2025: Year In Review
Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alumni, and Friends,
It’s hard to believe that 2025 has already come and gone! It’s been a big, busy, wonderful year. We hosted eight weeks of Camp Trinity on the Bar 717 Ranch, a week of Family Camp, Spring and Fall Work Weekends, a May wedding, our yearly Alumni Weekend, multiple groups from the Watershed Research & Training Center in Hayfork, the annual kids’ Environmental Camp from Weaverville, and an autumn gathering of the Trinity County Historical Society. Though summer is certainly the liveliest time of year, there’s still plenty to do and a lot going on at the ranch no matter the season. Here’s a recap of what we’ve been up to in 2025!
Winter, with its shorter days and cool, wet weather, is necessarily a slower season. Indoors, we prepped for the upcoming camp season, worked on hiring summer staff, and kept warm by the fire on the coldest days. Outdoors, we looked after the horses, cattle, and other farm animals that call the ranch home year-round, and kept an eye on the gardens, orchards, and buildings that remain largely dormant throughout the winter. Once spring came around and the weather began to warm up, our preparations for the upcoming summer grew a little busier. We welcomed new piglets and chickens to the Small Animals barn, as well as a new horse (Barbie!) to our herd. In March, we officially launched our new, refreshed website and brand materials – a project that was the culmination of many months of thoughtful effort from our team and design partners.
In April, we held our Spring Work Weekend, where volunteers worked on setting up new platforms, prepping the Upper Garden for the upcoming growing season, and extending and improving the Downriver Trail to connect to Girl’s Camp. In that same month, we also officially welcomed Clara Daikh on board as our Assistant Director of Staff & Programs. Clara has been with us for many years in different roles, from camper to kitchen staff to counselor, and we’re thrilled to have her as part of our leadership team. In May, we hosted a beautiful wedding at the ranch, and rounded out the month with Alumni Weekend.
Before we knew it, June was here and with it came the start of our summer sessions, which are always a highlight of each year. During camp, we spent countless hours swimming in Hayfork Creek, playing music under the apple trees, singing around campfires, sharing meals on the eating platform, hiking across the ranch, sleeping under the stars, and more. We held our First Session International Festival, our 80th annual Community Barbecue in July, a Lorax-themed Harvest Festival, and of course our yearly Apple Jubilee in Fourth Session. In July, we also welcomed another new leadership team member – Sierra Macdonald, who joined us from Colorado as our Assistant Director of Community and Connection. She spent the summer immersed in learning all things Camp, and we’re so glad to have her as part of our team and camp community. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, we reached our week of Family Camp in August, a chance to see friends new and old and transition into our autumn season. In August, one more year-round team member joined us – Dustin Kaiser, our new Ranch Manager. Dustin moved to the ranch with his partner April and their son Rowdy, and settled right in getting to know the property, helping with ranch projects, and working with our horse herd.
It was a summer of fun, growth, big changes, new friendships, and new memories both for our team and our campers. Once Family Camp wrapped up, we headed right into a busy autumn. We started construction on our new Counselor Shack and Trading Post building (thanks to all our Family Campers who helped with the demolition phase of this project!), and celebrated the harvest season with a fall juicing party and community potluck where we produced almost 100 gallons of apple juice. In September, we welcomed the Weaverville Environmental Camp, a gathering of the Trinity County Historical Society in September, and several groups from the Watershed Research & Training Center in Hayfork. That same month, several of our horses – Sasson, Lassen, Barbie, Lucky, Joe, and Luna – headed down to Midland School and the UC Davis Equestrian Center to spend the winter in lesson programs. Finally, right at the end of September, we opened enrollment for next summer; nothing makes the year feel like it’s flying by more than starting preparations for 2026 right at the end of a fantastic 2025 summer season.
In October, we held our Fall Work Weekend, where a fantastic group of volunteers helped stack 25 tons of hay, chop firewood, pour the foundation of our Counselor Shack/Trading Post building, put away platforms for the winter, and prune rose bushes in the Upper Garden. Now, at the end of December, we’ve come full circle, having spent the last couple months of the year in deep preparation for 2026: tending to land and animals during our shorter daylight hours, watching over the sleepy winter ranch, working on hiring another awesome group of summer staff, and of course staying warm and cozy by the fire.
As we head into 2026 (Camp Trinity’s 96th summer!) we want to take a little more time to reflect on the past year. Read on for camp fun facts, memories and testimonials from 2025, and of course photos from throughout the seasons, including this slideshow with highlights from the year. Enjoy!
