PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The journey begins with a first council on June 1, where the boys receive guidance on preparing, outwardly and inwardly, for the week ahead. Parents will gather in their own council to begin their side of the passage. From June 7 to June 13, the boys head into the mountains, guided by professional mentors. Together they backpack, preparing for a solo vigil where they will spend a night alone in the wild. Each initiate returns to tell his story. On the final day, the group hikes to a cabin where parents and supporters are waiting to welcome their sons home with a feast, a celebration, a night all together, and a closing council before everyone departs the next morning.
Through voluntary challenge and shared vulnerability, the boys build self-awareness, social and emotional intelligence, confidence, and the resilience to meet the life ahead of them with clarified vision and an undeniable knowledge of what they’re capable of.
The program centers around four aspects:
Preparation / Intent Council: helping boy in clarify and claim who they are becoming
24-Hour Solo Vigil: spending a day and night alone in the wild
Story Council: for telling, witnessing, and being heard on return
Welcome-Home Celebration: where families receive their sons as teenagers
BEFORE THE TRAIL
The passage starts a week before the trail. On June 1, from 6 to 8 PM, boys and parents meet for a first council, a preliminary gear check, and the introduction of the Severance Guidebook. This 13-day, self-guided workbook invites each boy, and his parents in their own way, to reflect on the past, on growing up, and on the changing parent-child relationship. It marks the start of the severance period, the time of leaving childhood behind.
THE JOURNEY, DAY BY DAY
June 7: Meet at the trailhead at 9 AM and hike to the first camp.
June 8: Hike to second camp.
June 9: Solo preparation day, scouting for solo spots.
June 10: 24-hour solo vigil.
June 11: Return, storytelling, and rest.
June 12: Hike to basecamp for the parent reception, feast, council, celebration, and a night together.
June 13: Final incorporation council and departure by 11 AM.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE
Guides will be arriving Thursday May 21. Participants are welcome to arrive as early as Thursday evening after 5:00pm to get settled and set up their camp. The program will officially begin at 8:00am on May 22, 2026. We will close our time together by 5:00pm on May 26, 2026.
FOOD & GEAR
Food will be provided for boys Lunch June 7 - Breakfast June 13. Parents and families may sign up for Lunch & Dinner June 12 and Breakfast June 13 for $60 per person or bring their own food. A full participant and family gear list will be sent upon registration.
THE GUIDES
Throughout this journey, the boys are guided by professional mentors with years of experience in backcountry leadership, youth mentoring, outdoor education, and rite of passage work.
Thirteenth Sun
A Family System Initiation into Teenagehood
June 1 & 7-13, 2027
When: June 1 (council) & June 7-13, 2027
Where: Arapahoe & Roosevelt National Forest, CO
Group size: Max 9 boys
Tuition: $1,000-$2,500 sliding scale, $500 deposit
Thirteenth Sun is a ceremonial wilderness rite marking the passage from boyhood to adolescence. An initiation for sons claiming their growing freedom and responsibility, and for families learning to walk alongside the young adults their children are becoming.
COMMUNITY & CONTAINER
This journey is designed for a small group of no more than 9 participants, creating an intimate community for trust, presence, and shared growth. We will ask for an enthusiastic commitment and a deposit so we can prepare most effectively.
TUITION | DEPOSIT
Sliding Scale: $1,000 - $2,500 | Deposit to secure spot: $500
CURIOUS ABOUT PARTICIPATING?
If this feels right for your son and for you, we'd love to hear from you.
FILL OUT the Interest Form, EMAIL info@livingthewheel.org or TEXT 970-232-6933.
Akasha Dove brings a background in Outdoor Leadership, Recreation Management, and Psychology, plus six years with Rite of Passage Journeys as an Assistant Director, Basecamp Manager, and Guide. Trained as a birth and death doula and currently studying Systemic Family Constellations, she brings a rite of passage lens to individual and family system change. As co-founder of Living The Wheel, she is passionate about increasing access to nature-based ceremony.
Koby Silverman is a psychology graduate student and co-founder of Living The Wheel. His work grows from a passion for helping young people through life's transitions, and a sensitivity to the loneliness and disconnection so many kids face today. Drawing on five years of backcountry leadership, he helps young people build self-trust, connection, and an emerging sense of purpose through intentional challenge and the mirror of the natural world.
Jared "Jmo" Moderie combines a lifelong love of the outdoors with a decade of youth mentoring. With a background in bushcraft and survival skills from Alderleaf Wilderness School and years of service as a wildland fire EMT, he creates a safe space where young people can meet their edges and build confidence, resilience, and a deeper connection with nature.
