Bring on the Bug Juice

Bring on the Bug Juice

At family camp, it’s lanyards, campfire songs, and s’mores for all.

On a warm July morning, sunlight glints through the trees at Berkeley Tuolumne Camp. I’ve barely had time to savor the fresh mountain air and listen for the whoosh of the river when a strapping 18-year-old arrives to welcome our family. In a matter of seconds, he hoists our bulging duffels from the car, tosses them into his wheelbarrow, and takes off at a run toward our cabin. My husband Zach and I move along at a more leisurely pace as our son Alex, 7, reminds us yet again of the feat he’s been dreaming of since last summer—taking the plunge from Beaverhead Rock into the icy Tuolumne River. Zach, I notice, is gazing longingly in the direction of the ceramics studio, a porch overlooking the river where campers of all ages commune with clay. We soon arrive at our tent cabin, where our 12-year-old, Julia, strips down to a bathing suit and watches in disbelief as I unpack the novels I’ve been saving for just this week. “Five books, Mom?” she asks, surveying my cherished stack with preteen scorn. “That’s crazy—we’re at camp.”

When I was Julia’s age, summer meant sleepaway camp, with parents nowhere in sight until visiting weekend. But family camp has become a popular choice across the country. According to Barry Garst of the American Camp Association, the percent of the association’s camps offering family programs grew from 36 percent in 2003 to 42 percent in 2008. The slowdown in the U.S. economy, he says, has led to “more families expressing an interest in close-to-home experiences rather than lavish vacations.” Family camp offers a financial middle ground, somewhere between the economy of plain old camping and the luxury of hotels and restaurants.

Boogie down: Mother and son dance the night away at the city of Oakland’s Feather River Camp. Photo by Jon Borchardt.

Like their counterparts across the country, Bay Area families are flocking to camp, savoring the chance to lounge by a river, play a friendly game of volleyball, resurrect long-latent tie-dye skills, and reconnect in a beautiful, largely stress-free environment.

City slickers in the woods

At city-run camps (most located in the mountains), neighbors meet and greet while dipping a toe in the river or waiting in line for the next hot shower. Amenities vary (tent cabins, wooden cabins, or your own tent), but all camps feature rustic living among trees and critters. Whether meals are family- or cafeteria-style, someone else does the cooking and washes the dishes. And while camp fare may mean lots of scrambled eggs and burgers, Bay Area campers can also count on vegetarian options, salad bars, and gourmet coffee.

The area near Yosemite—a favorite destination—is home to Berkeley Tuolumne Camp, San Francisco’s Camp Mather, and San Jose Family Camp. Camp Concord is high in the Sierras near the shores of Lake Tahoe, and Oakland’s Feather River Camp is in Quincy near the Spanish Creek, northwest of Truckee. And although at any of these sites you’ll be sharing your vacation with somewhere between 100 and 300 other campers, it’s easy to find time and space to be alone.

Asked what’s best about Berkeley Tuolumne Camp, most people immediately mention the chilly, blue-green Tuolumne River, which runs through the site. The river draws campers like a magnet: swimmers immune to frosty temperatures, kids frolicking in rubber boats, folks who just want to wade and gaze at the sun-dappled stones beneath the surface.

Berkeley resident Debbie Bamberger and her family have taken four Tuolumne vacations, and will be back this summer. Bamberger notes the appeal of the river, as well as the genuinely family-friendly ethos at Tuolumne. “I call it Club Med with dirt,” she says, “because it’s the only vacation I’ve been on since having children that’s relaxing for the parents as well.” Parents appreciate Tuolumne’s extensive childcare for younger kids, and also feel secure letting their older ones wander without close supervision. When Bamberger’s 7-year-old wanted the freedom to explore on his own, she handed him a two-way walkie-talkie and imposed two ironclad rules: 1) Be sure you can see a cabin at all times, and 2) Don’t put even a toe in the water. “I like that my kids can get a level of independence at camp that they can’t get at home,” says Bamberger. “For a few days, kids know that they’re safe and can go off and explore.”

Rebecca Lewis, a kindergarten teacher in San Francisco, remembers just this sense of freedom from her own preteen days at Camp Mather. “At that age what I really loved was that we could be completely independent from our parents,” she says. “I also remember having the freedom to meet boys and flirt a bit, but it felt safe.”

Even families with children far too young for flirting are drawn to Mather. “We started when my daughter was 1 1/2, and she’s 9 now,” says San Franciscan Diana Wolf. “We enjoy Mather because it gives our kids a chance to be kids.”

If you’re headed for Camp Mather, bring your wheels—bikes and scooters. When you’re not down at Birch Lake or on a day trip to Tuolumne Meadows, you can ride along the camp’s many footpaths or the road to the Hetch Hetchy section of Yosemite. For kids from hilly San Francisco, camp is the perfect place to learn to ride or to get some practice on a nice, flat surface.

