DAY 1: THE BREAKDOWN BEGINS

Objective: Build rapport, introduce discomfort, expose behavioral weaknesses

• Pickup & Transport:

  • Participants are picked up early morning. No phones, no headphones, no distractions. Silence is expected during transport.

  • Safety briefing, baseline physical check, and introduction by instructors (staff never try to “befriend”—respect is earned).

• Arrival at Trailhead (Big Pines Lake Trail):

  • Gear check: Hammock, survival knife, tarp, pack, emergency whistle.

  • Water rations handed out. No food. None for instructors either.

• Initial Hike Begins:

  • Immediate 6–8 mile hike into wilderness. Varying pace. Midway check-ins to start uncovering patterns of quitting, complaining, and self-pity.

• Psych Assessment via Dialogue:

  • Instructors begin conversations to identify: where the drop happened in motivation, entitlement behavior, excuses, weak family systems.

• Camp Setup:

  • No tents. Hammocks or ground tarp only.

  • Night arrives with no food. Controlled fasting. Hunger is used as a humility reset.

  • One instructor remains awake all night to monitor for wildlife, safety breaches, and ensure total control.

• Key Outcome:

  • Extreme physical exhaustion, hunger, and no stimulation cause emotional defense mechanisms to collapse. This is when the real process begins.

DAY 2: EARNING YOUR OWN WORTH

Objective: Build pride through hardship. Introduce symbolism through survival.

• Early Wake-Up:

  • Wake at sunrise. Immediate foot check, hydration check, then begin physical drills (rucks, fire building, field fitness).

• Survival Task:

  • Hunting/snare trapping & foraging basics introduced. No protein = no meal.

  • Task is tied to future symbolism: No one’s coming to feed you. Go earn it.

• Solo Challenge:

  • Participant left alone (monitored from a distance) to perform a task: build fire, shelter a dummy, or secure water.

• Evening Dialogue:

  • As food is finally cooked, participants decompress. Most share unprompted. Stories, regrets, weird realizations come out here.

  • No judgment. No therapy. Just real conversations with real men.

• Key Outcome:

  • Participant learns he is capable of doing hard things. He tastes food he earned. He’s sore, dirty, emotionally cracked—but thinking.

DAY 3: CLOSEOUT & REINTEGRATION

Objective: Anchor lessons, rebuild structure, test retention

• Debrief Hike:

  • Return hike with intermittent stops for group and individual reflections.

  • Final drill: 20-minute silent hike—each step tied to a question: What do I want? What do I avoid? Who am I becoming?

• Post-Hike Sit-Down:

  • One-on-one feedback given by instructor.

  • Participant writes a commitment letter (to himself or his parent). No one reads it but him.

• Pickup & Return:

  • Parents are given back a different son: humbled, clear-eyed, slightly pissed—but awake.

Why This Works

Because it removes every crutch. Because the wilderness doesn’t care about your feelings. Because hard times compress the timeline of wisdom. Your son will go from a comfort-sedated boy to someone who knows what hunger, cold, silence, and pride feel like.

This program doesn’t fix people. It wakes them up.

We strongly recommend optional weekly accountability calls for 90 days after the trip. Real growth happens after the spark—when it’s followed by structure.

This isn’t a magic reset. But it will light a fire under your son’s ass. And that’s usually where real change starts.