Camp Oljato
Camp Oljato, located on Huntington Lake in the Sierras, is the Boy Scout Camp run by the Pacific Skyline Council. Huntington Lake is one of the best small sailboat locations in the US. Regattas of sailboats flying colorful spinnakers race up and down the lake on summer weekends, making for a beautiful sight. There are many campsites and rustic cabins on the eastern, southern and northern shores. Luckily, the western shore is uninhabited except for two Boy Scout camps that are accessible by boat. Camp Oljato is the largest camp out of the two and occupies the most scenic location. It has its own beach and docks for launching sailboats, motor boats and canoes, making it great for all types of aquatic activities. In 2015, Pac Sky made a video to commemorate the camp’s 75th anniversary. Check out the full video here. It has great historical footage of Oljato, Lucie Stern, and the Fire Circle, and more glimpses of Troop 57 scouts. An abbreviated version focusing on Troop 57 is here.
How is the camp?
The camp is located uphill from the beach and offers majestic views eastward. From most locations in Oljato, one can see over the lake and up into the surrounding mountains. Oljato has various campsites, named after native Indian tribes, that house 10 to 20 platforms with canvas tents. There’s a fire pit in each campsite with nearby “facilities” cleaned by various Boy Scout troops each day. A communal mess hall is located near the General Store and other buildings where merit badge classes are offered. And, there are remote, protected areas for archery and shooting. The Oljato Yacht Club, downhill, offers swimming and boating to those scouts who’ve passed a swimming test. This is no easy feat considering the water temperature is about 60º!
Activities and Events
Troop 57 attends two weeks of camp during the last two weeks of July. Additionally, scouts can attend independently almost any week of the summer, and will likely camp with another troop. Scouts can attend either week or both weeks, or any week individually. On the weekend between the two weeks Troop 57 does a backpacking trip in the Kaiser Wilderness, across Lake Huntington from Camp Oljato. Most scouts earn at least 3 merit badges each week at camp while participating in daily scouting life. This includes raising the colors each morning and retiring them at night, enjoying campfires after dinner in the campsite and enjoying the stars, bears and wilderness! Oljato is largely a scout-run camp: camp staff and Merit Badge counselor positions are filled by older scouts from a wide variety of troops; most of these scouts have achieved Eagle Rank. Each week there are also four to five Troop 57 Assistant Scoutmasters and volunteer parents who stay in camp to provide overall supervision. The troop’s campsite, Cheyenne, accommodates about 40 people so early registration for camp is recommended!
