Camp Hi-SierraFriends of

The 2009 Camp season is just getting started, but everyone is already itching to get back to the Sierras! Especially since this year is the 60th anniversary of Camp Hi-Sierra, which is going to mean special 60th events. That means pay attention to your e-mail and calendar, cause you won't want to miss 'em. With all that's going on, this summer should prove to be the best it can possibly be. But then, that's how it always is at Hi-Sierra!

2009 Staff

• Camp Director: Ken Schott
• Program Director: Rohan Shahani

(both can also be contacted through this site's Contact form)

60th Anniversary of Camp

The 60th anniversary is coming up on us, and there's already an event occurring. On the 28th of February, a brainstorming session will be held at camp Chesborough to determine what further events everyone would like to see during this, the 60th year of camp. Lunch will be served to those who RSVP by the 20th of Feb. Attendees will include camp alumni, current staff, Scoutmasters attending camp, SPLS, and others. To download a pdf with info on this event, click here.

Adopt A Campsite Weekend

The Adopt-a-Campsite program has long been a part of Hi-Sierra's unique assortment of activities. This program allows individual troops to select one of our fifteen gorgeous campsites and thereafter be given priority (whenever possible) to stay in that campsite every summer they attend. The program strongly encourages the troop to do work projects on their adopted campsite, which will benefit them in the long run, since they will be returning to an improved site the next year (this does not preclude other troops from improving the site when in residence). That's the regular program. Now, on this coming Memorial Day weekend, troops will be encouraged to come to camp to work on their adopted campsites. This will likely include things such as setting up the tents (for which the staff says: Thank You!), completing a number of projects that the troop comes up with for improvement of the site, and possibly doing some work on some of the general camp facilities. It has been mentioned that scouts who are already members of the Tribe of Hi-Sierra, may be able to fulfill some of the service project requirements for their upcoming ranks. Further information on this event can be found on the pdf/registration form located here.

On the way back from a trip to the Emigrant Wilderness, I visited Camp on Tuesday to see some surprising and wonderful improvements to Camp for this year. Read on to learn about the new shower building, new merit badge sign-up process, returning staff heroes, the return of the sailing program, our site updates, and even the beginning of the end for latrines!

Shower Building

The new shower building is completed and operational! This $250,000 project updated the old camper shower building (between Miwok and Chippewa campsites) with a new facility featuring individual shower stalls - no more waiting for the correct hours or finding the correct side of the building for your age/sex! Pictures should be coming soon.

Merit Badge Sign-up Process

The merit badge sign-up process has also changed dramatically - most Scouts are now signed up for merit badges online using a system based on Camp Chawanakee's popular online sign-up system. This has eliminated the need for a Sunday evening Program Midway (the end of a VERY long run for that program event) and helped make Sunday afternoon check-in much more relaxed: Troops now visit only the "essential" check-in spots during the afternoon tour (Health Lodge, Dining Hall, Waterfront, Rifle Range, etc.) and then get settled in. After dinner, program tours are conducted to show troops the main program areas in the Camp valley.

Returning Staff

Many returning staff continue to make Camp an enthusiastic and zany place -

Welcome one and all! After months and months of planning, coding, designing, and redoing, we're finally up and running. We originally intended this site to be a way for us, staff alumni of Camp Hi-Sierra, to provide information to the world about who we are and what we do. As we developed this site, we came to the realization that it would be far more useful as a community to which anyone can contribute.

So, we've got open sign ups. That's right, anyone can sign up for an account and add content to the site. Our amazing developer has taken the same cool technology found over at wikipedia.org and put it into our site here. This means that once you have an account you can add to just about any page and put your two bits in!