Troop 179 at Hi-Sierra Camp 2007 (July 15)

Photojournalism by Crew 179 members Andrew, Alex (reporting, editing), and Crew Advisor Val T. Hoang (photography)

CAMP HI-SIERRA is the privately owned property of Santa Clara County Council, Boy Scouts of America, and is located at an elevation of 5000 ft. within the Stanislaus National Forest. The history of the property is a rich heritage of Miwok Indian summer dwellings, early homesteads, and the Cold Springs sawmill site for the Standard Lumber Company.

The Council purchased the camp's one hundred acres in1949 for $10.00 an acre. The first regular camping season was 1951, and from that summer to the present. Today, Scouts can enjoy the many wonders of wildlife, wildflowers, lofty mountain peaks, and beautiful forests. This is why Camp Hi-Sierra is a rich setting for your Scouts to have a real Scouting experience.

Troop 179 photo session kicks off a weeklong Hi-Sierra summer camp that runs Sunday July 15 through Saturday 21, 2007. Scouts can earn "Merit Badges" and sign-off for "Trail to First Class", participate in Skills of the Day at each "Program Area", advance within the tribe of Hi-Sierra, participate in high-adventure program such as "Mountain Adventure" and "Base Camp" (for more experienced campers), and of course to have a lot of fun.

The general store where scouts can buy ice cream, soda, candy and snacks ($0.25-$1.00/each item), merit badge books ($4.00/each), CHS Classic Watch ($20.00), Henley T-Shirt ($20.00), CHS Ceramic Camper or Leader Mug ($5.00/each), unlimited Rifle Range Shooting Pass ($12.00 only for merit badge participants), unlimited Shotgun Shooting Pass ($15.00 only for merit badge participants), and lot of miscellanous scout related items (prices vary).

"Handicraft Program Area" - leatherworking, basketry, and pottery

"The Nature Center Program Area" - all things involving nature

"Scoutcraft Program Area" - knots, orienteering, camping skills, cooking, etc.

" The Waterfront Program Area (Aquatics)" - swimming, canoeing, rowing, etc. The North Fork of the Tuolumne River flows through the camp and provides this waterfront lake of endless enjoyment.

" Foxfire program area" - metalworking, Indian Lore, Mountain Man, etc.


"The Archery Range"


"High Adventure Program Area" - The Climbing Wall


After orientation camp tour and other medical checkup procedures, scouts get ready to move to their campsite

All participating troops gather with summer camp staff (Venturing leaders in green shirts) for flag ceremony at the end of the first day and get ready for first dinner of the week.


Scouts must drink a lot of water, a lot of water, and a lot of water during the summer camp, and obviously they did very well on the first day. Look at their pitchers and glasses on the table. Good job, big guys!

Here, scouts are eating with a Scoutmaster that serves as the chaplain of the Hi-Sierra summer camp.
Pleasant faces with completely clean dishes. After the dinner, the photographer asked a participating adult camper as scout parent (in grey shirt, father of Nhu-Hao) if he enjoyed his meal and had any comment. "A little better than my wife's (chị Mười) cooking!" he replied with a big smile to his ears, then whispering, "I only say this to you at this time and at this place, but her dish "Cháo Lòng" (Vietnamese beef porridge) still stays number ONE, unbeatable".

Happy faces! They must be well fed and happy with first delicious meal of their week long summer camp.

"Dinning Hall" - Scouts need to take their hats off at entering the hall, except the staff to show the respect.

What a great time to have dinner with fellow scouts from other troop that makes us thinking scouting is indeed a global brotherhood. What a feeling!