Winter at Camp
Some people ask what winter is like on Catalina and at Howlands Landing. Every winter is different but there are some things that are similar from year to year.
Years ago when summer camp ended, everything was locked up and everyone left until the following May when a work party returned to get ready for the summer. That changed as our spring and fall programs grew in the 1990s.
These days the similarities from one winter to the next include the fact that we don't have any guests at camp from the Friday before Thanksgiving until early March and that only a few staff remain at camp through the holidays and into the New Year. Camp is definitely quiet. There are no meal time announcements, no piles of luggage arriving or leaving camp and no long lines at the camp store.
There is plenty of work to be done in the winter. Painting is a big part of the winter. With over 50 buildings at camp there is always something to paint. There are lots of smaller projects that can be addressed when cabins are empty, bathrooms are unused and everything at camp takes a well needed break. Sometimes there is a cabin to replace or some renovations to be made. These are the projects that can't be done when campers are in camp.
Storms are a big part of the winter months. We either talk about too much rain or not enough rain. The absence of rain, like this winter so far, is very noticeable. While less rain makes it easier to get repairs and maintenance done around camp, the island needs rain to replenish itself after a long dry summer and fall. A few years ago we had so much rain that camp turned into a swamp and we needed 2x6 plank walkways through parts of camp to keep our feet somewhat dry.
In winter, the weather cools off. The sun hides longer in the morning and disappears earlier in afternoon behind the ridge to the east of camp. The air is damp. After a hard rain the water runs from the valley behind camp through the wash to the ocean. When the sun shines on a warm winter's day, there are few places I have been that are as picturesque as Howlands Landing.
Each year when the last guests leave camp, we move the float away from the dock to a mooring in deeper water so that any winter storms don't break the float away from its anchors and crash it on the shore or worse into the the pilings of the dock. Anything that could blow away in a storm is put away.
Sometime after the New Year, the hills start to turn green. Flowers bloom. Days lengthen. The ocean begins to slowly warm from the mid 50s to the lows 60s. By the time the campers return, the quiet of camp seems out of place and we are ready for loud meals, campfires and the bell ringing three times a day. Winter is a time of planning, projects and rejuvenation.
These days the similarities from one winter to the next include the fact that we don't have any guests at camp from the Friday before Thanksgiving until early March and that only a few staff remain at camp through the holidays and into the New Year. Camp is definitely quiet. There are no meal time announcements, no piles of luggage arriving or leaving camp and no long lines at the camp store.
There is plenty of work to be done in the winter. Painting is a big part of the winter. With over 50 buildings at camp there is always something to paint. There are lots of smaller projects that can be addressed when cabins are empty, bathrooms are unused and everything at camp takes a well needed break. Sometimes there is a cabin to replace or some renovations to be made. These are the projects that can't be done when campers are in camp.
Storms are a big part of the winter months. We either talk about too much rain or not enough rain. The absence of rain, like this winter so far, is very noticeable. While less rain makes it easier to get repairs and maintenance done around camp, the island needs rain to replenish itself after a long dry summer and fall. A few years ago we had so much rain that camp turned into a swamp and we needed 2x6 plank walkways through parts of camp to keep our feet somewhat dry.
In winter, the weather cools off. The sun hides longer in the morning and disappears earlier in afternoon behind the ridge to the east of camp. The air is damp. After a hard rain the water runs from the valley behind camp through the wash to the ocean. When the sun shines on a warm winter's day, there are few places I have been that are as picturesque as Howlands Landing.
Each year when the last guests leave camp, we move the float away from the dock to a mooring in deeper water so that any winter storms don't break the float away from its anchors and crash it on the shore or worse into the the pilings of the dock. Anything that could blow away in a storm is put away.
Sometime after the New Year, the hills start to turn green. Flowers bloom. Days lengthen. The ocean begins to slowly warm from the mid 50s to the lows 60s. By the time the campers return, the quiet of camp seems out of place and we are ready for loud meals, campfires and the bell ringing three times a day. Winter is a time of planning, projects and rejuvenation.
posted by Tom Horner at
9:43 PM
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