Typically, if you are on a multi-day backpacking or river trip, you will not have access to bathroom facilities for the majority of the trip. At the beginning of your course, our instructors will go through how to go to the bathroom in the woods while maintaining comfort, hygiene, and privacy. For multi-adventure trips consisting of day trips to each activity, you will typically stay at a campground with pit toilets. All courses will be provided with the opportunity for showers at the end of their course prior to their travel home.

If there are no bathroom facilities, do you provide or should I bring toilet paper? We do not provide, nor do we recommend bringing toilet paper on our backcountry courses. Other ways to maintain good hygiene will be taught by the instructors. If you do decide to bring toilet paper, come prepared to carry your used toilet paper out with you, according to the Leave No Trace (LNT) principles.

Unless otherwise specified (e.g. the COR Ranch) all of our trips are camping trips. You will spend each night sleeping in tents or under tarps under the stars. Tents are provided and sleeping bags and sleeping pads are available from our equipment center. The tents provided typically sleep 4-6 participants. Male and female participants will have separate tents.

Unlike many programs that use dehydrated “just add water” meals on their wilderness trips, we provide real ingredients that you and fellow course participants will use to cook your own meals over a camp stove. Breakfast options may include oatmeal, pancakes, granola, bacon, and bagels. Lunch is generally eaten on the trail and may include deli wraps, pretzels and peanut butter, fruit, trail mix, granola bars, or power balls. Dinner options include macaroni and cheese, pizza, alfredo pasta, beans and rice, potato soup, and stir-fry. We can accommodate most common dietary restrictions, including gluten free, dairy free, peanut free, vegetarian, etc. You will be asked to specify these needs and the severity of any food allergies upon registration.

Unless otherwise specified, all of our courses are co-ed.

On a typical week-long backpacking trip you will carry 40-60 lbs. The weight of your pack will vary depending on the length of the trip. On trips of two weeks or longer, there will be a re-ration of food mid-trip in order to keep the pack weight manageable.

We do our best to ensure that there is a priest on all of our open-enrollment courses and when a contract course is not able to bring their own chaplain we are happy to help recruit a priest for these trips as well. We cannot guarantee that a priest will be present for the entirety of the course, but we always ensure that the group is able to attend Sunday Mass either on Sunday itself or Saturday evening and that time for daily prayer both as a group and individually is provided.

COR trips are not your typical retreat that might take place at a church or a retreat center. However, we fully believe that each course provides participants with the opportunity to encounter God in a radically renewing way. Our courses are similar to a traditional retreat in that they offer plenty of opportunities for prayer and reflection, and provide an intense step away from the distractions of technology and routine. Each course includes time for daily personal and communal prayer, reflections facilitated by missionary instructors, and the presence of the Sacraments and Adoration whenever possible. However, COR takes this prayerful atmosphere, removed from the distractions of technology, a step further. We believe that God desires to meet each of our participants not only through dedicated prayer, but also in the experiences of life-changing community and transformative adventure. For this reason, COR courses often provide a unique opportunity for individuals who otherwise may not be interested or able to attend a structured retreat format.