Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, and Friends,
Everything here on the Ranch shows signs that it is springtime: Oaks leafing out, fruit trees blooming, garden beds being tilled, and the general pace of life accelerating as we prepare for Camp. There is always very much work to do as the days get warmer and the start of Camp approaches.
Every spring, at about this time, we turn the horses out to graze across the river at the Bar 7. They are always happy to be out after a long winter of waiting around in the corrals. When I went to check on them yesterday, I found them at a dead run across a big meadow, looking every bit like the herd of wild mustangs they seem to think they are this time of year—nostrils flaring, eyes flashing, ears forward, and tails flying behind them. It is amazing how good green grass and bit of wide-open space can make a horse feel!
It’s a marvel how much a horse appreciates a few simple things—a bite to eat, the company of other horses, and a place to roam free. Come to think of it, the Ranch seems like it provides that kind a place for more then just horses. I think I’ve seen that same look, the one I saw across the river yesterday, in more then a few campers eyes over the years as they’ve stepped off the bus.
On May 10th 2009, the new Bar 717 Ranch website will be on the Internet. We hope you’ll find it informative, interesting, and a good way to ‘visit’ the Ranch during the times of the year you can’t be here. Look for up-to-date news on the Blog, pictures from summers past, and even (coming soon) an hourly webcam view of Barn Hill.
We all look forward to seeing you at Camp Trinity this summer!
Kent
Alumni Weekend
Save the Date: August 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 2009. $35/day per person, $16/day for kids 12 and under.
Mark your calendars, call your Camp Trinity friends, and then make a plan to join us for the first ever Camp Trinity Alumni Weekend! Reunion? Vacation? Family get-away? Yes to all three. We want to make the Ranch available to all former Bar 717 Ranch campers and staff (along with their friends and families) for an affordable, fun, relaxing weekend in the mountains.
We’ll provide a place to sleep on a platform or a guest room (extra $20/day) -- and three meals a day. You can come and do what you want; swim in the river, hike, help in the garden, or just sit and visit with friends. Stay the whole 3 days, or just 1 or 2. There’s no formal program planned, except for maybe a trail ride or two, and a dance on Saturday night.
We heard from many of you after the 75th Reunion celebration at the Ranch in 2005 that 25 years was just too long to wait for another all-Camp get together. Well, we agree, so here it is…just 4 years later…join us and let’s make it a tradition.
STAFF 2009
After a truly challenging start to last summer with the forest fires, most everyone from the 2008 staff wanted to be back and get their whole camp experience! We are very happy to welcome back… Emma Bundy, Sam Bell, Nick Fleming, Sam Grossman, Jean Fryefield, Kelly Brady, Matt Treasure, Sian Williams, Emma Cohen-Westbrooke and Ryan Fickling. To add to this great group, Catherine Gallin and Nadine Grace (returning staff from 2006 and 2007 respectively) will be joining us for another great summer. Finally, we are glad to add some new energy and ideas to what is guaranteed to be a fantastic staff with the addition of Danielle Bruckman, Shane Lofgren and Brian Doose. Be sure to look for their bios and photos on our new website!
Knobby Knees, Enormous Ears & Twirled Tails
By: Wayne & Sam Ogston
It’s time yet again to update everyone on the ranch population, of the hoofed variety that is….
After nearly a year of waiting, April 15th (besides being the due date of income taxes) was also the delivery day of a little filly to the Bar 717 Ranch. Daughter to our newest mare Macy, the gangly, knobby-kneed lady, named “H. Fargo” can already be seen basking in the sunny spots of Barn Hill. She has two white socks and a white blaze, & they are in beautiful contrast to her cappuccino colored coat. She is mild mannered and as friendly as can be….
A more unexpected but every bit as welcomed addition is goat kids! They are two enormous eared fellows, and more are on the way any day now. Thanks to a clever suggestion by some of our counselors, the name theme this year is cheeses. So be sure to remember “Jarlsberg” & “Gorgonzola” when you visit Small Animals this summer. It is always amazing how quickly kids learn how to play. They enjoyed their first sunny day leaping and frolicking in the grass, only days after being born!
What would camp be without the delicious food prepared three times a day by Marlys and her team? With all that food comes the inevitable leftovers. That’s where our 12 new piglets come in. Some black, some white, all adorable with twirled tails and oh so hungry! We remind them each day that soon bits of sweet roll, spaghetti and garlic bread scrapings are on their way. Until they can begin gorging themselves they spend the day snuffling around their yard and snoozing in a mud puddle.