At a Glance:
A ceremonial wilderness rite marking the passage from boyhood to adolescence. An initiation for sons claiming their growing freedom and responsibility, and for families learning to walk alongside the young adults their children are becoming.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The journey begins with a first council on June 1, where the boys receive guidance on preparing, outwardly and inwardly, for the week ahead. Parents will gather in their own council to begin their side of the passage. From June 7 to June 13, the boys head into the mountains, guided by professional mentors. Together they backpack, preparing for a solo vigil where they will spend a night alone in the wild. Each initiate returns to tell his story. On the final day, the group hikes to a cabin where parents and supporters are waiting to welcome their sons home with a feast, a celebration, a night all together, and a closing council before everyone departs the next morning.
Through voluntary challenge and shared vulnerability, the boys build self-awareness, social and emotional intelligence, confidence, and the resilience to meet the life ahead of them with clarified vision and an undeniable knowledge of what they’re capable of.
The program centers around four aspects:
Preparation / Intent Council: helping boy in clarify and claim who they are becoming
24-Hour Solo Vigil: spending a day and night alone in the wild
Story Council: for telling, witnessing, and being heard on return
Welcome-Home Celebration: where families receive their sons as teenagers
BEFORE THE TRAIL
The passage starts a week before the trail. On June 1, from 6 to 8 PM, boys and parents meet for a first council, a preliminary gear check, and the introduction of the Severance Guidebook. This 13-day, self-guided workbook invites each boy, and his parents in their own way, to reflect on the past, on growing up, and on the changing parent-child relationship. It marks the start of the severance period, the time of leaving childhood behind.
LOCATION
Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado. Exact route and family basecamp to be shared with enrolled families.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE
Guides will be arriving Thursday May 21. Participants are welcome to arrive as early as Thursday evening after 5:00pm to get settled and set up their camp. The program will officially begin at 8:00am on May 22, 2026. We will close our time together by 5:00pm on May 26, 2026.
THE JOURNEY, DAY BY DAY
Day 1: Meet at the trailhead at 9 AM and hike to the first camp.
Day 2: Hike to second camp.
Day 3: Solo preparation day, scouting for solo spots.
Day 4: 24-hour solo vigil.
Day 5: Return, storytelling, and rest.
Day 6: Hike to basecamp for the parent reception, feast, council, celebration, and a night together.
Day 7: Final incorporation council and departure by 11 AM.
FOOD & GEAR
Food will be provided for boys Lunch June 7 - Breakfast June 13. Parents and families may sign up for Lunch & Dinner June 12 and Breakfast June 13 for $60 per person or bring their own food. A full participant and family gear list will be sent upon registration.
THE GUIDES
Throughout this journey, the boys are guided by professional mentors with years of experience in backcountry leadership, youth mentoring, outdoor education, and rite of passage work.
Akasha Dove brings a background in Outdoor Leadership, Recreation Management, and Psychology, plus six years with Rite of Passage Journeys as an Assistant Director, Basecamp Manager, and Guide. Trained as a birth and death doula and currently studying Systemic Family Constellations, she brings a rite of passage lens to individual and family system change. As co-founder of Living The Wheel, she is passionate about increasing access to nature-based ceremony.
Koby Silverman is a psychology graduate student and co-founder of Living The Wheel. His work grows from a passion for helping young people through life's transitions, and a sensitivity to the loneliness and disconnection so many kids face today. Drawing on five years of backcountry leadership, he helps young people build self-trust, connection, and an emerging sense of purpose through intentional challenge and the mirror of the natural world.
Jared "Jmo" Moderie combines a lifelong love of the outdoors with a decade of youth mentoring. With a background in bushcraft and survival skills from Alderleaf Wilderness School and years of service as a wildland fire EMT, he creates a safe space where young people can meet their edges and build confidence, resilience, and a deeper connection with nature.
COMMUNITY & CONTAINER
This journey is designed for a small group of no more than 7 participants, creating an intimate community for trust, presence, and shared growth. We will ask for an enthusiastic commitment and a deposit so we can prepare most effectively.
TUITION | DEPOSIT
Sliding Scale: $1,000 - $2,500 | Deposit to secure spot: $500
CURIOUS ABOUT PARTICIPATING
If this feels right for your son and for you, we'd love to hear from you.
FILL OUT the Interest Form, EMAIL info@livingthewheel.org or TEXT 970-232-6933.
Thirteenth Sun
A Family System Initiation into Teenagehood
June 1 & 7-13, 2027
