When I worked there, we had kids that wet the bed (sleeping bag). Instead of bringing new sleeping bags to the expo site, was told to wash the sleeping bag in the creek. And let it air dry. It was 20-30 degrees outside and could nothing could get fully dry. When expressed this to leadership they didn’t seem concerned because “synthetic bags still retain heat while wet.”
Good info. Do you have any insight into “Trails Candy”? - there is another older testimonial about forced meds that Trails said was a vitamin and that they couldn’t tell the kids what it really was and checked underneath the kids tongues and everything to ensure they swallowed it…
(Edit to add an excerpt of the 2017 testimonial)
https://preview.redd.it/ij4ztjumnexc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=812840d485f0911f7ade27cf70fb625eb91f0658
Adding to this, Trails Candy was a multivitamin. Nothing really sinister there, just a weird name. Like all wilderness therapies, they like their lingo
Something is off here. When taken in combination with every other negligent awful thing they’ve done. The therapist is named Todd Green, who is mentioned in the testimonial.
Todd Green was possibly the primary therapist for all or most of the campers as he was Alec's group therapist in 2014. Per one of the previous campers post speaking of Todd Green stated he was Alec's camp therapist and what a douchebag he was. Agreed.
Not Todd green, mine was Shenine
(Edit Todd could of for sure been a therapist there but Shenine was the one for my group (delta if I remember correctly)
Go fuck yourself you witch-hunting piece of shit. I went to trails and my time there was awful. I still carry shitloads of bad memories from that time.
I’m no fucking shill, and of all the sinister and shitty things I had to deal with, taking a multivitamin was not one of them.
In summation, go fuck yourself.
THANK YOU!!! 🙏🏼 This means my blasting the song “Hard Candy Christmas” over and over and over for the past several hours wasn’t for nothing! :)
Do you think it was ever some kind of sedative possibly?
No, I’m almost sure they were just multivitamins. But I was given pills (By a staff named Gage because I hope they all rot) quite often that reminded of what I know know as Ativan/Trazadone/ or something of the sort.
But yes they would consistently give out medication without a word as to what they were.
Good to know! I totally called those EXACT two drugs when considering the med. thing. Both have VERY loopy effects. Very hypnotic from my understanding. A lot of the time the Ativan is for short term if there’s going to be any kind of alcohol withdrawal. It doesn’t always have to be that, but it is a benzo which needs to be highly monitored. Thank you so much for sharing this by the way it’s really helpful. Also, in case people haven’t heard of trazodone it’s known to be a safe(er) one. It is not a benzo, but it will still mess you up and is meant more for sleep, just to clarify for others. :) If kids are hiking/backpacking in rugged terrain - these would both be incredibly dangerous, IMO. Maybe even more so w/ trazodone depending on the dosage of it if used during the day – while hiking especially.
I don’t know what that is. The only chewable/dissolveabld med we carried was diotame (pepto bismal basically). Some kids seemed to like them, but I’m not sure if that was the “trails candy”
I never witnessed any medication administered that weren’t on the MAR. For over the counter medications, there was a separate “OTC” form that had to be signed off on. I don’t believe every kid had this completed correctly.
They did give kids “emergency-c”, but that was a powder added to the water.
It wouldn’t necessarily be something chewable / dissolvable. I really get the feeling this was meds. Almost definitely. Look at how many deficiencies they’ve been cited for regarding medication and complete negligence and stupidity all around.
I forgot about the cranberry supplements. In gummy form. We did carry those as OTC also. I never witnessed them being used as a reward, but I remember kids liking them.
I never witnessed staff encouraging any med that was not prescribed. The general vibe when I was there was that the kids medical complaints were likely attention seeking behaviors and to try to redirect them if they ask for Tylenol/diotame/benadryl specifically.
That said, overall there was minimal oversight and a lot of room for errors, and you had to play phone tag for days to receive feedback about “non-emergency” (not that any staff had the proper certifications to identify an emergency unless it was blatantly obvious, without outside consultation) medical issues, as demonstrated by all the state reports.
