UCB Parents Summer Recommendations
Lair of the Bear
Advice and recommendations from the UCB Parents mailing list.
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Recommendations for Summer Programs
July 2001
We are making our first trip to a Lair of the Bear Alumni camp this August, and
wonder if anyone who has attended previously has advice on things you brought
or wish you had brought that were helpful (going with two kids, ages 5 and 3). Thank you!
Claire
We're "new" Lair families, having gone to Camp Blue for 'just' four years. Our kids are
moving into their pre-teen years, and LOVE going, but I think the Lair will soon pall. Yours
are the perfect age!
As for what to bring (beyond the excellent list provided in your packet): the Lair is really
dusty. A clean mat/rug or two so you have a place to stand while dressing or taking shoes off
before bed is very helpful. Easy slip-on rinsable shoes/sandles/zories for dashes to the
bathroom, and a washcloth or towel you don't mind getting dirty to wipe legs/feet off with
before you get into bed. Water bottles. Extra towels (the ones the kids take to the pool tend
to get pretty grubby!)
Every tent cabin we have had has two singles pushed together in a corner as a couples bed.
This is not very comfortable with two sleeping bags zipped together! We bring twin bottom
sheets, a king top sheet, and a comforter instead. Temperatures at night vary wildly from
year to year (including below freezing and above 80), so again, sleeping inside a bag is not
always the best option.
On Sunday morning there is no coffee until breakfast, which is something like 8:30 or 9:00
AM. This will seem like a long time if your three-year-old wakes you up at 6! I have taken a
coffee maker in past years; don't know if I will this year.
Your favorite beverage for the pre-dinner hour. A cooler is optional; you might want to just
bring a bucket and fill it up with ice. This year we are looking for some good compact folding
chairs.
White t-shirts or other items to tie-dye.
Age-and size appropriate sports gear (e.g., small tennis rackets, tire inner tubes for water
polo).
Ask for bed safety rails (if needed) at check-in. Make sure the adult beds have bed boards (if
you even suspect you will want one) before you make the bed --you may need to flag down
the staff who will be cruising around with a small pick-up truck carrying the bed rails and
boards.
Also, a certain attitude of flexibility --every year I meet someone who didn't realize that this
was a camp experience and were dismayed that the cabins are tents, you have to walk to the
bathroom, there is little choice at meals, etc. Even (last year) the couple who complained
that the tents didn't have level decks outside and that you couldn't park next to your tent.
Me, I am ecstatically grateful that my kids get to go camping, I can go hiking/swimming
every day without arranging a babysitter, and I don't have to cook a thing...
See you at the Lair (Week 11),
Chris
The things we wish we'd known the first time we went were:
1) its very dusty there, cool at night and hot in the afternoon.
2) you'll have an electrical outlet in your tent, and an overhead light.
3) you can get one of those bedrail things that keep your kid from rolling out of bed.
4) Coffee is available in the morning and at 9:00pm. If you need an afternoon jolt,
bring a coffee maker (see #2)
5) you can do laundry if you need to and there is a little store that gives change and sells
sundries -- but didn't have stamps (!)
6) there is an unlimited and free supply of ice, which makes it handy to have an ice chest for
cold drinks for your kids and yourselves.
7) many folks host cocktail parties in the evening, and some folks get a little carried away
with home decorating - you'll see
8) camp food is simple but mostly good, you may find the dining hall loud (we didn't mind)
seating is open. We sat with different people often, and used it as a way to meet folks. Our
kids never sat with us at all -- but they're older than yours (9 and 12).
Most importantly, the staff is very good - high energy, fun, a great bunch of kids. We were
there in June this year -- doubtless they will be more tired, but more experienced than they
were with us.
They do lots of evening entertainment, work like dogs and fight for the right to work there
(how bad can it be?) We felt that our kids were safe at the Lair, and we had some nice times
with just the two of us (can you imagine that!!!)
The most important thing I can tell you from our experience is that our kids loved it, we
loved it, and now we're stuck with the prospect of going back every year forever... so you're
warned, that could happen to you, too.
Heather
I've gone for a number of years as an adult and for many years as a child. Here are some
suggestions of things we bring each year (for me and my two sons) in addition to clothes,
towels, toiletries, etc: reading light with clip, extension cord, rope or other line for hanging
up wet suits and towels, chairs and a card table for evenings outside your tent, warm
clothing in the event that it gets cold (which it can in the evening), t-shirts for tye dyeing, a
coffee pot and coffee (b/c I don't always like to get up for breakfast), cooler for drinks (they
supply free ice), tatami mat or old throw rug for the cabin floor, flashlights for everyone,
hats, sunscreen, bug spray,baseball mitts for adults who want to play in the various
baseball games, hiking boots and back packs for hikers. Hope this helps!
Dana
I recommend bringing warm clothing. It gets very cold up there around
this time of year. It's best to dress in layers that you can take off.
Bathing suits and floatation devices would be nice since they have a
swimming pool.
Small amounts of money because they have a store up there that's open
during the day. DO NOT KEEP ANY SWEETS OR CANDY IN YOUR CABIN. Racoons
will eat through your bags and get them. Have fun.
Kevin
I suggest bringing a folding lawn or beach chair for each member of the
family and some books for quiet time (young ones will need a chance to rest
from all the activities of the day). If your three-year old is diaper
trained, then you will be able to leave 'em in the Kid Korral (kids love
it) and get some free time for yourself. Otherwise, you may want to hire
one of the staffers as a babysitter for a few hours.
For a break on the drive up, Columbia is a state park that preserves the
Gold Rush era. There's a blacksmith, short trail rides, a hotel, a few
restaurants. a candle-making shop, etc. It's nice for kids and adults, and
there's often wholesome food for sale on the street, like roasted corn on
the cob.
The Oakdale Cheese Factory and Pure Joy (east of Oakdale) are also nice
food/play stops. A family favorite is listening to "Charlotte's Web" read
by the author (available on CD and tape) on the drive.
Mary
I grew up a 4th week Camp Gold camper and remember my mom packing some
really useful stuff: a clothes line for hanging bathing suits and towels
(she strung it up between trees), sandals to wear in the shower, a card
table and chairs, an ice chest for juice and bottled water, a Coleman
lantern, flashlights for all of us and lots of sunscreen and bug repellent.
oh, and a Cal songbook! Have a great time!
Alexandra
Cal has a family camp near Pinecrest. They have a
mini-weekend to try the place out; otherwise, it's by the week. You have to
join Cal Alumni Assn to go, but you don't have to be an alum. We went one
year but found Berkeley Tuolumne Camp far, far superior. Less rah-rah; more
natural setting (river swimming rather than a pool, eg).
Linda (3/99)
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