Camp Robert L. Cole

Camp Robert L. Cole

Camp Robert L Cole Admin Buildings
Owner Golden Empire Council
Headquarters Sacramento, California
Location Cisco Grove, California
Country United States
Coordinates 39°21′05″N 120°29′40″W / 39.3514882°N 120.4944603°W / 39.3514882; -120.4944603
Founded 1954
Founder Alden Barber; Ed Wilson; Jim Carnahan[1]
Website
Camp Robert Cole

Camp Robert L. Cole is a Boy Scout camp in the Tahoe National Forest in Northern California. It is notable for its high altitude of 6,700 feet (2,000 m) and the surrounding alpine forest and lakes. It is located 7 miles (11 km) north of Cisco Grove, California off of Interstate 80 (I-80), about 32 miles (51 km) west of Truckee, California. It is on the south shore of Lake Sterling on leased land owned by the U.S. Forest Service.

Program

Camp Robert Cole entrance sign.

There are 16 tent campsites, an archery range, a rifle and shotgun range, and campfire bowl.[2] The camp features a six-day, 50 miles (80 km) trek through the nearby mountains known as the Cole Trek. The many nearby lakes and streams support trout. Cole also offers Mountain Biking Treks, Rock Climbing, Mountain Man Program, and a unique Build Your Own Program week.[3] The waterfront program includes swimming, canoeing, snorkeling, small boats, and board-sailing.[4] The camp provides a limited number of Scouts with a series of activities that will help them satisfy many of the requirements for First Class rank.[5]

Facilities

The camp has two main buildings, a rangers cabin, and a bike shop.[3] The largest building contains a kitchen and food storage room on the first floor and bunk rooms on the second. The second building contains camp offices and a dispensary on the first floor, and bunk rooms on the second floor. There is a shower building with eight shower stalls and a handicap accessible shower and toilet. A trading post provides snacks and merit badge supplies during camp. Meals during summer camp are served cafeteria style. Open fires are not permitted. Only propane and butane lanterns and stoves are permitted in the camp.[5] As of 2015, the camp is open for summer camp during three weeks from July 20 to August 8. The cost is $250.[6] As of 2015, the entire camp could be rented for $200 per day.

Current use

A White Stag is attached to the wall of the kitchen and dispensary commemorating the program's contributions to improving the camp facilities and their long-term agreement to use the camp.

The camp is currently used for one week each summer by the White Stag Sierra leadership camp.[7] They provide ongoing leadership development for youth 11-18. Attendees have come from as far as Mexico and China.[8] It is also used by the Sacramento Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their Young Men summer camp program during two weeks in July.[9]

History

In 1952 and 1953 Buttes Area Council Executive Alden Barber worked closely with volunteers to identify a new summer camp site in the Sierra Nevada mountains near a lake. They found Lake Sterling, a Pacific Gas & Electric reservoir, and discovered that it was within 5 miles (8.0 km) of 10 other small lakes suitable for back country treks. They opened the Glacial Trails Scout Ranch at Sterling Lake in 1954. The property consisted of 5 acres (2.0 ha) of land leased from the United States Forest Service Land and 100 acres (40 ha) leased from PG&E. The council built a permanent kitchen in 1957, and after a severe winter storm, were forced to rebuild it in 1958. It was reconstructed once again in 1970, during which volunteers also built a new staff dining building.[1] The Buttes Area Council and the Mount Lassen Council were merged with the Golden Empire Council in 1993.[10]

The camp was closed in 2003 and 2004 when the Golden Empire Council was unable to pay for improvements required by the Placer County health dept and the U.S. Forest Service. Robert L. Cole, President of Goodwin-Cole Company, contributed $260,000 in a matching grant to help pay for the necessary upgrades. The camp was reopened as a high-adventure camp in 2005.[9]

On July 21, 2007 the Camp was renamed to honor contributions made to the council and camp by Robert L. Cole, President of Goodwin-Cole Company. The Cole family continues to support the camp and facilities.[11][1]

Weather

The weather during summer camp season typically ranges from 56-94 °F. It rains an average of ½ inch during July.[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Camp History". Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Camp Robert L. Cole" (PDF). Golden Empire Council. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Camp Robert Cole". Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Camp Robert Cole" (PDF). Golden Empire Council. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 "2014 Leader's Program Guide" (PDF). Golden Empire Council. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "2015 Boy Scout Resident Camp" (PDF). Golden Empire Council. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "About Camp Cole". White Stag Sierra. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Our history". White Stag Sierra. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Information for Camp Robert L. Cole (was Glacial Trails Scout Camp)". Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Buttes Area Council History". Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Glacial Trails Memories". Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Cisco Grove Monthly Climate Average,". Retrieved 11 March 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.