Camp Hi-SierraFriends of

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 - Liz Martinsen returned in 2008 as Aquatics Director, as well as Renny Wright as Head Chef, Laurie Ortega-Murphy as Nature Director, Mark Hayden as Scoutcraft Director, Jenny Brown as Mountain Sports Director, Tiny Brewer as Assistant Ranger and Health Officer, Chris Murphy as Archery Director, Dianne Betz as Handicraft Director, Scott Burley as Head Commissioner, and Cat Aurelio as Shooting Sports Instructor, among many returning staff alumni! <span class="inline left"><a href="/node/137"><img class="image thumbnail" src="/files/images/img_3681%20%282%29.thumbnail.jpg" alt="Laurie in 2008: Here's Laurie, the 2007 and 2008 Nature Director, near the bunkhouse." title="Laurie in 2008: Here's Laurie, the 2007 and 2008 Nature Director, near the bunkhouse." width="75" height="100" /></a><span style="width: 73px" class="caption"><strong>Laurie in 2008: </strong>Here's Laurie, the 2007 and 2008 Nature Director, near the bunkhouse.</span></span>

Pinecrest Sailing

The long-awaited return of the Pinecrest Sailing program has finally happened, with long-time staff alumni and frequent volunteer Rohan Shahani captaining the restarted program with new boats and some of the most beautiful open water in the central Sierras.

Internet in Camp?

Scoutmasters now have intermittent access to a designated computer with dial-up internet &quot;access&quot; in the office - if they care to wait long enough to get a connection! Maybe this will help prod the right people to bring in the long-awaited satellite internet connection?

Flush toilets? No way!

Last but certainly not least, some campsites have been upgraded with &quot;flushies&quot; - actual flushing toilets in Camp! Thus far, Blackfoot, Chippewa, Miwok and perhaps Navajo have the experimental new amenities, but the rest of the hill is likely to follow suit for 2009. Will this elminate the need for the Latrine Spelunking merit badge??

Updating this site!

We're working to update this site a little bit. Things that we're working on (but not promising):

• inline images!!!
• integration with flickr for easy image uploading
• we've got a couple more that we'll keep on the down-low for now.

That's it for now (and a long update it was, I know!). We're still considering directions we want to take this website, and you'll probably see some changes soon. Feel free to drop us a line on our Contact page to let us know how we're doing and give suggestions! All of this means that you might see some weird goings on here for a while -- bear with us!