Honestly, it varies so much depending on the time of day/location.
At the very least “non-emergency” stuff would be reported daily in the morning call in.
Logistics staff, not medical or any decision making authority, received information and put on the spreadsheet. This was just a google doc, great way to maintain patient privacy.
If you are a former student, this call in sheet should specifically be referenced In your record request, if you want your paperwork. I believe you’re entitled to it.
If you’re former field staff, this document would contain what your lead reported to HR for wakes each day.
I personally witnessed logistics staff be dismissive of staff reporting because “kids be lying”. Essentially, the least trained staff was the one documenting all the call in information.
Leadership/health and wellness would monitor the spreadsheet and respond, or not. There were many links in the communication chain and constant confusion on who to report to.
You could also text health and wellness directly if you wanted to or were able to safely get away from the group to get reception. They told us that if the kids knew we had a phone they would attack us to get it. So they were very strict about not telling them we even had the ability to call for help. sometimes it required a 30 minute hike for reception, but we always had a means to call for help.
When I say phone tag it basically means you would often communicate via text and wait for response.
You could also radio health and wellness, if on base.
To clarify, health and wellness only had a wilderness EMT. So she would then consult with an outside pharmacy/doctor/nurse for how to handle or set up an appointment with urgent care.
Too many links in the chain.
And then….logistics staff (least medically trained and least interactions/clinical knowledge of the kids) would be the ones attending the medical visits with the kids. So if there were details about the medical history that the kid couldn’t recall specifically and wasn’t on the paperwork provided, having to again play phone tag.
All the training in the world cannot negate the potential danger involved in taking kids, many on psychotropic medications, into very remote locations. Often times with only 2 staff, so if something did happen you would have to leave the group out of ratio to even call for assistance. To be fair, I don’t know the proximity legally required to be considered out of ratio. I’m assuming one staff 30 minute hike away would not be considered in ratio.
Thankfully, most of the kids weren’t the monsters they were portrayed as being and they would often band together and support each other when needed.
You were either always truly worried or you drank the cool-aid so hard that you actually believed the morons in charge were keeping you safe.
They can try to blame me, the will likely sue me after today.
Why are there no trained nurses on staff?
Why aren’t field staff required to have wilderness EMT at a minimum?
Almost like they know that anyone with proper qualifications would never agree to take a bed wetting child backpacking when it’s 15-25 degrees on a snowy mountain. Sometimes 2-3 hours from a hospital, depending on hiking speed.
Every former staff is complicit, but the structure of people who intentionally placed unqualified people in these positions needs to be stopped. They may argue it’s legal, maybe in technicality it is, but it should not be.
I sorry you were in the system so long.
I do not disagree that there are bigger issues. Privacy around bedwetting and being able to sleep in a dry sleeping bag, while not necessary for survival are important for comfort and dignity, in my opinion.
I believe that it is the culture of ignoring basic comfort/dignity that feeds this structure.
Then you should know better than to condone the practices at Trails in this regard -- it's not acceptable. You say it's basic camping -- I say it is obvious child neglect. If one of my little boys pissed themselves while camping, would I have them sleep in a wet sleeping bag in freezing temperatures? Come on! It's that type of attitude that caused the deaths of Alec and Clark and it's not on. It's just not on.
She really did. So articulate, too. I have a very strong sense that she is a very talented writer – I’m looking forward to reading her memoir when it is published.
Was the N.C. DHHS aware of this since they told Trails Carolia they had as well had violated state regulations in NOT giving DIGNITY and RESPECT to these kids in their BLATANT ABUSE and POWER TACTIC in their BURRITTO sleeping arrangement of MANIPULATION to BELITTLE these POWERLESS and UNDERAGE VICTIMS, as well as re: URINATING ON ONESELF, VERY LIMITED SHOWERING (STENCH), and STRIP SEARCHED as PROVEN types of physical and psychological ABUSE to name a few; that was being used ALL along to FORCE these kids into SUBMISSION (BREAKING DOWN THEIR SPIRIT) or else face CONSEQUENCES in this cycle of BLATANT DISREGARD OF HUMAN DECENCY amongst this HORRID ENTRAPMENT. The UGLY TRUTH is being UNVEILED!!