Although Mather doesn’t provide childcare, the program offers organized activities for all ages. “Camp allows us all to be together as a family without being fancy about it,” says Wolf.

Oakland campers feel equally loyal to Feather River Camp. When the city of Oakland tried to close the camp eight years ago for budgetary reasons, concerned residents held a “camp-in” (complete with sleeping bags) at City Hall. The city agreed to turn the camp over to the nonprofit Camps in Common, whose executive director, Lily Myers Kaplan, is passionate about continuing the camp’s original mission. “This camp was founded in 1924, just around the time when John Muir was saying going to the mountains is going home,” says Kaplan, who also serves as Feather River’s camp director. “Muir’s statement that nerve-shaken, overcivilized people need a place to restore their spirits holds true now more than ever.”

Hanging out is encouraged at Feather River, and Kaplan says that campers appreciate the laid-back atmosphere. For those who need a break from all the relaxation, each week also offers a new theme and new activities. The popular Fourth of July week brings multigenerational family reunions, egg tosses, and sack races. Roots Week is a mellow time for learning how to care for the earth. Teens abound during Garage Band Week, and campers of all ages learn to play instruments, jam together, sing, and perform.

“A great sense of belonging and community is what happens at Feather River,” says Kaplan. “Whether this is your first visit or your 50th, we’re all members of the Feather River family.”

Back to school

For a dose of school spirit, the Lair of the Bear camps are local favorites, with three sites (Blue, Gold, and Oski) in the Stanislaus National Forest. Operated by the Cal Alumni Association, they are open to anyone as long as one person per tent is a member of the association. The annual fee is $60, and you don’t have to be a Cal alum to join.

“It’s like having relatives you see each year,” says Ellen Rosenfield, a 10-year veteran of Gold Camp who lives in Berkeley. “You watch each other’s kids grow up, and a bond emerges with the whole group.”

At most family camps, sports offer a friendly diversion, but athletic passions run high at the Lair. Long-standing rivalries can get fierce in the Lair’s 15 to 20 competitions, with campers vying for a coveted trophy awarded for ping-pong, softball, checkers, and other games.

“I tried everything except sports,” says Rosenfield. She prefers reading in the lodge, playing Scrabble, and making lanyards, an activity so popular teens and grandparents alike line up to choose their “boondoggle,” the Lair’s term for the lanyard-making string of many dazzling colors.

Evenings bring bingo, staff shows, sing-alongs, and speakers from the Cal faculty. In skits and talent shows, Lair humor typically comes at the expense of Stanford Sierra Camp, the Stanford University family camp near Lake Tahoe, portrayed as a luxury resort where lobster and champagne are served with dinner.

Campers new to the Lair often test the waters with a four-day mini-session held during June. Camp Oski, with 130 campers (as compared to 325 each at both Blue and Gold Camps), is ideal for newcomers and families with younger children.

Food for body and soul

For foodie heaven at camp, spend some time at Emandal in Mendocino County. Named after Em and Al Byrnes, who started the camp in 1908 as a getaway for friends and family, Emandal remains a working farm and a relaxing and scrumptious experience for all.

To this day, my teenage son Alex can recite his favorite menus from childhood trips to Emandal. He was especially fond of the breakfasts cooked on an outdoor grill (farm-fresh eggs any way you like, home fries, and no limit on the crispy bacon). An egg from Huey, the camp’s six-foot-tall resident ostrich, was often part of the selection. Three times the size of a chicken egg, the ostrich’s version tasted more or less the same. Although Emandal doesn’t offer childcare, kids seem to find plenty to do: Alex, for example, loved picking blackberries for pie, hand-churning ice cream, floating in the Eel River, and milking cows.

At Camp Tawonga on the Tuolumne River, campers connect with nature—and with Judaism. “There’s nothing more spiritual than celebrating Shabbat under the trees near Yosemite,” says camper Elizabeth Friedman Branoff, who lives in Albany. Along with swimming, hiking, and crafts, Tawongans explore and practice Judaism in a beautiful outdoor setting. “Part of our mission is to have a spiritual Jewish space,” says Camp Director Jamie Simon, “but we don’t believe in telling people how to be spiritual or Jewish. Some might sing songs and build community; others want to light candles.”

Branoff recalls the pleasure of communal singing and dancing, and a feeling of kinship. “It felt like being with a large extended family,” she says.

Tawonga offers a family weekend each spring and summer, as well as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) family weekend and a Grief and Growing Bereavement weekend. Unlike other family camps, Tawonga’s childcare program includes one-on-one care for infants. Non-Jewish campers are welcome at all sessions.

