Participants involved in the Project Challenge System, in addition to Community Service and or Restitution must participate in a 3-day 2-night backpacking trip.

Trips take place in a wilderness environment where the group is faced with being entirely self–sufficient. Hiking several miles each day, participants navigate by map and compass to progressively further camps. In addition to the physical challenges, youth are faced with a structured daily routine, a curriculum based on initiatives and hands on learning and an ongoing responsibility for group and individual decision making.

Four expectations are established at the beginning of the trip: respectful interaction, appropriate behavior, responsibility for personal gear, and teamwork. Peer feedback regarding skill performance and completion comprises an important aspect of this student based learning system and of the Project Challenge System as a whole.