Published often and occasionally by the campers and staff of Camp Trinity on the Bar 717 Ranch
in the interest of news, fun, and… Good Camping!
Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alumni, and Friends,
The start of 2020 marks the beginning of our 90th year of camping here on the Bar 717 Ranch. A lot has changed in those nine decades!
For context, back in the summer of 1930, the population of the world was just over one billion people, a first class stamp would’ve cost you two cents, the planet Pluto had only recently been discovered, and the Great Depression was just beginning. A few years earlier, my grandfather Grover Gates had signed his name to a lease (check it out here) securing the use of all 175 acres of the William Shules homestead. His plan was to start a model pig farm. The term was 15 years and the rent was 10 dollars a month, but with the Great Depression underway, pork belly futures were not going up.
Being a teacher, Grover chose to invite a few students and a relative or two to join him at the ranch for the summer. It goes without saying that there was a lot that needed doing. There were animals to feed and care for, fences to fix, sprinklers to move, hay to cut and stack, and gardens to tend to. But there was also a river to swim in, horses to ride, trails to explore, and—without a doubt—many evenings with friends around a campfire. Looking at it in that light, maybe things haven’t changed all that much in the past 90 years.
The start of the new year finds us busy with ongoing projects around the ranch. The finishing touches on the kitchen are coming along. Rockwork, handrails, doors, and the still-to-do bits of trim and siding will keep us busy for most of the winter. With plenty to do indoors, days of snow or rain can still be productive.
The annual pinning up of a new calendar also stirs our thoughts towards camp events we have planned to meet with new and potential camp families, and to connect with friends and alumni. If you know someone who you think might be interested in learning more about our programs, please visit our website for a calendar of open houses or events in your area. We would love to see you at our Southern California Alumni Gathering on March 20th!
90 years from now, when the year 2110 rolls around, I hope my descendants can look back at the ensuing decades and find some appreciation for the choices we made today, for the things that have changed, and (most importantly) for the things that have stayed the same.
All the best from the ranch,
Kent
Did You Know
…that counselors Cabot, Robby and Matt collected thousands of rocks from the hillside above the dance floor to be used on the Eating Platform walls around the new kitchen?
…that we partnered with Gold Arrow Camp Director Audrey Monke on the launch of her book Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults. Her book is a great resource and we are excited to provide a copy to all new camp families.
…that counselors Kait and Cabot teamed up to produce a wonderful video capturing so much of the beauty and fun of camp. Video by Kait Schultz and original music written and performed by Cabot Metz.
…that we had good number of Steelhead make their way from the ocean back to our little stretch of Hayfork Creek this fall? It was very cool to see them holding in the big pools (Girls Camp, Deer Pond, the Swimming Hole, Turtle Rock, and Diamondback) waiting for the first fall rains to spawn.
…that we have 12 returning counselors signed on for next summer? Julian, Lessia, Jose, Lona, Mia, Pete, Holly B., Clara, Lindsey, Robby, Sarah, and Cesc will be back for another year along with Laura, who is joining our counseling staff after many years as a member of our support staff team. We’re also excited to introduce you to our new staff members this spring!
Winter on the Ranch
After most summers at the Ranch we shrink down to a skeleton crew to clean up and prepare for winter. This year was a bit different because seven counselors stayed to help out and experience the lovely fall weather. Leonard, Rex, and Oliver were here to wrap up camp and run Alumni Weekend before heading out on a road trip east. Cabot, Robby, and Sam stayed until November to help get ready for winter by clearing blackberries, planting trees, and hand picking the stones to finish the new Eating Platform. They also got to experience our annual ritual of filling the porch with firewood to stay cozy once the nights get cold. We also had Matt Holbrook return from a brief hiatus from camp to help the ranch crew work on the kitchen and take care of the animals. With all the extra hands (including an amazing crew during our fall work weekend) we were able to accomplish some important tasks. We cleared every last blackberry bush from the Lower Garden fence. (Don’t worry, there will still be plenty blackberries around to make pies and jam next year). With so many hands we were able to get most of the rock we need to finish the eating platform from the side hill above the dance floor. This was special for us, because it’s the same source we used for the old eating platform, and we can maintain that rustic ranch finish. Lastly, we were able to kickstart our fall time canning after a break for the past few years. We canned applesauce, pears, pickles, plum jam, and tomato sauce all from food grown on the ranch. When the last canning lid had popped, we had 909 quarts to show for it!
Animal Update
Robby and Sam got a kitten for the Homestead house this fall. Getting the cat here was quite the adventure. On the way back from Redding, the cat escaped from Robby’s lap and crawled up behind the steering column of Sam’s Prius. When they arrived at camp the kitten had found a comfortable little nest as far up as it could get into the car. It was too far out of reach for us to coax it out, but we eventually accepted that we would need to disassemble Sam’s entire dashboard to get the kitten out. After taking apart the air vents, the central control screen, and finally getting the dashboard itself detached from the car, we were able to lift the kitten out safe and sound. Now the cat lives in Small Animals with our other barn cat and everyone has taken to calling her Dash.
In other animal news, we added a new horse to the ranch herd this January. Harley is an 11-year-old paint gelding and will join the rest of the crew on the trails this summer after spending the spring with some veteran Bar 717 horses at UC Davis.
Nick and Jean’s Boardgame Corner
We moved to the ranch full time two years ago in large part because the rural lifestyle allows us to play more boardgames. To say that boardgames are our hobby is an understatement. In 2019 we played 94 different games 354 times with 122 different players in 21 different locations. We love boardgames and they help us get through the cold winters at the ranch. So to help you unplug this season, here are Nick and Jean’s official winter boardgame recommendations:
- Just One: A word guessing game that captures camp’s cooperative spirit because everyone is on the same team playing against the game.
- Visitor in Blackwood Grove: One player is an alien that invents a rule that determines which items can pass through their force field. This game feels the most like a game you’d play at a table or on the platform at camp.
- Incan Gold: A game about getting the most treasure by pushing your luck further than anyone else. This is a game about getting outside your comfort zone and accepting failure with grace, both camp traditions we love.