Art under the redwoods

“The arts are for everybody,” says Joelle Yzquierdo, director of the Cazadero Performing Arts Family Camp. Under soaring redwood trees in the Russian River Valley, campers might be taiko drumming, making masks, salsa dancing, or learning to juggle. “People learn better as a part of a group,” says Yzquierdo. “You get carried by the group and don’t worry so much about mistakes.” At Caz, such groups might include a 6-year-old and a 70-year-old learning to play in a gamelan ensemble (an Indonesian percussion band) together, or a 4-year-old trying out some African dance steps with a bunch of adults. Young kids can find their own artistic muse at Kid City, a childcare program that affords parents the freedom to take classes and practice new skills.

“The beauty of a week of family camp is that it instantly transports you to a very open, creative place,” says world-famous Berkeley storyteller and author Joel ben Izzy, who teaches storytelling and environmental art at Caz. “The first thing someone does is remind everyone to take a look up at the magnificent redwoods and breathe. All those creative juices that can get stuck during the course of the year just spring to life.”

If your summer plans include a trip to Southern California, you may want to check out the Idyllwild Arts Family Camp on the slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains. The offerings at Idyllwild’s weeklong session range from Navajo weaving and stone carving to digital photography and contemporary painting.

Before you go

Although family camp has its share of passionate fans, not everyone turns out to be crazy about the experience. If you hate sleeping on a cot, can’t stand to get dirty, or squirm at the prospect of sharing communal bathrooms, proceed with caution. For children (or adults, for that matter) who are sensitive to noise or crowds, dining hall meals punctuated by lusty, off-key renditions of “I Love the Mountains” or “Boom Chicka Boom” may be overwhelming. And altitude may be a factor for some people, with several camps at about 5,000 feet. But if your family is game for a relaxed vacation in a lovely rustic setting, here’s what you need to know.

Registering for camp requires advance planning, a tenacious spirit, and a flexible approach. You may not be ready to plan your summer in November, but that’s when Tuolumne and Feather River begin to take reservations. Don’t give up if you get a late start—it’s always worth checking on availability and cancellations. Savvy campers learn the ins and outs of applying to camp: choosing the right week, early bird discounts, applying in groups, and waiting out the waiting list. Most city camps give priority to residents; length of stay is set for some camps and flexible for others. Costs vary, with lower rates generally found at city-run camps. A week at camp for a family of four (all meals, activities, childcare, and lodging included) runs about $1,600 at Feather River, $2,200 at Tuolumne, and $2,500 at the Lair. Many camps also offer discounts or scholarships through their campership program.

By the end of my family’s Tuolumne camp vacation, Alex had successfully launched himself from Beaverhead Rock 17 times, and Zach’s hands were coated with clay dust. It’s hard to say what Julia did all week, but the few times I caught a glimpse of her, she was surrounded by other giggling preteens. As for my ambitious literary plans, they gave way to more powerful temptations—chatting with new friends, indulging in the fresh-baked brownies and cookies that just kept coming, and collecting leaves for the perfect leaf-print tee.

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Rachel Trachten is a freelance journalist and copy editor and a frequent contributor to The Monthly.


Family Tents

Following is a partial listing of family camps that East Bay residents attend:

Berkeley Tuolumne Camp; cityofberkeley.info/
contentdisplay.aspx?id=6106.

Friends of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp; berkeleycamps.com.

Cazadero Performing Arts Family Camp; cazfamilycamp.org.

Camp Concord; ci.concord.ca.us/
recreation/camp.

Camp Tuolumne Trails (for children and families with special medical needs); tuolumnetrails.org.

Emandal; emandal.com.

Feather River Camp; featherrivercamp.com.

Idyllwild Arts Family Camp;
idyllwildart.org/summer/
programs/family_week/family_week.html.

Lair of the Golden Bear; alumni.berkeley.edu/travel/
lair-golden-bear.

Lark Camp (World Music and Dance Celebration 2010); larkcamp.com.

Camp Mather; sfgov.org/site/recpark_index.asp?id=16322.

Friends of Camp Mather; campmather.com.

Montecito Sequoia Lodge and Summer Family Camp in Sequoia National Forest; mslodge.com/summerfamilycamp.html.

Northern California Dance Collective; ncdcdances.org/summer_camp.php.

San Jose Family Camp; sanjoseca.gov/prns/familycamp.

Skylake Yosemite Family Camp; skylake.com/index.php?familycamp.

Stanford Sierra Camp;
stanfordalumni.org/learningtravel/
sierra/sierra-camps/home.html.

Camp Tawonga; tawonga.org.

Wonder Valley Family Camp; wondervalleyfamilycamp.com.

Faces of the East Bay