After a quiet summer, it looked like the right time to crank up some marketing and long-range planning— but then the wind blew in with a different priority. Here’s the latest from that little Camp up in the mountains for early autumn, 2025.
Feel The Crunch
After a week all on its own, standard procedure upon arrival in Camp is to eyeball the buildings for bear entries, tree-fall, or other damage. On Friday, September 5th, the quick survey from below appeared to be all good; attention was focused on getting ready for an informal reception on Saturday to mark the 5th anniversary of the Bobcat Fire— because it was so far behind us. Ha!
It wasn’t until the pack train arrived that a leafy branch hanging over the edge of Cabin-2 was noticed; a more careful look raised the question—Why are the walls bulged out? A few steps closer and Yep, an entire oak tree had come down on the Cabin, crunched through the roof, splitting open a corner of the building and popping out an entire window in its frame from the opposite wall.
Frustratingly, we had been in conversation just the week before with a tree guy about thinning some hazard trees, but this was not one of them: a very tall and very green canyon oak, but with a burn-weakened base. Like many other trees in the Canyon, this one had survived the Bobcat fire above two feet from the ground; but from the knees down, it had burned inside, gone dead and rotted in the heavy rains of ’22-’23. Sharp winds and light thunderstorms blew through the mountains after Labor Day, so the healthy crown of this tree must have caught a mean gust, and finally gave up.
The live wet weight was multiplied by where the trunk split into 3, increasing the force of impact, and the aim could not have been more perfect: it nailed the ridge beam almost dead center. Photos inside show the splintered ceiling joists and boards; only one bunk got a light after-stab, and otherwise everything was (relatively) intact.
In general, the building can be repaired; the trick will be getting that corner to fit back together. The project lends itself to some small improvements the Board had already been considering—but a lot of that started simply with fresh paint!
Delayed, Again
The disappointment is the Conservancy had been gearing up to tackle maintenance and repairs delayed by the Fire— there is still plenty of bear damage to address, and plans to upgrade of the bathhouse. That will have to wait as we scramble to rebuild #2’s roof, ideally before the winter rains.
A Narrower Bottom Line – for now
The loss of 8 more bunks also cuts our guest capacity by 25%– again: the loss of Cabin-1 to the Fire brought it down to 32 pillows, now it will be at 24 for the near future. While the Camp is rarely at capacity (which is best for the Camp and its guests), the plan has been to solicit and create more exclusive-use events to help fund repairs and improvements. This temporary loss of bunks cuts directly into revenue for that much needed work.
Job Openings
But money is the smaller problem: the bigger problem is recruiting people who are both skilled for the necessary tasks, and care enough about the Camp to give their time—and OBTW, can knock out a four-mile hike and then tackle the job! If you have the boots, the heart, and even some skills, sign-up here to volunteer for this and plenty of other worthwhile projects in the wilderness. https://www.sturtevantcamp.com/volunteer/
Balloons and— Duck Eggs?
For Sturtevant Camp, the first full weekend of September will be forever marked by two consequential events: Sept.6,, 2020 was the start of the Bobcat Fire, which eventually worked its way to the Camp, burning Cabin-1 and most of the water system. The second was the passing of the Camp’s founder, Wilbur M. Sturtevant, 115 years ago this year on September 8th, 1910 at the age of 68.
Apart from the tree on Cabin-2, the focus in Camp for this 2025 weekend was the Fire, five years in the past but still delivering trouble. Special for the occasion, Chef Teah V-P baked a custom batch of cookies using duck eggs (?!) Also there were fresh strawberries, lemons and mint to spike the iced lemonade. And there were balloons, because balloons are always fun (especially tying them together—love that squeaky sound!)
Consensus of guests and through-hikers was that the cookies were quackalicious and much appreciated, and an ICED beverage of ANY flavor is fantastic on hot, late summer days.
As for Wilbur, he stayed quiet. Again.
On the Calendar: OPEN HOUSE Nov.15th
Saturday, November 15th will be an OPEN HOUSE at Camp. Everything will be open to the public so everyone can see what you get when you spend a night or two in Camp. Board members of the Conservancy will be available to describe the amenities and logistics of staying in Camp, tell stories past and present, and answer questions.
For sure Teah is going to bake stuff to go with the free refreshments, and there’ll be souvenirs to pick up and merch to purchase (cash!). Posters will describe both the history of buildings and planned improvement projects; hopefully Cabin-2 will be done—if not, you might be given a paintbrush to help get it across the finish line!
Set a reminder for the date and share the invite with friends for a great time in the mountains with like-minded folks.
Happy trails!
