BCHC Mid Valley Unit

2017 Youth Camp

We introduced 12 young women to horse packing and LNT (Leave No Trace) camping during a three-day camping session, June 23 - June 25, 2017.
All photos courtesy of Karen Lopes.
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Well, it was another great year for our 5th annual Mid Valley Youth Horse Camp, which took place June 23rd - 25th.We had 12 participants this year; and they just happen to be all girls!In addition to our regular schedule of discussing BCHC's history and purpose, as well as covering the 7 principles of Leave No Trace, and spending time in the saddle on both Friday and Saturday; here are some of the highlights from the event, which took place at Kerrick Corrals in the Stanislaus National Forest:

• Kerrick Corrals was actually closed due to some additional tree work that needed to be completed; but our good friends at the F.S. allowed us access for our special event.


• We had 8 returning campers, and 4 first timers!


• As always, Vicki Whisler and Cathy Dollarhide served up delicious and filling meals throughout the weekend--with lots of extra desserts to go around as well.These two ladies prepare and serve the food with extra love!


• Our Nurse, Sally Moore, showed extreme patience and compassion as many of the younger ones made regular visits to Sally's camp to check out bug bites and blisters.(Luckily that was the extent of our medical issues!)


• Doug Dollarhide was busy on the Iron Mule, with many of the participants becoming quite adept at tying the box hitch over the course of the event.


• John Marshall and Valerie Perry again set up "Camp Disaster," where participants visit and then discuss the LNT principles that were being ignored at this mock campsite. Our students were very thorough in recognizing the many LNT infractions!


• Dave Moser once again provided lessons, leadership, and packed lunches to Camp Lake for the older participants on Saturday.Dave shared his passion for preserving wilderness character for future generations by practicing the principles of LNT with our Youth Campers.


• A big Thank You to Doug and Cathy Dollarhide for loaning out their great pack mule Abby to pack lunches for the ride the younger girls took on Saturday to Pine Valley.

As always, our most sincere appreciation goes out to our dear friend Teri Arrington, who has been our main sponsor since the inception of this Youth Camp 5 years ago. She continues to provide a generous check that funds the entire camp, allowing us to offer this camp to our youth members for FREE! In addition, many thanks to Seth and Doug at Aspen Meadows Pack Station, for their steady stock and caring wranglers that kept our kids safe on the trails!

If you know a youth that will be between the ages of 9-14 next year, please encourage them to complete an application; they are available on our web site usually by the end of March each year. Anyone interested can contact Karen Lopes at kdlcowgirl66@gmail.com if you would like more information about the 2018 Mid Valley Youth Horse Camp.

You may now go to the main Youth page, or Home.