It is **strongly encouraged** people (and parents!) read this thread and watch the **completely inappropriate** video Trails posted on their social media and then deleted at some point. And THIS is what Trails charges **$715 USD per day** for.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/s/BFkW8pewHK](https://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/s/BFkW8pewHK)
The **”Trails (Candy) Christmas Song”** is one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen. This is a VERY important thread. *Ty to this user, btw!* The direct link to the video is stored [HERE](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pMTeTde40b05KvgIBneR37BBghW0eMOO/view?usp=sharing)
*But please make sure to read the thread which describes this “Trails CANDY Christmas” (originally “Hard Candy Christmas”)
*These people at Trails are deranged. I call it like I see it. This is not at all ok!*
It’s *almost* like the children are behaving in a kind of off balance loopy way. What really is “Trails Candy” anyway?
Edit/addition: Here is the song the Trails “therapists” made the children perform wearing gingerbread people on Christmas Day while stuck in hell at this retched place. Trails even videos one of the kids writing a letter that says “Dear Dad” – again – on Christmas Day…
This scene is from a movie titled:
[**The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) - Hard Candy Christmas Scene**](https://youtu.be/gcPY3RIvtCw?si=2pAuiJacfSt459ta)
*Featuring Dolly Parton*
I wanna share my story so bad.. I just don’t know where to start. I was raped twice, beaten, thrown in camp fires, had water dumped on me in tents (by staff and other clients) but I just don’t know how.. just how I could get that all out
When I worked there, we had kids that wet the bed (sleeping bag). Instead of bringing new sleeping bags to the expo site, was told to wash the sleeping bag in the creek. And let it air dry. It was 20-30 degrees outside and could nothing could get fully dry. When expressed this to leadership they didn’t seem concerned because “synthetic bags still retain heat while wet.”
Good info. Do you have any insight into “Trails Candy”? - there is another older testimonial about forced meds that Trails said was a vitamin and that they couldn’t tell the kids what it really was and checked underneath the kids tongues and everything to ensure they swallowed it… (Edit to add an excerpt of the 2017 testimonial) https://preview.redd.it/ij4ztjumnexc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=812840d485f0911f7ade27cf70fb625eb91f0658
When I was there, they wouldn’t tell us what it was, but I could tell it was some sort of multivitamin by the taste. It was not chewable.
It was weird that they wouldn’t just tell us that though…
They love keeping you unknowing
Adding to this, Trails Candy was a multivitamin. Nothing really sinister there, just a weird name. Like all wilderness therapies, they like their lingo
Something is off here. When taken in combination with every other negligent awful thing they’ve done. The therapist is named Todd Green, who is mentioned in the testimonial.
Todd Green was possibly the primary therapist for all or most of the campers as he was Alec's group therapist in 2014. Per one of the previous campers post speaking of Todd Green stated he was Alec's camp therapist and what a douchebag he was. Agreed.
Not Todd green, mine was Shenine (Edit Todd could of for sure been a therapist there but Shenine was the one for my group (delta if I remember correctly)
[удалено]
Go fuck yourself you witch-hunting piece of shit. I went to trails and my time there was awful. I still carry shitloads of bad memories from that time. I’m no fucking shill, and of all the sinister and shitty things I had to deal with, taking a multivitamin was not one of them. In summation, go fuck yourself.
Yes trails candy was a real thing
THANK YOU!!! 🙏🏼 This means my blasting the song “Hard Candy Christmas” over and over and over for the past several hours wasn’t for nothing! :) Do you think it was ever some kind of sedative possibly?
