The week runs Sunday to Saturday. Check-in is 1:30–3:30 pm at Burns High School; campers arriving on the camp bus from Portland, Eugene/Springfield or Bend get in in time for it. Everyone travels south to the mountain together, sets up at base camp at 7,500 feet, and the phones go away.

Monday is acclimation. Short runs and stretches led by Max King and/or Melody Fairchild, a big lunch, then a hike up the ridge above camp and across country to Fish Lake for a swim, with an easy run back on the Steens Loop Road. Tuesday is the Big Day, starting before sunrise after pancakes from "Diamond" Doug. Buses take campers up near the 9,500-foot summit, and the route drops into Big Indian Gorge in single file and silence, through aspen groves and creeks, to lunch at the end of the gorge. The return climbs Little Blitzen Gorge in 60/60s — 60 seconds hiking, 60 seconds running — past the waterfall and up to the ridge, then seven more miles back to camp on the loop road.

Wednesday is rest: stretching, tent inspection, team photos, a talk from Harland Yriarte, group rotations on running form, race visualisation and strength training, and an easy run before dinner. Thursday is Cross Canyon, a 5k with no trail and no map. Teams start a minute apart, get 60 seconds to memorise a quote they must recite at the finish, and have to finish together. Friday is the Steens Mountain Olympics: an uphill 5k, a bar hang (most campers last three to four minutes), tug-o-war, an eight-person two-mile water-bottle relay straight uphill and back down, and skits.

Saturday, buses come off the mountain and reach Burns High School around 10:30 am. Families can collect campers at about 10:45, and charter buses to Bend, Eugene/Springfield and Portland leave at noon.

What separates this from a normal running holiday is the terrain and the people. The Big Day is 28 miles of gorge and ridge at altitude, and the camp has run it long enough that former campers write songs about it. Max King, the assistant camp director, and Melody Fairchild lead sessions; Jackson Brill has been known to run out of Little Blitzen Gorge. Harland Yriarte, who founded the camp, gives the Wednesday talk and sets the tone for the week.

What's included

- Six nights at base camp on Steens Mountain in shared tents - Camp meals through the week, including pancakes before the Big Day and a Basque dinner on Thursday - Acclimation day with short runs and stretches led by Max King and/or Melody Fairchild - Hike to Fish Lake with a swim and an easy run back to camp - The Big Day: 28 miles from near the 9,500 ft summit through Big Indian and Little Blitzen Gorges - Cross Canyon team race - Steens Mountain Olympics - Group rotations on running form, race visualisation and strength training - Tent inspection and team/tent photos - Talk from camp founder Harland Yriarte

What's not included

- Travel to and from Burns High School - Personal running kit and shoes - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Phone use during the week (phones are handed in)