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Just picked up my boy from Echo Lake Sleep-away camp. Not only had the camp called me about his crying--not to see how they could help him--but to tell me that he had emotional issues, and ask if he had ever been violent. My boy was distraught. I was not allowed to speak to the counselor--I was told that this was camp policy, even though my need to speak to the counselor was initiated by a call the camp made to ME. After I made calls to the Berkeley Rec office, I got two calls from the camp, both saying that my boy was having a great time. This, however, was not the case. My boy arrived home with severe sunburn (I sent him with SPF 85, which no on checked to see if he had applied). He also told me that his sleeping bag duffle ''went missing'' and all he had to sleep with was the thin extra blanket that i put in his suitcase. The duffel also included his hat (required item) and his pillow. My boy shivered for 4 nights at 7,000 ft , in the mountain air of Tahoe--where the counselors sleep in the cabins with the boys, and no one could find his sleeping bag until it magically reappeared Friday morning. No spare blankets were offered. In all the calls I got telling me how well he was doing, no one mentioned that he had nothing to keep him warm at night, and might I be able to remedy that situation. My boy was crying because he could not sleep, and he was running around all day with no sunblock, and no hat. I sent my boy to a camp where no one was looking out for him. He burned and froze, and they ask if he has a history of violence. Wendy
Re: Mixed sports summer camp for 13-year-old
My son is 9 and went with a friend to Echo Lake Sleepover Camp last summer. It
was his first sleepover camp. He had a good time but I would never send him
there again or recommend this camp. There were no side rails on the bunk beds;
he fell out of the top bunk and landed on his chin. His counselor didn't even
get out of bed to check on him. My son did not get any guidance on how to sign
up for special daily activities. His lips were totally sunburned and swollen.
He was in a group with older boys and came back with language which we did not
appreciate. I think it did give him some confidence but there are many other
camps, many which may take better care of their campers.
Anne
Hi BPNers,
I'd love for my 12-year-old son to experience the fun and adventure of
sleepaway camp this summer. He's never been before, and I don't even know
where to start. (I've checked the BPN archives on this subject, of course, but
still feel a bit lost and overwhelmed by the choices.)
Although he loves sports, he's not a real roughing-it type, so a camp with
comfortable and clean accomodations would be ideal. He likes horseback
riding, swimming, archery, campfires, etc., so we're looking for a camp that
offers those types of activities in a fun and laid-back setting. Something
within a few hours of the Bay Area and that isn't horribly expensive would
also be great. (The friend he'll be going with went to Oakland's Feather River
Camp last summer, and didn't have a great experience, so I'm afraid that's
out.)
Thanks in advance for any recommendations and guidance you can offer!
Mom of a first-time camper
My 12 year old daughter has enjoyed overnight camp-she's been to
Pt Reyes camp and Winnarainbow. She'd like to try something else,
in the Sierras or the foothills, that has more activities. I've
heard Camp Tawonga and Mountain Camp are good, but they are too
expensive for us. Has anyone gone to Sierra Friends Camp, Snow
Mountain Camp, or Hidden Villa Ranch camp? Or any others? I
appreciate any info!
mae
High Sierra Camp
Jun 26 - Aug 27, 2004
Berkeley Echo Lake High Sierra Camp (HSC) is an informal
camp for families and individuals. Select cabins are
available for rent during the same time that the City of
Berkeley offers a Summer Youth camp (but separate from
Youth Camp cabins and no scheduled activities).
At 7,300 ft, the camp overlooks Lake Tahoe and is on Hwy
50, 10 miles west of S.Lake Tahoe. Facilities include a
heated swimming pool, basketball/volleyball court, bocce
ball court, horseshoes, lodge with fireplace, bathrooms and
showers. Echo Lake and Desolation Wilderness are a short
walk from camp for spectacular day hikes, fishing and boat
rides.
Wood cabins with canvas tops, have cots and mattresses and
accommodate 2 to 5 people.
Rates per day- (3 meals and lodging): Adults- (16+) $46,
Youth (11-15 ) -$39, Elementary- (7-10) $35, Child (3-6)
$26 (under 3 free)
Reservations: call City of Berkeley's Camps Office, (510)
981-5140. sueblue14 at comcast.net
Overnight program for teens
City of Berkeley Echo Lake Camp will again have a wonderful
summer camp for kids 8-13 yrs. There is an additional
program for CIT's (counselor in training). This is a
wonderful camp in the High Sierras above South Lake Tahoe.