Pleased to be Barn Director for the 4th summer, Wayne is already preparing the barn for another year. While some of our horses are spending the year at UC Davis others are spending some time across the river at the Bar 7. Saddles are getting unpacked and polished while the corrals are being cleaned. In a few short weeks all the horses will be back together again ready and waiting for the summers first trail ride.
We hope you, like us, are counting down the days until the camping season officially kicks off. Shouldn’t you start packing?
A Tale of Two City Kids
About six weeks ago, on a clear crisp day in March of 2009, two city kids and a shy but charming German Shepherd dog named Marzipan set off for the mysterious and wondrous wilderness of the good ol’ Trinity Mountains. Having spent many a hot summer exploring the vast expanse of trails and various swimming holes of the ranch, we thought we’d seen it all. With this air of confidence, we settled into our cozy cabin at Cedar Glades, following proudly in the footsteps of famous former tenants like Liam, Brian, Jessica, Nick, Jean and – as we’ve recently learned – most of the current residents of the town of Hyampom. Everyone has been eager to share their stories from their time spent up there, and likewise, we too are eager to share ours.
Since our arrival, we’ve discovered that life on the ranch isn’t always hot and sunny, and there isn’t always a tasty homestead snack waiting for you in the middle of the day. In fact, since we’ve been here, we’ve oscillated between lighting huge burn piles of cleared brush in a blizzard, and hauling heavy branches of bristly live-oak trees in ninety-degree heat. One day, feeling particularly brave, we trekked down to Deer Pond and dared to test the waters of the spring river. It was freezing, and we quickly abandoned the waters for the dry sand and sunny rocks. Luckily for us, we’ve been able to call on the expertise of those more seasoned than ourselves, including a familiar face from camp, our beloved barn director, Wayne Ogston and his lovely wife Sam. Perhaps most valuable is the advice we receive from the junior ranchers, Melia, Weston, Taryn, Grayson, and of course, Piper and Olin. They never hesitate to tell us if we’ve made a mistake or if we have taken too long to go and collect the eggs from the small animal pen.
When we aren’t out clearing brush, we’ve been testing our green thumbs in the garden, helping Jules to prepare the beds to be planted so that we’ll all be able to feast on fresh, tasty veggies at camp this summer. When we aren’t working, we like to play with baby horse H. Fargo and the new cheese-themed baby goats Jarlsberg and Gorgonzola – or as we tenderly refer to them – Jarly and George. Sam has also developed a passion (and a talent) for the as-yet untapped market of live Rock-Opera-Book-Readings. He regularly treats Cedar Glades to a performance, as he strums fiercely while dramatically belting out the text of a good book.
As the spring blossoms and the horses start losing their winter coats, transforming them from fuzzy teddy bears to powerful steeds built for speed, we can’t help but get excited for the coming summer. We’re thrilled that almost all of our all-star fellow counselors from last year will be returning from all four corners of the world to take on what we hope will be a full, fire-free summer. We can’t wait to see everyone!
Sam and Emma
Did you know…
…that the all new Bar 717 Ranch website will be up on May 10, 2009? It has a ton of new stuff, like a Blog, photo gallery, and all kinds of information about the ranch, Camp, and Family Camp.
…that Macy had her foal, a filly (girl), on April 15th, 2009? Her name is H. Fargo, and you can see pictures of her in the Blog on the new website.
…that Jules has been working very hard on the gardens and that they look beautiful? We are looking forward to all of the fresh vegetables we will have to eat during Camp.
…that our new website will soon have a page with a photo of Barn Hill that is updated every hour? You will be able to go online and see in ‘realtime’ what the weather is like at Camp, what the horses are up to, or just to enjoy that beautiful view of the pasture, barns and Gates Mountain.
…that the Forest Service has plans to begin replanting some of the area burned in last summer’s fires? Because the fire that burned across from the Ranch was within the Pattison Peak Roadless Area, no replanting projects are planned there. The intent is that that the forest be allowed to regenerate based on a natural cycle of fire and renewal.
…that we had a mini-blizzard on April 14th? It was a strange sight to see snow blowing through all the blossoms on the pear trees by the Fish Pond.
…that our first annual Alumni Weekend at the Ranch for former campers and staff will be Saturday August 22nd thru Monday August 24th? Open to friends and family, this is a time to come back to Camp Trinity to visit, relax, and enjoy the Ranch during the beautiful warm days of summer.