Slideshow - 2025 Highlights
Seasons on the Ranch
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Camp by the Numbers
379 - The number of campers who attended Camp in 2025
100 - The percentage of campers who said they would recommend Camp to friends in our post-camp survey
76 - The number of people who returned to Camp for Alumni Weekend in 2025
7 - The number of former campers who returned to the ranch as staff this year
5 - The number of international countries represented by our staff
12 - The number of U.S. states represented by our staff
13 - The number of U.S. states represented by our campers
23 - The number of Camperships awarded to deserving families
8 - The number of backpacking trips to the Trinity Alps
96 - The number of years Camp has been in business
7 - The number of calves born at the ranch this year
Camp Matters: Thoughts from Our Community
From Campers
“Bar 717 is a working ranch which makes it feel like you are part of something bigger. It has all the usual camp activities plus campers get to help the ranch hands with things like building stuff, working with tools, getting hay, or fixing cars. It is more than a camp, it is a community.”
“The Bar 717 Family Camp experience is the highlight of our year. Being off-grid in such a beautiful natural setting, swimming in the rivers, seeing shooting stars in a dark sky filled with the Milky Way, and making music and art, riding and dancing with new and old friends is so sweet – we can't stop coming back.”
“One of the most wonderful places on earth.”
From Parents
“My daughter has been going since she was 8 and thinks of this as an essential part of her childhood and growth. She has formed valuable friendships, developed a love of the outdoors, and feels a profound appreciation for the media-free atmosphere, especially as she has grown.”
“Among the many invaluable experiences that Bar 717 has given our kid, Camp Trinity gives the gift of space. The physical space of open sky and total immersion in nature, the psychological space of finding independence and autonomy away from parents, and the emotional space to grow with one’s fellow campers that isn’t mediated by technology are a few of the aspects that make this camp so special.”
“Our kids have been attending Bar 717 for the last five years. It is a place where [they] have found independence, learned to challenge themselves with new experiences, and developed meaningful friendships…Bar 717 is a source of tradition and fond memories, and an opportunity for both of our kids to have a shared experience…so that they can grow into their own. We have seen lasting positive changes from their experience at camp, and we will continue to send our kids until they age out. After that, it would not be a surprise if they returned to be camp counselors when they are old enough.”
From Staff
“Working at Bar 717 hardly feels like a job—it’s that much fun. The camp is such a special place where kids can step out of their shells and fully be themselves. There’s always a positive, playful energy in the air—people are open, curious, and ready to try something new. To me, it feels like the closest thing to a little village community, the kind of environment humans are meant to thrive in.”
“My favorite parts of the summer…were the small everyday moments that feel like they’ve been happening as long as camp has been around: picking blackberries after morning barn chores, smelling the giant pine tree on the walk to Vespers… the quiet giggles that come from campers after all the lights are out, watching for shooting stars on overnight trips…flipping the perfect pancake on Sunday mornings, dressing up in silly outfits for the dances, and so much more. Life at camp feels different from anywhere else. It’s an incredibly special place where you can return to an uncomplicated way of life, and just be yourself.”
Looking Forward
2026 is shaping up to be another full and exciting year. We’re looking ahead to a busy camp calendar starting with Alumni Weekend in the spring, eight weeks of summer sessions, and Family Camp next August. As a reminder, enrollment is open for Alumni Weekend and all kids’ camp sessions – we recommend signing up sooner rather than later, as sessions do fill up quickly! As always, we truly appreciate your help in spreading the word about camp to prospective campers and families. We have an upcoming Virtual Information Session on January 13, 2026 at 5:30PM PST; you can sign up here, and please feel free to invite anyone in your community who might be interested in learning more about camp.
We are also looking forward to our next Work Weekend in April (dates and signup information coming soon – stay tuned!), and will be continuing work on the Counselor Shack and Trading Post buildings throughout the spring. As we head towards the first full calendar year with our expanded leadership team, we’re looking forward to growing our community and bringing lots of energy into our 96th summer and beyond.
And speaking of community…there’s no doubt that all of you are the core of what makes Camp Trinity on the Bar 717 Ranch special. Thank you for your support of the work we do and your continued engagement with Camp. We wish you all the best as you head into 2026, and we look forward to seeing you at the ranch soon!
Sincerely,
Kent
