Thursday, July 28, 2016

Latest on Labor Day Camping 2016

Hi all,

I know everyone is wondering what is going on at Pico Blanco for Labor day Family Camp and the Dad and Lad camp.  These events are tentatively scheduled for Sep 2-5 and then Sep 9-11.

The short answer is that we do not know what will happen for these camping dates. We just will not know anything until Cal Fire lets the Pico staff back in. As of yesterday the fire was at the main camp but no building where damaged at that time. Today at 6:00 pm there was a general meeting in Carmel Valley that I could not attend, so I do not know what today's fire has done.

If you are on Facebook, Pico has a FB page and is posting lots of info there.

We, as a pack are looking into other options for camping on the Labor day weekend.

Below is an excerpt from the latest Cal Fire info.

Fire update 7- 27- 16 6pm:
The fire has reached the main camp area according to the fire maps.
Cal Fire back burned the portions of the road and other sections of camp today. This allows for the fire to be controlled.This will help lessen the damage if the fire spreads again. Cal fire has been deployed in camp to provide structure defense for the last few days with reports of 6 large dozers making fire lines around our area.
The below images show that the fire did reach camp today entering close enough to have one of the heat boxes be in the main camp area. We have been told that there is no structure damage as of 5 pm today. The fire will continue to move through and around camp over the next few days. Once it's safe to have access to camp we will be requesting that from Cal Fire so we can determine damages.
The work that was done by the Beaver Patrol, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and contractors to make camp a more fire safe camp has paid off. Cal Fire crews have commented that we have one of the best-prepared areas they have encountered on this fire. Our efforts will pay off with less damage to camp as a whole.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Final Wilder Ranch Update

Hi All,

I confirmed our tour for Sunday with the docent at Wilder Ranch yesterday.  Unfortunately, she told me she made an error regarding the car passes for entrance.  Apparently, the car passes are available only for public school tours.  Consequently, each car will have to pay the $10 entrance fee.  I wanted to make sure those of you who are participating have advance notice so you can arrange car pools if desired.

Sorry for the last minute change.  Looking forward to seeing those of you who can join us on Sunday. 

Best regards,

Al 

Monday, July 11, 2016

Wilder Ranch Sign-up Reminder

Greetings Pack 93 Parents,

Just a quick reminder to please sign up on the attendance spreadsheet for this Sunday's hike at Wilder Ranch if you plan to participate.  This will enable us to let the tour guides know the size of our group and ensure we obtain the appropriate number of car passes.

For those who will participate, be sure to bring water, sunscreen and a lunch/snacks.  The hike will be about 2.5 to 3 miles.  It will be fairly flat terrain, but as previously mentioned, it does follow the cliffs so we will need to keep close track of the kids.

Look forward to seeing you all on Sunday at 11:00 am in the parking lot at the visitors center.  The location can be found at:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir//36.96024,-122.083/@36.9602284,-122.0851882,17z/data=!3m1!4b1

Best regards,

Al

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Wilder Ranch Hike, Sunday July 17th

Hi All,

As Lucy previously posted, we are planning on hiking in Wilder Ranch off Highway 1 outside of Santa Cruz on Sunday, July 17th (a link to the directions is provided in the last posting).  This hike is one of the hikes in the Monterey Bay Trekkers series, so scouts who participate will earn the patch for this hike.  Our meeting time will be at 11:00 am in the parking lot at the visitors center.  We have arranged for a private tour of some of the ranch buildings and facilities, which date back to the late 1800's.  More info regarding the park can be found at:  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=549 .  

We have been given a limited number of car passes which allow entrance to the park for those who are driving without paying the normal $10 entry fee.  Carpooling will help us ensure we have enough passes, so if some of you can make your own arrangements to do so, that would help.  Please sign up for this event on the blog and indicate whether you plan to drive or carpool so we can ensure we have enough passes.  We'll make sure the passes are available at the entrance to the park so drivers can get them before going through the gate.

We also recommend you all bring lunch since we will be there from 11:00 am to about 2:30 pm.  We'll take a break to have lunch when there is a good spot and everyone is ready.  As mentioned in the last posting, part of the trail follows high cliffs, so parents must walk with their children.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us at the email address on the right hand side of the blog page.

Happy 4th of July!  Hope to see you all on the 17th.

Best regards,

Al