospital, please list the name *

14. If NCI-Designated Treatment Center please select *

15. Preferred form of communication with TNT *

Phone Text Email

16. Generally, what are the best days or times of day to reach you? *

17. Handles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc *

18. T-Shirt Size *

19. Preferred Departure Airport(s) *

20. Other departure airport if not listed above *

21. Emergency Contact *

First

Last

Note: Cannot be someone also going on a trek

22. Emergency Contact Email *

23. Emergency Contact Phone Number *

24. How did you hear of us? *

25. If you heard of us from a cancer treatment center, which one? *

26. 2020 Trek Preferences

Please check all that you'd be interested in: *

Green River, Utah (June 21-27, 2020): Survivor/Caregiver Week-Long Canoeing Trek WALDEN Institute, Upper Peninsula, MI (July 9-12, 2020): Survivor-Only Mini Trek Wind Rivers, Wyoming (July 19-25, 2020): Survivor-Only Backpacking Trek WALDEN Institute, Upper Peninsula, MI (July 30-Aug 2, 2020): Survivor/Caregiver Mini-Trek WALDEN Institute, Upper Peninsula, MI (Aug 9-14, 2020): Survivor-Only Week-Long Canoeing/Backpacking Trek WALDEN Institute, Upper Peninsula, MI (Sept 10-13, 2020): Alumni Survivors and Caregivers Mini-Trek WALDEN Institute, Upper Peninsula, MI (Oct 15-18, 2020): Survivor-Only 40-59 Age Range Mini-Trek

Comments about trek preferences or dates *

27. Trek Interest & Readiness

Please try to address the following things regarding your interest and readiness to go on a trek:

1. Why do you want to participate on a trek?

2. TNT courses can be physically demanding. Describe your physical activity program and how you'll prepare for your trek.

3. TNT courses also require a mental and emotional commitment. Describe an activity(s) to which you have made a major commitment.

Comment *

28. Pay it Backward or Forward?

Pay it Backward

Our week-long treks can cost up to $2500 per participant, and our long-weekend mini-treks can cost up to $1500 per person. Are you interested/able to pay your way upfront? (if not, this will no way affect your ability to go on a trek) *

Yes No Maybe - let's discuss

Pay it Forward

Applying my Deposit

Each TNT participant agrees to make a pledge to "pay it forward" to a future TNT participant, which entails raising at least $1200 before and/or after a week-long trek or $800 for a "mini-trek" (this amount would be double for caregiver/survivor treks). Please acknowledge your pledge intention and commitment below: *

I pledge that I will make every effort to fulfill my Pay it Forward Pledge within 3 months of completing my trek.

I would like to apply my refundable $350 deposit towards my pledge *

Yes, please apply my deposit No, please hold my deposit

***Due to some misunderstanding and good questions we have received about the pay-it-forward pledge, we wanted to provide some clarifying information. Please note that while we do ask our participants to make this pledge on behalf of a future participant, it is just a pledge and not a binding contractual agreement that holds any form of material consequence. We understand that some people, due to different life circumstances, are unable to fulfill it, either in part or in full. And that's OK. We get it. We just ask that people try their best (just as someone else did before them), whatever that looks like, on a case by case basis. We try to support participants and help them creatively brainstorm different ways to fulfill their pledge, and while we may check in early on to see how it's going, we do stop asking, and realize that it's not in the cards. Maybe it will be sometime in the future. Maybe not. The fulfilled pledge helps cover about half of the cost of one person, and it has been an incredibly helpful way for our organization to sustain what it does. In addition to helping pay for part of a participant's experience, the pledge also helps us get the word out about TNT to others who would have never heard about us before. We are tremendously grateful to everyone for trying and are happy to have a conversation if there are additional questions or concerns. Please call David Victorson at 773-972-2367. Thank you.

