What Every Camper Needs To Know

3001 Beckwourth-Genesee Rd. / Taylorsville,CA 95983 / (530) 284-6681 / E-mail Walkingg@yahoo.com

Feeding Hay to Top Broodmare "Pleasing"

Each summer since June 1957 we have had the pleasure of providing a happy, healthy vacation for children at our mountain ranch. We operate as a family, with everyone sharing the work and the fun. We produce much of our own milk, eggs, butter, meat, and vegetables. The campers gather the eggs, select vegetables from our garden, learn to milk the cow and the goat, churn butter, make ice cream and may help in the kitchen. Our camp activities include: learning to care for animals, overnight camp outs, fishing, archery, riflery, photography, tennis, arts and crafts, swimming, water skiing and instruction, canoeing and instruction, trail rides, teaching the young foals to lead, camp horse shows, group games, dancing, laughing, singing, eating, fun and companionship.

The goats love attention!

Feeding the baby calves a half gallon of milk each

STAFF: The ratio of staff to campers is 1 to 4 or better. Each one of us enjoys getting to know each and every child as an individual. We employ only the most highly qualified and compassionate individuals. In addition to our regular staff, we hire professional foreign counselors to enhance the camp experience.

HEALTH AND WELFARE

A health examination is required prior to arrival at camp. The medical form needs to be filled in completely and signed. (This can be copied and sent after the enrollment application.) Close supervision and care are provided by qualified staff members here on the ranch. If you send any medication for your child, it will be controlled and administered by our staff according to directions. In the case of accident or illness, we are well equipped for first aid. Doctors and hospitals are a short drive away in Greenville and Quincy.

TRANSPORTATION

We provide round trip transportation from the Sacramento Airport(off I-5, 8 miles North of Sacramento). If you are driving in the area and see a Walking G vehicle, please wait for us at the assigned meeting place. Please wait until we have unloaded returning campers and their luggage before you put your child and their luggage on the van. (Don't laugh, this is a problem at times and causes much confusion! We hope that the kids are just very anxious to get to the ranch and not that the parents can't wait to be rid of them!) If you are delayed, or our van is late, please phone the ranch to leave or ask for a message. If you wish to fly by private plane into Quincy, we provide transportation by prior arrangement only. If your child is flying to camp, we will meet the flight. If the flight arrives before we do, have your child wait at the ticket counter for us. If the child is under 12, a flight attendant will stay with him/her until we arrive.

look for this van

If you are driving your child to or from the ranch (driving time from San Francisco area-5 hours, Sacramento-3 hours, Reno-2.5 hours)please schedule your arrival time for after 3pm and/or your pick up time for before 10 am. This will allow our staff time for a thorough cleanup and a few minutes of rest before starting the next session. If you plan to drive your child to the ranch or pick them up, we suggest the latter. We have noticed over the years that the campers coming to the ranch for the first time feel more comfortable and join in the camp activities quickly when they arrive here on the Walking G van. We all get acquainted on the trip up and over lunch. When parents come to visit or pick them up, the children enjoy showing them around the ranch.

MONEY!!!!!

Please do not send your child with more than 30 dollars! Walking G will not be responsible for money amounting over 30 dollars that is stolen or lost. We will hold the children's money and pass it out as needed, but no more than 30 dollars! More than that is not needed. If additional money is needed by your camper for the trip home, include the money in your camp fee check with additional written notation, and he or she will be given the money upon departure.

CANDY

Please do not come to camp with candy or junk food of any kind. It will be taken and not returned. Parents- please do no mail kids junk food. We do check suspicious packages, and this year we will use confiscated material to fuel our campfire! Candy etc... causes problems with campers eating a wholesome meal and creates jealousy amongst the other campers. We offer dessert at lunch and a weekly walk to the Genessee General Store for treats. (They are not deprived)

CLOTHES AND EQUIPMENT

SUGGESTED CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT

jeans, shorts, shirts, socks, thongs/slippers, bathing suit, tennis shoes, warm jacket, sweatshirt (summertime temperatures average 80-90+degrees during the day, 40-60 degrees at night), riding boots*, helmets*, fishing tackle, insect repellent*, pillow, sleeping bag & blanket*, ground cloth & flashlight*, toilet articles, towels & washcloths, chap stick, lotion, & sun block*, camera & film, stationary & stamps*....

* RIDING BOOTS: inexpensive cowboy boots (sold at most chain stores) or English riding boots. (We do have our own supply of western boots for those who can not bring their own.)

*HELMETS: We use helmets for riding horses and bicycles, kayaking, & canoeing. If you have helmets, please bring them along. We will provide them if you do not.

*FISHING TACKLE: a small, inexpensive pole, spinner lures for Large Mouth Bass, salmon eggs for Blue gill and Catfish...

*INSECT REPELLENT: We don't have many mosquitoes here on the ranch, but the few that we have love fresh meat!

*SLEEPING BAG: We furnish cots and clean mattresses, but the campers furnish their own sleeping bags.

*BLANKET, GROUND CLOTH, & FLASHLIGHT: these are needed for camp outs (an old blanket and a 4x8 piece of heavy plastic is fine.)

*CHAPSTICK, LOTION, & SUN BLOCK: send plenty!!!

*STAMPS: Please bring your own stamps, envelopes and paper!

Our washing machines are working all day long almost every day. The boys wash one day, the girls the next. Two or three changes of clothes are plenty, and a laundry bag labeled with your child's name is needed! ALL CLOTHES MUST BE MACHINE WASHABLE! EVERY ITEM SHOULD BE LABELED WITH THE CAMPER'S NAME (SOCKS!). The campers scatter their belongings around the ranch, forest, streams, and lakes with abandon. Our staff is trained to locate discarded belongings, and reunite them with their owners. This is a big job, and sometimes impossible if an item is unmarked.

TELEPHONE

We operated the ranch and camp for twenty-plus years without a phone. The telephone line came out to the ranch in 1976, and even though we had done just fine without a phone before, we have become very dependent on it. We do need to keep our one and only phone line open for business and possible emergencies. After considering the multiplicity of phone problems and benefits, we have arrived at the following policy: If your child is arriving at camp by Walking G transportation, or with another child's parents and you want to check on a safe arrival, please phone after 6:30pm and check with one of our staff. If you want to check on your child's welfare or progress, please try to call between 8:30 & 9:30 in the evening. If you would like to call your child, please try to make your call after 3pm on the last Friday of the session. There will always be exceptions to the rule, but the above schedule has worked best.

E-MAIL

We can not accept and pass on e-mail messages to the campers. Please write letters or cards.