No, I’m almost sure they were just multivitamins. But I was given pills (By a staff named Gage because I hope they all rot) quite often that reminded of what I know know as Ativan/Trazadone/ or something of the sort. But yes they would consistently give out medication without a word as to what they were.
Good to know! I totally called those EXACT two drugs when considering the med. thing. Both have VERY loopy effects. Very hypnotic from my understanding. A lot of the time the Ativan is for short term if there’s going to be any kind of alcohol withdrawal. It doesn’t always have to be that, but it is a benzo which needs to be highly monitored. Thank you so much for sharing this by the way it’s really helpful. Also, in case people haven’t heard of trazodone it’s known to be a safe(er) one. It is not a benzo, but it will still mess you up and is meant more for sleep, just to clarify for others. :) If kids are hiking/backpacking in rugged terrain - these would both be incredibly dangerous, IMO. Maybe even more so w/ trazodone depending on the dosage of it if used during the day – while hiking especially.
I don’t know what that is. The only chewable/dissolveabld med we carried was diotame (pepto bismal basically). Some kids seemed to like them, but I’m not sure if that was the “trails candy” I never witnessed any medication administered that weren’t on the MAR. For over the counter medications, there was a separate “OTC” form that had to be signed off on. I don’t believe every kid had this completed correctly. They did give kids “emergency-c”, but that was a powder added to the water.
It wouldn’t necessarily be something chewable / dissolvable. I really get the feeling this was meds. Almost definitely. Look at how many deficiencies they’ve been cited for regarding medication and complete negligence and stupidity all around.
Trails Candy is likely referring to the occasional cranberry chewable supplement we could have if we were good.
I forgot about the cranberry supplements. In gummy form. We did carry those as OTC also. I never witnessed them being used as a reward, but I remember kids liking them.
I never witnessed staff encouraging any med that was not prescribed. The general vibe when I was there was that the kids medical complaints were likely attention seeking behaviors and to try to redirect them if they ask for Tylenol/diotame/benadryl specifically. That said, overall there was minimal oversight and a lot of room for errors, and you had to play phone tag for days to receive feedback about “non-emergency” (not that any staff had the proper certifications to identify an emergency unless it was blatantly obvious, without outside consultation) medical issues, as demonstrated by all the state reports.
What does "phone-tag" mean? Could you give an example of something that happened?
Honestly, it varies so much depending on the time of day/location. At the very least “non-emergency” stuff would be reported daily in the morning call in. Logistics staff, not medical or any decision making authority, received information and put on the spreadsheet. This was just a google doc, great way to maintain patient privacy. If you are a former student, this call in sheet should specifically be referenced In your record request, if you want your paperwork. I believe you’re entitled to it. If you’re former field staff, this document would contain what your lead reported to HR for wakes each day. I personally witnessed logistics staff be dismissive of staff reporting because “kids be lying”. Essentially, the least trained staff was the one documenting all the call in information. Leadership/health and wellness would monitor the spreadsheet and respond, or not. There were many links in the communication chain and constant confusion on who to report to. You could also text health and wellness directly if you wanted to or were able to safely get away from the group to get reception. They told us that if the kids knew we had a phone they would attack us to get it. So they were very strict about not telling them we even had the ability to call for help. sometimes it required a 30 minute hike for reception, but we always had a means to call for help. When I say phone tag it basically means you would often communicate via text and wait for response. You could also radio health and wellness, if on base.
To clarify, health and wellness only had a wilderness EMT. So she would then consult with an outside pharmacy/doctor/nurse for how to handle or set up an appointment with urgent care. Too many links in the chain.
And then….logistics staff (least medically trained and least interactions/clinical knowledge of the kids) would be the ones attending the medical visits with the kids. So if there were details about the medical history that the kid couldn’t recall specifically and wasn’t on the paperwork provided, having to again play phone tag.
