Ridge Creek is a 26-Day Wilderness Leadership program for adolescent’s ages 13-17yrs. The program combines an accredited and highly therapeutic component, an intense physical regiment, a formal leadership development curriculum, and an academic support component into its intervention model. The goal is to help adolescents consider the positive things they can do to eliminate their negative, self-destructive behaviors and develop confidence, esteem and the leadership skills that will help them succeed in life. The combination of counseling, leadership and wilderness is highly effective in working with struggling, oppositional and resistant adolescents. Avoidance or running away from issues is a common coping mechanism for adolescents, though it is not effective. Ridge Creek helps students to build self-confidence, esteem and self- awareness. The students gain insight into their behaviors and learn new ways to cope with the challenges in their life. It is definitely a “reality check” for the average adolescent.