TCTW History

Teens' Camping Tour of the West Inc was born from the dream of C. Peter Cole to take teenagers to see the wonders of the West and use the adventure of travel to guide young people down the path of self-discovery. TCTW took its first trips West in 1967 in VW Busses. From the success of that summer, and years of labors of love by Peter Cole, Doug Gill, and current director Sassy Smyth, TCTW has expanded to the age of mini-busses, customized trailers and an informative websites. TCTW has accepted participants from all over the world, but finds its main draw from Virginia and the Carolinas.

In 2013 TCTW inducted its third director, Sassy Smyth. Through the years TCTW has molded its program to embody six significant principles: love yourself, love others, appreciate nature, realize that you have been given unique gifts, recognize that it is your responsibility to use those gifts to make your corner of the world a better place, all while giving praises to our maker. It is these six principles that we hope all participants will come to embrace and practice throughout their lives.

Our goal is leadership and spiritual development for teenagers with the notion that raising up spiritually strong leaders is part of building a better world. TCTW with over 4,000 past participants has proudly been engaged in this mission for 47 years.

Stockholders 2022 Weekend Details

September 23-25
Camp Grier
Old Fort, NC

Cost: $125

$25 Late Fee if you sign up after September 10 ( I really don't want your late fee, I just want an accurate headcount to plan)

What is it?

Consider this weekend a reunion of past participants. If you ever went out west with TCTW as a participant, we would love for you to join us for a weekend of reminiscing and catching up with old and new friends. It's our hope this weekend gives you the chance to hang out with your trip-mates and get to know other past participants as well. It's a weekend to relax and soak up a little bit of fall in the North Carolina mountains.

When should we arrive/depart?

Arrive anytime after 6pm on Friday. Sassy will likely be there earlier, so check with her if you plan to come early. We will wrap things up after breakfast on Sunday and everyone departs between 11 and 12 on Sunday. Of course if you need to leave earlier, you can, this is just what is typical if you stay from start to finish.

What's included:

Lodging Friday and Saturday night
Brunch Saturday
Dinner Saturday
Breakfast Sunday
Lake activities on Saturday including canoes, swimming and a zipline
Steve Seskin Concert on Saturday night

Cost: $125

Late fee of $25 after September 10

You should consider this non-refundable. While I do try to return money to those who have something come up, I can only do this after September 10th if someone else signs up to replace you in the count.

How do I pay/sign up?

You sign up by completing this google form. You can send payment via Venmo: @SassySmyth, Paypal: [email protected], Zelle, Apple Pay or mail a check to PO 1029, Statesville, NC 28687. Make sure to include the name of who is coming to Stockholders if it's not abundantly clear handle, so I know where to credit it.

What's the lodging situation?

Summer camp bunk style! There are several cabins which have rooms with bunk beds inside. Last year a bunch of us also slept side by side, like we were back out west, under a larger covered shelter. So minimally, you'll need bedding for a bunk bed (your sleeping bag works great for this) but if you bring your ground mat, you could sleep as a group outside. Each cabin has bathrooms and showers as well. There is a dining hall where we will have sit-down meals.

Helpful Details:

Plan to arrive to Camp Grier on Friday September 23 anytime after 6pm. There is no formal meal on Friday night, so make sure to eat on your way or bring dinner with you. Sassy will be in the parking area welcoming folks as they arrive until close to midnight. If you will arrive after that, please give Sassy a heads up. If you can carpool, that would be awesome! Plus we all know roading tripping with friends is better than solo!

Once you arrive to Camp Grier you should plan to stay put until you are leaving on Sunday. Bring some snacks with you. You may want something to nibble on between brunch and dinner on Saturday and/or during Steve Seskin.

There are hiking trails along the property, so you can bring what you need to hike if you want. Frisbees, footballs, yard games and kickballs are welcome as well!

Can I have my phone?

