Base Camp

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Backpacking
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White Water Canoeing
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Sailing
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Mountain Biking

Date: July 6-11, 2025

Cost: $460

Age: Guys entering grade 6 -12

DISCOUNT: $20 OFF IF PAID IN FULL BY MAY 1ST
Plunging down rock faces on your mountain bike, tearing through class 4 rapids in a canoe, soaring across the ocean in a sail boat and trailblazing your way over mountains with all your gear on your back sounds really cool (AND IT IS!) But you have to start somewhere.

Base Camp is where to start! It's an introduction to trip camping that requires no previous experience or skill. Before arriving you choose one of four skills you would like to learn, that skill is your “Module.” Part of the week is spent learning the basics and coming back together with the other modules for group games, meals, and campfire. Then each module ventures out on their own mini-trip where you will really start honing your skills!
  • Mountain Biking: Using great beginner trails off of Highway 4 near Bear Valley CA, the campers are taught basic mountain biking skills to give them the technique and knowledge to take on more advanced trails.
  • Sailing: You will find the sailing campers cruising along beautiful alpine lakes practicing beginner sailing techniques, essential knots and water safety. Level up from the sunfish to the C-15 and beyond! You even get to camp out on an island in the middle of the lake!
  • Backpacking: The young men in the backpacking module get to experience the beautiful back country above Bear Valley CA. They get the opportunity to learn basic map reading and topography skills, outdoor cooking and trekking through beautiful aspects of God's creation. 
  • White-Water Canoeing: The Stanislaus and Mokelumne rivers are the setting used to give the campers basic canoe instruction, as well as some swift water rescue and river safety.

After your trip all the modules come back together for the final day of camp. By the end of the week you will be better prepared to handle yourself in the outdoors, and might even be ready to try one of our other adventure trip camping challenges! Most gear is provided with some exceptions (see "what to bring" below).

Base Camp is held near beautiful lake Alpine located at over 6000 feet in elevation in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California. Modules will eat, sleep, and train as a unit both in camp, and while out on their module trip, but will get to enjoy the fun of group games and campfire with all the modules combined.

​Base camp offers the small trip feel with the big camp fun! This is a great chance to bring a friend so you can learn your chosen skill together!
If you have any questions reach out to our Camp Director.
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Karl Benson
[email protected]
209-681-5780
Welcome Letter
Mountain Bikers, Backpackers, Sailors, and Canoeists! Welcome to BASE Camp! 
We are excited about the fun and growth that you will experience with us this week.
​Here is the information that you will need to get ready for this camp.

The Location for the Base Camp this year will be the group campsite at Big Meadow Campground just past Arnold along Hwy 4 (see map below). You should arrive at camp between 3:30 and 4:00 Sunday afternoon, July 6th.  Please do not arrive earlier than 2:30. Dismissal will be 10:00 Friday morning, July 11th. If you would like to carpool either direction, please contact Kevin DeBoer to see who else is coming from your area. You can reach him at [email protected] or 925-286-9989.  Since we are based out of a campsite, there is no mail service available. In an emergency, parents may call the camp directors' cell phone (209-681-5780) but cell coverage is sporadic. 

Some equipment is required for certain modules. Be sure to check the "What To Bring" tab below to see what you will need. If you need help procuring any of the equipment contact us and we may be able to help. Make certain that everything is labeled with your first and last name. Do not bring any phones, music players, electronic games, etc (even for use in the car).

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email. If you have friends interested in attending Base Camp, get them signed up soon! We're looking forward to seeing you.

Karl Benson - Camp Director
[email protected]
209-681-5780
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What To Bring
ALL MODULES:  Make sure everything is labeled with the campers name!
  • Sleeping bag, ground pad
  • Two or more changes of clothes
  • Swimsuit, towel
  • Sweat shirt or wind breaker
  • Toiletries
  • Hat – wide brimmed straw hat or baseball style
  • Warm beanie/ski cap
  • Sunblock or sunscreen, lip balm
  • Insect repellent
  • Reusable water bottle
  • Headlamp or flashlight (full batteries)
  • Mess Kit – utensils, plate/bowl/cup
  • Folding camp chair
  • Bible
  • Pen(s) or pencil(s)
  • Whistle, sun glasses, poncho 

