Health & Fitness
Photos: Camp Tahquitz
Camp Tahquitz is a square mile of forest property, owned and operated by Long Beach's own council of the Boy Scouts of America. I can now say, I've been to camp.
As a society we work to empower our youth. To give them the experiences that we did not have.
This week, I got a chance to see firsthand what it was all about. To be at Summer Camp for a few days. Sure, I can never have the experience of a youth, but it's fun - and enlightening, anyway!
Camp Tahquitz is a Scout Camp run by the Boy Scouts of America, Long Beach Area Council. Off season, it's used by a local college and by production companies as a film location spot.
During the summer each year, however, the camp belongs to the boys. The boys in troops from Long Beach, Lakewood, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Monterey, Las Vegas and even Arizona spend a week at a time working on merit badges on their path to the next level in scouting. It's work, but it's fun work.
I found out some interesting pieces of information about Camp Tahquitz and camp life while I was at camp.
Camp Tahquitz was a ranch prior to being a scout camp. The log cabins which are used as the Craft Lodge, Outdoor Skills and the Nature Lodge are probably over 100 years old. The worn thresholds can testify to that!
The summer camp is run by a scout unit called Tribe of Tahquitz. The tribesmen (ages 14 to ...), along with the Long Beach Area Council are responsible for the smooth operation of the camp.
Camp Tahquitz also goes by the name of Will J Reid Scout Reservation. I can only imagine that it's the same Will J Reid that so generously provided funding for the Will J Reid Scout Park in Long Beach.
When Reveille sounds, you get up, lest you miss breakfast! I missed breakfast the first day, but you bet I got up the second time. If you were wondering who plays Reveille... one of the boys in the unit does!
There's an awesome hillside of emergency shelters built by youth at camp in pursuit of a merit badge. This is my favorite part! To complete the badge, they must spend the night in the shelter.
I missed the Nature Center, the climbing wall and C.O.P.E. course and the new High Adventure area. I've got something to look forward to next year!
Enjoy the photos!