Yes! You can bring your phone and if you have school work you have to get done, you can bring that along as well. This weekend really is yours, so while you'll be hanging out with your tripmates, there is not much structure for the weekend other than when the lake front is open, meal times, and the Steve concert.

Can I come for part of the weekend?

If you can't stay all weekend, that's totally okay! Come for what you can, we would still love to see you!

Do you know of someone I can ride with?

I'm happy to help connect you with other folks coming from where you are. Please reach out to me in advance for this. It's way easier for us to plan this a week before Stockholders than the day before Stockholders. If you need a ride from the airport, let me know too and help ya figure that out as well.

If you have additional questions, please reach out to Sassy!

Summer 2023 Info

COST: 2023 Price will be updated soon and this includes the $500 deposit that will be due at time of acceptance. The cost includes transportation, camping fees, Snake River float trip, Archway to the West admission, Cody Night Rodeo admission, T-shirt, and most meals (with the exception of lunch in San Diego, dinner in San Francisco, and Salt Lake City, and Breakfast at Wall Drug and Chicago). While we will try our best to keep the intinerary as close to possible as trips of our past, there will be some things that differ from previous summers. One I know off the bat, is Disneyland. Disneyland has changed their fastpass options and fastpasses will likely not be available to us. This means we would have to stand in every standby line meaning very long wait times- up to two hours. Disney is just rolling this out and I will keep my eye on what the lines look like for non fast pass holders and may a decision once I have a better idea what this will look like for our day. I am explorig options with the group program as well as options that may not include Disneyland. Covid restrictions could also change throughout the year and require use to change things up. All the changes we made last summer were very well recieved and included additional time in Sedona dnd a Pink Jeep Tour, campig in Malibu and spending a full day in Yellowstone. I promise any changes made will be as fun and exciting as I can make them! I will update applicants and those invited to travel with us as any changes are made.

Read more on how to apply below. Applications will be due March 1st, 2022. A $500 deposit will be required at the time of acceptance/April 1st at the latest. All trip fees are due May 20, 2022.

Financial assistance: In the past scholarships have been available, however this will not be the case this year. With Covid cancelling all trips in 2020 and last summer having much smaller than normal trips, it's just not something I can offer this year. A payment plan may be an option. If this is something your family may need, please reach out to me at 704-657-5628 or [email protected] as soon as possible to determine if what you need is feasible for me this year.

COVID GUIDELINES AND POLICIES
From the past two years, we know that Covid protocols and guidance can change rapidly, so I like to put it out there that things very well may change between now and when we go out west. I will always put the safety of our participants and staff above everything else as well as the safety of the communities we visit. I learned from last summer that we can do this successfully and safely making as little impact on the communities we travel to and that's a really good feeling going forward as this pandemic continues.

Covid Guidelines and Policies will likely continue to change as we approach this summer's trips, and oftentimes they will differ from state to state as well. TCTW will follow ALL recommended guidelines. This could include mask wearing and social distancing when in public, following group size limitations for gatherings and picnicking, park/trail/beach closures, etc. At this point in time, it is impossible for me to tell you exactly what these policies will be in June and July. While I hope things will be mostly "normal", it is our plan and commitment to follow the guidance of public health officials throughout the summer to protect ourselves and the communities through which we travel.

Our adherence to these guidelines and policies affects the relationships TCTW has with campgrounds, parks and the National Park Service in the future. It is my hope to continue to return to and be welcome in all the places we travel, and part of ensuring those relationships is doing what is asked of us this year.

I us all the be in agreement and on the same page that we will follow the guidelines and help ensure a great summer not only for us, but the communities we travel through this summer as well.

If selected to travel with us this summer, you will receive detailed guidance on what this will look like closer to the trip and hopefully the update this year will be very minimal!