29. Traveling to and from the Trek

Paying for my Flight

Would you be able and willing to cover the cost of your own flight? (if not, this will no way affect your ability to go on a trek) *

Yes No Maybe - let's discuss

Using Airline Miles/Points

Do you have your own credit card points or frequent flyer miles you would be willing and able to use for your flight? (if not, this will no way affect your ability to go on a trek) *

Yes No Maybe - let's discuss

Applying for Travel Scholarships

Please indicate below that if TNT asks you to complete paperwork or applications to help offset the cost of your trek expenses, you will do so in a timely manner. *

I agree to complete any paperwork or applications that can help offset the cost of my trek expenses.

30. Specific Sensitivities

Do you have any known issues with car sickness, altitude sickness, sun poisening? *

Yes No

If yes to any of these or others, please describe: *

31. Risk Acknowledgment (Including Assumption of Risks and Agreements of Release and Indemnity)

Please click here to read or download TNT's Risk Acknowledgement Agreement Form.

I HAVE READ, UNDERSTAND, AND VOLUNTARY AGREE TO ITS TERMS, WHICH SHALL BE BINDING UPON ALL PARTIES (PARTICIPANT, HEIRS, ESTATE, EXECUTORS AND ADMINISTRATORS). THE AGREEMENT MAY BE MODIFIED ONLY IN WRITING.

I, the applicant, agree to these terms *

Yes

32. Health Insurance Coverage Information

Name of Insurance Company *

Policy Number *

33. Medical Change Notification

We request that you notify us should your medical status change between acceptance into a program and the start of a trek so that your medical eligibility can be reevaluated by your physician and TNT's medical review team. This applies to any changes in physical, cognitive or mental/emotional status that could possibly interfere with personal or group participation or safety. Examples include (but are not limited to): changes in cancer status, re-hospitalizations, seizures, surgeries, infections, injuries (e.g., pulled muscle), becoming pregnant, etc.

I agree to notify TNT of any changes in my medical status *

Yes

34. Authorization to Contact Medical Provider

We request your permission for our medical reviewers to contact your medical provider(s) if necessary to discuss your medical status and care as it relates to your ability to participate on a trek.

I authorize TNT to contact my medical provider(s) if needed *

Yes

35. Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis, & other Recreational Drugs

We request that you abstain from bringing alcohol, cannabis (marijuana), recreational drugs/controlled substances, or tobacco products of any kind on the trek (cigarettes, vape devices, smokeless). While we understand and appreciate that cannabis can be very beneficial medicinally, it is still not considered legal at the federal level, and therefore we ask that you please refrain from bringing this on a trek (in any form, eg., edibles, vape device) and determine with your medical care provider what a reasonable substitute can be. Thanks for your understanding about this.

I agree to abstain from bringing any alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or other recreational drugs/substances *

Yes

36. Promotional Material Release

We request your permission to use images and/or testimonial statements from you, recorded during a True North Treks experience, through video, photo, and/or text-based sources, to be used solely for the purposes of True North Treks promotional material, and to waive any rights of compensation or ownership thereto.

I give TNT permission for the above-mentioned promotional material release request *

Yes

37. Use of Phones & Other Electronic Devices

Most places we go will not receive a wireless or satelite signal, however we realize that you may want to bring your phone to take pictures and capture video. We just ask that you please use your device with respect for others, and that you refrain from overly looking at it in public spaces or playing music.

I agree to be respectful with use of phones/electronic devices *

Yes

38. Allergies & Dietary Restrictions

Please indicate whether you have any dietary restrictions and/or allergies to food, medications, insects, bees, etc. and whether you carry an epi-pen. *

39. Consent to Participate

I have read, understand, accept and agree to abide by the rules, policies and guidelines set forth by True North Treks (TNT). I understand that the relationship between TNT and me will be governed by the substantive laws of the State of Illinois and any suit, mediation or arbitration of any dispute with TNT must be filed exclusively in the State of Illinois. I understand that I am not accepted on my course until all enrollment forms (including medial form below) have been received and approved by TNT staff.

I consent to participate *

Yes

Submit