CANOEING MODULE:
  • One pair of shoes for out of water (sneakers or boots)
  • One pair of shoes for in the water (sneakers, sandals or water socks are all fine but they must not fall off in running water.)
  • Soft knee pads (for kneeling in a canoe)(optional)
  • A few short sections of paracord with a small carabiner (optional)

BACKPACKING MODULE:
  • Backpack, with a frame and a Padded hip belt which can be adjusted to fit you snugly (internal or external frame is fine)
  • At least three pairs of wool socks (REI brand is good to prevent blisters)
  • Make certain that your shoes are well broken in (high top tennis shoes or lightweight hiking boots are fine, no low top or worn out tennis shoes – sprained ankles are not fun!)
  • Compass (optional)
  • Backpacking tent (optional)
  • Backpacking stove (optional)

MOUNTAIN BIKING MODULE:
  • Mountain bike with 12 speeds or more
  • Bike helmet
  • Water bottle that can attach to bike, or hydro pack
  • Spare bike tube (that fits your bike!)
  • Patch kit (optional)
  • Bike pump (optional)

SAILING MODULE:
  • One pair of shoes for out of water (sneakers or boots)
  • One pair of shoes for in the water (sneakers, sandals or water socks are all fine)

OPTIONAL ITEMS
  • Small folding knife (no large knives)
  • Fishing gear
  • Camera/Go pro
  • Pillow
  • Small tent

DO NOT BRING:
  • No cell phones or electronic device of any kind
  • No large knives or other weapons​​
Sample Schedule

Sample Schedule

Coming Soon!
Electronics Policy

CELL PHONE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE POLICY

​All camps conducted by Sequoia Brigade Camp, whether in a wilderness, rural, or suburban environment, are designed to enable the camper to “break away” from the normal aspects of life, and grow closer to God, to His creation, and to fellow campers.  

With the above in mind, it is required that no camper may bring a cell phone of any kind, or any type of electronic device for recreational use. No cell phones, video game systems, music players, laptops, etc. If in doubt, don’t bring it. Cameras and flashlights are fine, but not cell phone cameras!

Camp leaders will have access to cell phones or appropriate communication devices where available in case of emergency.

If you have questions or special needs please contact the camp director or tripmaster for the camp or trip.
Electronics Philosophy

WHY DOES SEQUOIA BRIGADE CAMP NOT PERMIT ELECTRONIC DEVICES?

Electronic devices keep us tethered to outside influences - and to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram​—no matter where we are. But when we are at camp, these distractions can keep us from engaging with fellow campers and counselors. It is crucial to regularly spend time away from the internet, says William Powers, author of Building a Good Life in the Digital Age. Here are some further insights. When we engage in a mental activity—doing a crossword puzzle, say, or playing the piano—our brains create what are called neural pathways so we can perform that activity again more readily. “The more time you spend toggling rapidly among digital tasks, like scrolling, texting and answering emails, the more you will tend to think in a distracted way,” Powers says. To reclaim the kind of sustained attention it takes to read a book, Powers says, you have to unplug periodically. For this reason, at Sequoia Brigade Camp we use printed Bibles, rather than digital ones.
  
Taking a break from devices also enhances our ability to read emotional clues. Sixth graders who had no screen time for five days did substantially better at reading human emotions than those who had been glued to their devices for five days, according to research by developmental Psychologist Yalta T. Uhls, PhD, senior researcher at UCLA’s Children’s Digital Media Center. Obviously, campers and counselors need opportunity to interact where each individual can relate most effectively to each other.

An additional break from digital occurs in the area of recording experiences. Instead of photographing everything with a smartphone (and then posting it to Facebook or Twitter), “we can record in our mind and on paper,” says Craigan Usher, M.D., clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University. He says “our experiences don’t need to be mediated by a Twitter update.” Questions and discussion time after camp is over help to reinforce memories and lessons learned.

Be upfront with your campers about why the rules are important. “Bring them on board so they understand in a personal way what they’ll gain by doing this radical thing,” Powers says.
Directions

Big Meadow Campground​

The group campsite is just before the main campground area. If you get to Bear Valley you've gone too far!
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