Vaccines: One of the biggest hurdles TCTW faces in regards to Covid and running a successful trip is what happens if someone on the trip has a close exposure, exhibits symptoms and/or tests positive for Covid. The nature of our trip and how we travel simply cannot accommodate quarantining (Quarantining would involve a parent flying to meet their child so that they can be quarantined while the trip travels on). We don't have the ability to isolate one participant or even a whole van and continue to travel. An exposure could be trip ending for all of us. One solution to that is being vaccinated. If you are vaccinated, the rules for exposure and quarantining are different. According to the CDC, if you are fully vaccinated, you do not have to quarantine unless you develop symptoms. As you can see, this is a huge benefit for a program like ours. From a logistical standpoint, reducing the need to quarantine is invaluable to our program and it gives us the best chance of running a full 23 day trip. As such, we will require a Covid-19 vaccination for travel in 2022.

I understand the choice to vaccinate is a personal one, but with the way our tour is structured, this is the best option to help us have a successful trip. Each participant will have to provide proof of full vaccination in order to travel with us this summer.

All of the staff this summer will be vaccinated, as well, in order to give us the best chance at running an uninterrupted 23 day trip.

So how do you apply?

The staff still wants to get to know you a little, but we have changed up what that looks like from previous years. You'll still apply through Active.com. The link is below.

Who am I Paper or Video (required): This year you have the choice of telling us about yourself in a paper or a short video. If you want to write a who am I paper, awesome. Type it up/create a one page graphic(if you want to draw something or create something as your who am I, who am I to say do something different!), make it a pdf and upload it to your application on Active. If you'd prefer to make a short video, that's an option this year too. Here are a couple parameters, well one major one. It has to be 3 minutes or less. The rest is up to you. Tell us whatever you want about yourself.

Picture of Yourself(required): We just want to have a face to go with your name and application. Upload this to your application on Active, so make sure we can easily see your face. If there is more than just you in the picture, make sure we can easily tell which one is you.

Favorite Quote(required): This one is pretty easy. What's your favorite quote. There is a place in the supplemental forms part of your application to add this in.

Peer Recommendation and Adult Recommendation (optional): These have been required in the past, but this year they are optional. I feel like a lot of times they are just someone writing something to check off a box and that isn't really helpful to us. Sometimes, they are really incredible though and I would miss it too much if I didn't get any of those in a year, so you have the option to ask someone to write you a recommendation. You can submit up to two on your application on Active. If you ask someone, make sure they know you well and will put in the effort to write you a meaningful recommendation. While not having a recommendation won't hurt your chances of getting an invitation to travel, having a good one really does help you! A good recommendation is just one more piece of info that the staff has to be drawn towards your application in the selection process.

All applications need to be submitted through Active.com. If the participant is under 18, a parent will need to create an Active count to complete the application. Please be sure to enter the teen's information and not the parent on the application (It will be referered to as registrant on the website). All components of the application (“Who am I” paper, favorite inspirational quote, recent photograph, letter of recommendation from a peer and letter of recommendation from an adult) should be uploaded to the Active account. Recommendations may be emailed directly to [email protected] if that is preferred by the author, but my preference is for you to upload it directly if they are willingto give you a copy. Applications should be completed by March 1, 2022. An application is not considered complete until all the components have been received. If you have problems with the application website at any point, contact Sassy at [email protected], so we can get it sorted out. Please write down your login and password and read and retain your confirmation email once registering (there are important instructions in there on logging back in to upload documents) to aid in getting back in and not creating duplicate applications.

Selection Process for Summer 2022

The staff will get together for a long weekend in March to review all of your applications. We will make trip selections that weekend and put invitations in the mail right after! There is no magic formula to an application. All 15 staff members will have a chance to review your application and something in your application just has to hook one of us! The staff all come to the table with different backgrounds and interests and are all drawn to different things in applicants. My best advice is to put in the effort to have your application really give us an idea of who you are in your life right now. The more we know about you, the more likely your application will catch our eyes. Be genuine and be yourself! There isn't a wrong way to do that and we are really excited to get to know you!

Apply Now

by ACTIVE Network

Invitations to travel with us in 2022 will be mailed by April 1st at the latest.

For the packing list, click HERE.

**authorized Permittee of the National Park Service**