Not many campers come to camp with friends from home or school. Your unit mates will become your close friends at camp pretty quickly, since your unit will be spending most of the time together as a group. You will also have a few opportunities to choose activities with campers from other units during Open Activities and Specials, so there are lots of ways to make new friends. Your Unit Staff will help you with this. Camp is a very “make new friends” kind of place, and inclusion is a key aspect of our philosophy.

Definitely. You can eat together during our Scramble-Amble (see “Where do we eat?” below). In addition, units do activities together in the evening—stuff like soccer, campfires, dances, etc. You’ll also likely see them multiple times a day, just walking around camp going to activities.

Everyone eats together in our lodge three times a day. Each unit is assigned 2-3 tables and that is where your unit will sit. At least twice a week we have ‘Scramble-Amble’. At that meal you can seat at any table in the lodge! It’s a great time to visit with friends or siblings in other units.

We’re very proud of the food we serve in our kitchen. We have a lot of variety, including many alternative diet options and almost everything we eat is made from scratch. In case you can’t find anything to eat at a particular meal we will have peanut butter and jelly available. But we’re confident you’ll find something you like.

On arrival day, our Travel Staff will meet you at your drop-off location. You might fly into Sea-Tac Airport, or be dropped off at our North Seattle bus location or Skyline Marina in Anacortes. In any case, our staff will be there to meet you and guide you the rest of the way to camp. From Seattle, campers are bused up to Anacortes to meet the charter boats that sail directly to Johns Island. On the boats, campers are grouped by unit, so right away you’ll be able to get to know the other campers in your unit as well as your Unit Leaders. Once you reach the dock on Johns, you’ll be greeted by lots of other staff before you head off to your unit and a tour of the property. Your parents will receive travel information in the spring so you’ll be well prepared.

While you’re on your way to and from camp you’re welcome to enjoy things like iPods, cell phones, iPads, and eReaders. Once you arrive at camp we collect all those things and keep them safe until the day before you go home. One of the best things about camp is putting those things away so we can enjoy the camp activities and each other’s company. It’s an adjustment we all make but it only takes a day or so!

Camper laundry is sent out every week. Typically, it leaves on Monday and returns on Wednesday. The important thing is to have a laundry bag with a draw string so your clothes don’t fall out during their ride to and from the laundry. You’ll get a packing list before the summer to help you decide what to bring. Old clothes are best – clothes that require special care (like dry cleaning or handwashing) are generally not a good idea.

The days are generally warm (mid 60’s to mid-70’s) and the nights are cool. Our lodge is open to the south so it’s best to come with a warm jacket and a couple of sweatshirts for layering in the morning and evening. If we’re lucky we get rain at least a couple of times a session and activities don’t generally stop when it does. So be sure to bring rain gear.