COEUR d'ALENE - Turn off those cell phones.

Tune out the T.V.

Videos?

Void 'em.

It's time to get back to basics.

And basics mean hiking, climbing, swimming and sweating.

Every child should have a chance to explore the outdoors, and no better place than Camp Lutherhaven off Kidd Island Bay Road.

South of the city, pine trees shade the sprawling camp ground, equipped with log cabins fit enough to call hotel rooms, on the banks of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

An outdoor paradise, for sure, which is why camp directors, school teachers, parents and former campers and counselors want to make sure Coeur d'Alene sixth-graders have the opportunity they had growing up and attending the outdoor wonderland.

"It's hard to imagine for me just living in the Coeur d'Alene area and somebody's never gone on a hike," said Daniel Baker, Lutherhaven outdoor education director, about the natural resource that some may take for granted. "We have this beautiful, amazing place around here."

Yet, affording to send their children to camp can be difficult for some families, which is why the group of camp advocates is starting a fundraising drive to help defer the costs of sending those kids to, well, summer's rite of passage.

Every September, sixth-grade students from around Coeur d'Alene take part in Trail Creek, a educational camp that teaches nature and exercise to incoming middle school students. Tracing back to the 1970s, everyone from current students to former pupils turned professional remember the camp.

"If you find anyone who's gone to school in Coeur d'Alene," Chris Hammons, retired principal of Woodland Middle School, said, "they probably remember the camp."

But the camp wants to bring on staff as a way to ease reliance on high school counselors, so it needs to raise money. By raising cash, they also want to reduce the cost for families to send their kids. Right now, it costs $85 for the two-night getaway.

Kristi Rietze, Lutherhaven director of philanthropy, said she'd like to see it reduced to closer to $15, just like when she went to the camp her sixth-grade year. If costs don't come down a bit, more families might be priced out of the opportunity.

"I want to make it something that isn't even a question if they're going to do it," she said of families being able to afford the overnight camp. "I just don't want it to be a question."

The fundraising campaign at this point is social media, and word of mouth. In the meantime, 800 students are scheduled to descend on the lakeside campground in about a month. But the goal is to keep Coeur d'Alene School District students attending the traditional local camp at the beginning of each school year.

And this isn't sitting in a hotel room. Kids power off the electronics and exert old fashioned muscle. Rock climbing, obstacle courses, swimming, hiking - who cares about reruns on cable?

"Sometimes you need to experience the outdoors," said Mitchell Moorow, 10, spending a week at the camp, shooting arrows at an archery lesson. "It's kind of hard being locked up ... in the house."

The camp also gives students a chance to bond with fellow students about to enter a new school.

"It's awesome," said Kurtis Miller, 10, who listed swimming as his favorite activity at the camp, visiting over the summer before school kicks into gear. "I like the outdoors."

And the goal of the September camp, besides the educational and adventure opportunities?

"If they can just get away from their gadgets for two nights, Rietze said, "it's good for them,"

Info: Kristi Rietze, 667-3459 ext. 122 or kristi@lutherhaven.com