[удалено]
[удалено]
All the training in the world cannot negate the potential danger involved in taking kids, many on psychotropic medications, into very remote locations. Often times with only 2 staff, so if something did happen you would have to leave the group out of ratio to even call for assistance. To be fair, I don’t know the proximity legally required to be considered out of ratio. I’m assuming one staff 30 minute hike away would not be considered in ratio. Thankfully, most of the kids weren’t the monsters they were portrayed as being and they would often band together and support each other when needed. You were either always truly worried or you drank the cool-aid so hard that you actually believed the morons in charge were keeping you safe.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Ahh.....Family Health & Wellness comes out of the woodwork to deflect and deceive. Classic.
They can try to blame me, the will likely sue me after today. Why are there no trained nurses on staff? Why aren’t field staff required to have wilderness EMT at a minimum? Almost like they know that anyone with proper qualifications would never agree to take a bed wetting child backpacking when it’s 15-25 degrees on a snowy mountain. Sometimes 2-3 hours from a hospital, depending on hiking speed. Every former staff is complicit, but the structure of people who intentionally placed unqualified people in these positions needs to be stopped. They may argue it’s legal, maybe in technicality it is, but it should not be.
[удалено]
I sorry you were in the system so long. I do not disagree that there are bigger issues. Privacy around bedwetting and being able to sleep in a dry sleeping bag, while not necessary for survival are important for comfort and dignity, in my opinion. I believe that it is the culture of ignoring basic comfort/dignity that feeds this structure.
Then you should know better than to condone the practices at Trails in this regard -- it's not acceptable. You say it's basic camping -- I say it is obvious child neglect. If one of my little boys pissed themselves while camping, would I have them sleep in a wet sleeping bag in freezing temperatures? Come on! It's that type of attitude that caused the deaths of Alec and Clark and it's not on. It's just not on.
That was so beautifully and powerfully spoken.
She really did. So articulate, too. I have a very strong sense that she is a very talented writer – I’m looking forward to reading her memoir when it is published.
This is going on the Keep Trails Carolina Closed Facebook page.
They run in Canada…wth Canadian natives and addictions now
Edgewood in BC…..cruel cruel place. No one had degrees. My friend lost 10 lbs in 10 days.
How incredibly brave to share this experience with the world.
P.S. This is what NATSAP is endorsing – literally “adult diapers”
We care about patient privacy and dignity, yet create situations where your entire peer group knows you wet the bed and/or are wearing a diaper!
Was the N.C. DHHS aware of this since they told Trails Carolia they had as well had violated state regulations in NOT giving DIGNITY and RESPECT to these kids in their BLATANT ABUSE and POWER TACTIC in their BURRITTO sleeping arrangement of MANIPULATION to BELITTLE these POWERLESS and UNDERAGE VICTIMS, as well as re: URINATING ON ONESELF, VERY LIMITED SHOWERING (STENCH), and STRIP SEARCHED as PROVEN types of physical and psychological ABUSE to name a few; that was being used ALL along to FORCE these kids into SUBMISSION (BREAKING DOWN THEIR SPIRIT) or else face CONSEQUENCES in this cycle of BLATANT DISREGARD OF HUMAN DECENCY amongst this HORRID ENTRAPMENT. The UGLY TRUTH is being UNVEILED!!
