The Forge

If you’re reading this, you’re thinking about joining, and I can tell you, there’s only one decision…do it! It’s a comfort cleanse that will challenge you, teach you, and bring you closer to nature and those with you.

Incredible experiences are to be had on the Forge!

I went on the Summer 2025 excursion into the Mount Holy Cross Wilderness Area and it was 4 days packed full of beautiful trails, challenging-yet-rewarding hikes, invaluable outdoors education, and good old fashioned quality time with other humans out in nature. Jake is expert outdoorsman and consummate wilderness guide, taking what might seem like a daunting excursion and turning it into an accessible opportunity for adventure and growth. I cannot stress enough how positive of an experience it was to participate on this trip.

If you’re even a little on the fence about going — stop overthinking and go! You will not regret it.

STELLAR TRIP! Jake put together a four day, backpacking adventure, deep in the mountains of Colorado, that was challenging, rewarding, and an absolute blast!
So much to share! From pre-trip training and gear acquisition to logistics planning and on-trail guidance, Jake and his Atomic Athlete team absolutely knocked this one out of the park.
We had an absolute blast from start to finish. I met a bunch of really cool guys, and we became buddies as we hiked up, down, and around the most beautiful mountains I’ve ever seen.
The daily hikes were plenty challenging, but absolutely do-able. In fact, after each day’s hike, Jake would give us a map-reading class and have one of us guide the group on a side-quest to some of the most beautiful, off the beaten path, locations we found on the trip.
Every component of this trip was fun… the training, the people, the travel, the hiking, the camping, the camaraderie, the learning… just a blast!
If you’ve been looking for an adventure, DO THE FORGE!
ND’s for life!

Awesome trip! Very well planned out and the Navigational Lessons were super helpful. I highly reccomend!

I did the Summer 2025 Forge, and it was exactly what I was looking for: a well-planned backcountry trip with a great group of people and zero stress on logistics. I’ve spent a fair amount of time camping over the years, so I wasn’t going in to learn the basics. What I wanted was a good experience with good company, and that’s what it delivered.

At the same time, it is beginner-friendly. Jake walks everyone through the fundamentals without making it feel like school, and the group dynamic is very supportive. A few people on our trip were basically brand-new to backcountry camping, and they handled it just fine.

The group overall was even better than I expected. I already knew Jake and a couple of the other attendees, but I still ended up meeting a lot of new people and making friends. Everyone clicked pretty naturally. The weekend was appropriately challenging without turning into some over-the-top suffer fest. And even with a lot of experience in the backcountry, I picked up a couple new skills.

Overall, it was a great experience: well run, good people, good challenge, and something I’d recommend to both beginners and people who’ve spent time in the backcountry. If you want a legit outdoor trip without stressing about all the planning, this is a great way to do it.