Camp runs Monday through Friday and the program is always
fun. A bus takes the campers up Monday AM and they return
Friday 5 or 6PM in front of Berkeley City Hall. You can
drive your child up or carpool with friends and pick them
up at the end of camp. It is very reasonably priced and the
food, activities, staff and setting are spectacular. There
is a swimming pool in camp and beautiful Echo Lake is a
short walk from camp. It is a great way to get your kids
away from the city and to appreciate the wilderness. They
sleep in tent cabins with their group and there are
bathrooms and showers throughout camp. I have been going
there for years as camp nurse and see the time spent there
as my favorite part of the year. Call the camp office at
510-981-5140. Feel free to contact me at
sueblue14 at comcast.net
[official site - www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/camps/echocamp.html
unofficial site - www.echocamp.org]
Chrysalis, is a nurturing, intimate and somewhat more
controlled experience, carefully run by Berkeley
teachers who've been doing this one camp for years.
The kids get more direct contact with adults, more
supervised and educationally relevant
activities--although it is also quite adventuresome in
various ways. The session my kids loved most was the
Mendocino camp, which included early morning forays
to the beach and an overnight canoe trip to sleep on an
island. Chrysalis is also more face-to-face with nature
in that kids sleep in tents, help cook their own food, etc.
Finally, Chrysalis in my experience attracts a particular
kind of family. Many kids are students at Berkwood
Hedge or Ecole Bilingue, where the two directros taught
for many years and there are more middle-class and
private school kids.
Echo Lake, on the other hand, is kind of like a funky
resort for city kids. There are many more kids and it's a
more diverse and public-school crowd. Most of the
supervision comes from teenagers who are former
campers--all of whom in my experience have been
great. Generally the kids love being with the teens.
Activities are a little less seriously educational and
there are a lot of hijinks. Also, Echo is more like camp
than like camping--kids sleep on cots in tent cabins
with wooden floors, eat in a dining hall, and swim in a
pool. (Echo Lake, one of the most beautiful alpine
lakes you'll ever find, is a half-mile or so away and too
cold for lots of kids--a high point of each session is an
early morning ''polar bear swim.'') Because Echo Lake
Camp has been there since the 20's and because the
Echo Lake forest service cabins were settled primarily
by Berkeley residents in the 20's and 30's (including
many Berkeley faculty and luminaries like the Sproul
and Eshelman families), it has a nice community
feeling--there are lots of silly songs and traditions that
Berkeley kids have been doing for generations.
In short, both camps are great and your child is lucky to
be going to both. Especially if he's going to Echo first,
you might want to make sure that the Camp Director
(who will be there when the buses leave for camp)
knows that it's his first time away from home--just
because Echo can be a bit chaotic. (You could also
send a note to the camp and they'll make sure that his
counselors get it.) But I'll bet he has a great time at
both.
Nina
Our twin daughters, who will turn 13 this summer, are returning to
City of Berkeley's Echo Lake Camp for 1 week this summer. This will
be their third year. It is a 5 day-4 night overnight camp in the
woods and mountains near Lake Tahoe. Loads of cool outdoor
activities, including sleeping in tents, swimming in Echo Lake, camp
fires, etc. It costs less than $500. per child. You can choose from
several weeks over the summer. There is a bus that picks them up in
Berkeley on a Monday morning and returns them to Berkeley on a Friday
evening. Our girls love it.
Jan 2011
March 2007
My son went to his first overnight camp last year, when he was 11. He
went to the City of Berkeley camp at Echo Lake. He went with a friend, and
they had a great time. They are planning to go again this summer.
j
Jan 2007
A great camp my kids loved is the City of Berkeley Echo Lake Camp,
located at 7200
feet in Desolation Wilderness with an incredible view of Lake Tahoe.
The camp is
reasonably priced, through the City of Berkeley Camps Office, and
offers a 5 day
session my kids always loved of swimming; fishing, canoing at Echo Lake
which is full
of granite rock formations and wildflowers; arts and crafts;campfires;
hiking and
games. The director is really kid centered and every child is made to
feel special. They
return year after year. Once kids reach about age 14 they have a chance
to go as
counselors in training.
pauline
April 2004
April 2004
My son has gone to the Echo Lake camp year after year and he
just loves it. He will be doing his second year as a
Counsellor in Training there this summer. What I remember
learning most from his first year was that it is important
to send the kid up with a very warm sleeping bag as it gets
quite cold there at night. Also, make sure they have a full
sized bath towel, not just a face towel. Soap, alas, is
less important. Enjoy.
Dianna
Both of my children (now 16 and 13) have attended both
Echo Lake Camp and Camp Chrysalis and have loved
their experiences with both. The two are quite different,
however.
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