FAQs

How much does it cost?


Going on a True North Trek occurs at NO COST to our participants. We are pumped to be able to say and do this. If someone is able and interested in paying their way we won't stop them, but there is zero expectation for this. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Now if you'd like to know what it costs us, the range is somewhere between $1600-$2500 including airfare depending on the type and location of the trek.


What does it mean to “Pay it Forward”?


Our Pay it Forward Pledge programs asks all of our participants to make a pledge to "pay it forward" to the next participant through their own grassroots fundraising efforts before/after their trek. On average our treks cost around $1600 for a long weekend mini-trek and $2500 for a week-long trek per person, and our pledge asks each participant to try to raise around half of these costs (e.g., $1200 for a week-long trek; $800 for a mini trek). We help participants in setting up a personalized fundraising website (see button below), and brain storming possible event ideas. We've learned that the longer a person waits to pay it forward, the harder it is to do, the more life gets in the way, and the greater the possibility that the pledge won't be honored. This is why we highly recommend that pledge fundraising begins before the trek even starts, and is completed no later than 3 months following a trek. Due to some 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 is 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. Since the fulfilled pledge helps cover about half of the cost of one person, it is 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.


Do I have to have any outdoor experience?


Our trek leaders will teach you everything you need to know to be safe and comfortable in a wilderness environment on your trek. It’s OK if you’ve never slept in a tent before! Being away from “ordinary” life commitments, doctors, hospitals, and stressors at home gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate life as a cancer survivor and where you want to go from here.


What are mindful awareness practices?


Mindful awareness is a way to slow down and re-connect to our whole selves through the deliberate practice of paying attention from moment to moment in a nonjudgmental manner. Developing MAPs (Mindful Awareness Practices) helps one to live more intentionally, which increases appreciation and sustained connection to the present moment. MAPs equip us with the ability to respond to stress and adversity instead of reacting to it. Through gaining greater awareness and acceptance for one's self and others, participants learn to navigate their own "indoor environment," and to know where they are, moment by moment.


What if I am a survivor of a childhood cancer?


True North Treks focuses on people who have been personally touched by cancer between the ages of 18-39. We understand there can be long-term repercussions associated with childhood cancer, but as of now we are geared towards those who have been diagnosed and treated as a young adult.


I noticed the website says participants must be through with treatment. My treatment is maintenance chemo and I can still function normally. Can I attend?


All participants are asked to have their primary physician, oncologist or medical provider who is most knowledgeable of their medical status complete an extensive medical form, which is also reviewed and approved by Medical Advisory Board members of True North Treks. As a primarily field-based organization, we do not have the capacity to accommodate people currently receiving active treatment that could potentially raise their risk of infection in the back country. We look at each person on a case-by-case basis to ensure each participant will be able to safely and successfully complete the trek.


I’m out of shape because of what I've been through with cancer and treatment. Can I still attend?


Yes, as long as you have been cleared by your physician and our medical team, we would love to have you participate. There is often time between deciding to attend a trek and the actual trek start, and we are happy to give basic training ideas for improving physical fitness before your trek. Our treks are not about getting to the top of Everest, but rather about getting out and exploring a beautiful place, together.


Who leads the treks?


Treks leaders have experience and training in wilderness education, Leave No Trace principles, wilderness medicine and mindfulness meditation instruction. Check out Our Team page for more information about trek leaders.Every trek has at least 2 WFR-certified wilderness guides, and one mindfulness guide.


Can I speak with another young adult survivor who has participated on a trek?


Sure, we can connect you with trek alumni for Q&A prior to beginning a trek.