The Canyon and Camp have been back in business for a year now, so what have we seen and learned and accomplished? As 2025 comes to a close, here’s the latest from the Sturtevant Conservancy.
Guests Don’t Grow on Trees
But they do sit around under them, especially in the circle of many-colored Adirondack chairs in Camp. Through-hikers to Mt. Wilson also stop in and people swaps trail updates, hiking tips and stories. January to June was busy in the circle and in the cabins, with lots of guests after the four-year shutdown.
But the summer heat and bugs slowed down hikers and guests and continued into Autumn. The quiet stretch made room for volunteers to respond to the tree fallen on Cabin-2 (see below), and minimized the impact of mid-November’s heavy rains.
Now 2026 is around the corner and reservations are wide open: pick two numbers—the number of people you want to book, and the date/s you want to sample, then click into reservations here.
We look forward to welcoming you to your place in the circle under the big trees.
New Mugs @ Rain-Delayed Open House
The Camp Open House scheduled in November was decisively rained out (we’ll take the water!) and is now re-scheduled to Saturday morning Dec. 6th. Holiday shopping might tempt hikers to stay down the hill, so we’re releasing a special gift opportunity at the Open House*—two new carabiner mugs in the series of “Wilbur’s Signature Mugs.”
*The Open House is mostly a chance to put out some cookies and open all the Camp building’s doors, inviting people into the Camp’s six lodging options to see what it’s like to stay at Camp. It’s also a chance to tell a few stories and share our dreams for improvements and upgrades—if we can recruit the right skills for realizing them. All no charge, come hungry before noon.
The next two mugs feature Wilbur’s authentic signature from a letter to his sister Florence; responding to the news of their mother’s passing, he closes with:“Oh Florence, my heart and eyes are too full for writing. So good by – Wilbur.” The new mug colors are Camp Red (same as the buildings), and Heliport Nightsky Blue. A few of the previous mugs are still available, but only 10 numbered mugs in each of the new colors are available, ONLY at Camp and ONLY for cash on site. The first three are priced at $20, the second three at $30, the final three at $40; the tenth mug is $50. Eventually, one complete set from all the series will be auctioned as a fundraiser. Come play Santa and get your gift mugs!
Do Your Boots Squish?
They do if you were hiking to Camp in mid-November. Although not quite the atmospheric deluge of 2022-23 (so far), the rainfall for early November was potent and welcome. The storms have tested the trail improvements made prior to last October’s re-opening, and so far everything is holding up with no washouts or major slides (knock on soggy wood).
But true to form, the abundant rain has also renewed the need for trail work: the saturated soil releases rocks and especially trees that were charred in the Bobcat fire. If you come to hike, keep your gloves and pocket saw handy and join in keeping the trails cleared.
Noah’s Cabin
Speaking of falling trees, work continues on Crunched-Cabin-2, only now the work is under its big brown tarp. Ops/Site Manager Paul Witman has been teetering on ladders and pounding nails, with plenty of help from volunteers, both on the clean-up and construction ends (just getting the massive chunks of the fallen tree moved off and away was an effort!)
Soon the work will shift to the more delicate tasks of transporting glass for all the windows up the trail and installing them; then fresh paint on the new roof inside, with the goal of re-opening the Cabin to guest use a.s.a.p. Many hands make for quick progress and good stories: sign up here to volunteer.
Remembering Dorothy Knox
Every hiker and guest who enjoys Sturtevant owes a debt of gratitude to its first generation of volunteers who set the pattern and positive vibe of working tirelessly for the Camp. Sturtevant was in private ownership until 1943 when the Methodist Church purchased it; for many years after that, volunteers did the essential work of reclaiming the Camp from years of neglect and eventually constructing most of the cabins and buildings we see today.
Among those were the family of Rev. John Knox, one of the early pastors to bring groups up the trail to stay and volunteer; his wife Dorothy was part of the work leading youth and summer camp experiences. Her daughter Karen recalls one time when campers discovered a rattlesnake under a tarp: “They managed to kill it, and then asked Mom to cook it. She had no idea, but she coiled the skinned snake in a frying pan; after a while of frying, it picked itself up, turned over, and laid back down in the pan!”
Just the kind of Camp story that’s an instant classic. John passed away a few years ago, and now we’ve received word of Dorothy’s passing at the age of 88 near Houston, TX. We remember her and her family with thanks for their part in renewing the Camp for everyone’s enjoyment today, and with the help of today’s volunteers, many more years to come.
Does This Venn Diagram Make My Board Look Bigger?
Conservancy President /Camp General Manager Gary Keene
The Sturtevant Conservancy is going on ten years old, with over four of those spent on responding to the losses and shut-down of the Bobcat Fire. During that time, the seven-member Board was directly and vigorously engaged in reclaiming the Gabrielino trail up to Camp, recovery and repair of buildings and utilities damaged by the fire AND bears, developing a new reservations and finance system, and eventually managing incoming guests.
It was a bit much.
The result has been a clear consensus that the work of the Board is related to but distinct from operating the Camp; and that separating those two opens the door to a wider array of volunteers and their diverse skills. To that end, the Board tweaked some of its By-Laws to expand its working groups (or yeah, committees) on Hospitality, Administration and Operations to include non-Board members.
So if you’re a number-cruncher, there’s a place for you; if you like to sling dirt and fix pipes, there’s work for you. And if you’re a people person, or into marketing, or crafty, or like to write policy even (!), sign up to volunteer here.
Happy Trails & Holidays from the Conservancy Board of Directors
Jennifer, Brent, Kelly, Teah, Paul, Sarah and Gary.