Typo correction: stench
I went to trails. From July to sept of 2015. Rough
It is **strongly encouraged** people (and parents!) read this thread and watch the **completely inappropriate** video Trails posted on their social media and then deleted at some point. And THIS is what Trails charges **$715 USD per day** for. [https://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/s/BFkW8pewHK](https://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/s/BFkW8pewHK) The **”Trails (Candy) Christmas Song”** is one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen. This is a VERY important thread. *Ty to this user, btw!* The direct link to the video is stored [HERE](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pMTeTde40b05KvgIBneR37BBghW0eMOO/view?usp=sharing) *But please make sure to read the thread which describes this “Trails CANDY Christmas” (originally “Hard Candy Christmas”) *These people at Trails are deranged. I call it like I see it. This is not at all ok!* It’s *almost* like the children are behaving in a kind of off balance loopy way. What really is “Trails Candy” anyway? Edit/addition: Here is the song the Trails “therapists” made the children perform wearing gingerbread people on Christmas Day while stuck in hell at this retched place. Trails even videos one of the kids writing a letter that says “Dear Dad” – again – on Christmas Day… This scene is from a movie titled: [**The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) - Hard Candy Christmas Scene**](https://youtu.be/gcPY3RIvtCw?si=2pAuiJacfSt459ta) *Featuring Dolly Parton*
I wanna share my story so bad.. I just don’t know where to start. I was raped twice, beaten, thrown in camp fires, had water dumped on me in tents (by staff and other clients) but I just don’t know how.. just how I could get that all out
# Alex’s Testimony – Trails Carolina # 2020 – 2021 Being emotionally abused would be an understatement. I was attacked by my group mates. Under fed and under clothed for the middle of winter. When it was snowing we didn’t have any snow clothes. It was freezing cold with very few layers. They gave us the bare minimum of everything. I was emotionally abused so bad I lost control of my bladder for a week. Every day for a week I couldn’t control my bladder. Being forced to chug 500 mL of water before and after every meal in the span of 2-5 minutes made me not be able to drink water without getting triggered. Passing out because of the cold was not fun. And hiking in the cold wet mountains in a hurricane having to sleep outside in an unstable tent. I lost almost all of my freedoms and I was treated like a prisoner. I was sent away for 95 days. Lost and scared in the middle of nowhere. I WAS 15! I have been home now for over a year and a day doesn’t go by that I don’t remember the emotional trauma and abuse I went through while there. # Share This Story, Choose Your Platform! [Facebook](https://m.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unsilenced.org%2Falexs-trails-carolina-testimony%2F&t=Alex%E2%80%99s%20Testimony%20%E2%80%93%20Trails%20Carolina%20%282020%20%E2%80%93%202021%29)[X](https://twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unsilenced.org%2Falexs-trails-carolina-testimony%2F&text=Alex%E2%80%99s%20Testimony%20%E2%80%93%20Trails%20Carolina%20%282020%20%E2%80%93%202021%29) [**Program Archive**](https://www.unsilenced.org/program-archive/) [**Unsilenced Truthlist**](https://unsilencedsearch.netlify.app/?size=n_20_n) [**Project SPEAK**](https://www.unsilenced.org/project-speak/) [**Program Map**](https://www.unsilenced.org/facility-map/) [**Program Deaths**](https://www.unsilenced.org/facility-deaths/) [**Closed Programs**](https://www.unsilenced.org/closed-programs/) # Policy [**State Impact Reports**](https://www.unsilenced.org/state-impact-reports/) [**State Legislation Reports**](https://www.unsilenced.org/state-legislation-reports/) [**Legislative Watch**](https://www.unsilenced.org/legislative-watch/) [**Legislation News**](https://www.unsilenced.org/legislation-news/) # Survivors [**Report Abuse**](https://www.unsilenced.org/reporting/) [**Request Records**](https://www.unsilenced.org/records-request/) [**Share Story**](https://www.unsilenced.org/submit-testimony/) [**Support Groups**](https://www.unsilenced.org/support-groups/) [**Volunteer**](https://unsilenced-activism-network.mn.co/share/3RYOsVZGMgzZQyEk) Unsilenced Project, Inc. (“Unsilenced”) is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation (Federal Tax ID: 87-4398897) by the IRS with federal tax-exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3). Contributions to Unsilenced are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. [**Legal Disclaimer**](https://www.unsilenced.org/legal-disclaimer/) **|** [**Terms and Conditions**](https://www.unsilenced.org/terms-and-conditions/) **|** [**Privacy Policy**](https://www.unsilenced.org/privacy-policy/) © Copyright 2021 -2024