Below is our June 8th update for Mountain Camp families. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to the office at [email protected] or at 415-351-2267 with any questions.

Regrettably, we are writing to announce the cancellation of our 2020 camp sessions. Late Friday, the El Dorado County Health Department informed us that we would not be able to operate our camp this summer based on new state guidance due to COVID-19.

We knew that this was likely when we wrote to you on May 21st and now, unfortunately, it is official. We worked extremely hard with the hope of avoiding this result and we truly appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding during this unprecedented challenge. We share your disappointment and want to thank all of you who have been calling and writing with messages of support.

Options Moving Forward

We have outlined the following options for your paid tuition this summer and ask that you please complete this form to let us know your decision: Mountain Camp Cancellation Form

Option 1 – Put Full Tuition Funds on Account – Place your full tuition on account for future use and receive an additional $250 credit per camper. This amount is fully transferable to friends or family and the funds do not expire.

Option 2 – Receive a Partial Refund – Mountain Camp will give you an immediate refund, excluding the $500 deposit, which will remain on your account with no expiration date. You have the option to put any amount of your tuition greater than the deposit on account with no expiration date, the remainder will be immediately refunded.

Option 3 – Make a Donation to Camp – Any part of your tuition and deposit can be donated to help us sustain our program. We are grateful for your support.

Option 4 – Late Summer Refund – Mountain Camp will be giving refunds in September less a $250 administrative staffing fee.

The past three months have been incredibly difficult for all of us, and we know how much you’ve been looking forward to camp. It is heartbreaking not to open, but we know it is for the best and we have an incredible community that will help us come through this together. We will use this challenge as an opportunity to grow, create and become stronger for the years to come. We know that campers will need us more than ever, and we promise that we will be ready to welcome them back to Mountain Camp when we are able to open again.

Getting to this Decision

To our ENTIRE COMMUNITY – staff, campers, parents, friends, and family, thank you so much for your kindness, support, and understanding over the past many weeks. This has been an incredibly difficult and humbling experience for us as a program. We’ve spoken with many of you through the process; some who found it surprising that we had not cancelled any camp sessions back in April, plenty who have been holding out hope that we would be able to operate this summer, and many somewhere in between. This new era of COVID-19 has proven to be an altogether polarizing time. With so little clarity on what is to come of this pandemic that has affected literally everyone in our immediate world, the difficulty in creating our best way forward cannot be understated. Ultimately, the time leading up to our decision to cancel sessions was spent considering these factors.

Information and data surrounding Covid-19
Potential adaptations to our program and site
Guidelines from the CDC, EHE, and American Camp Association
Our ability to comply with proposed guidelines
Our program philosophy and mission
Approval to operate (or lack thereof) from state and local government
Physical and emotional safety of our campers and staff

Mountain Camp is in many ways the opposite of social distancing. We build community through collaboration, shared experiences and supporting one another. For us, that looks like campers and staff, side by side, caring for each other, learning from one another, laughing, playing, hugging, creating, growing, huddled around the campfire, singing at the meal tables, side by side in the boats, making crafts, sharing cabins, and connecting with each other. Although the opportunity to create our camp experience is unavailable to us at this time, as will likely be the fate of our entire summer, we are committed to lifelong learning and adapting to change. We will be setting our intention and attention on the future of our program and longing for the next time we can all be together in the mountains.

We’ll Miss You!

Even though we will not be together in the Mountains this summer, camp is always with you! Check out this message from Mountain Camp about what we will miss the most this summer. We can’t wait to see you next year!