A Closing Song

Here is a video of David Doyle, Camp Director in 2009 and 2010, singing "Pico Blanco", a song he wrote, at a closing campfire.


Not too long ago
I traveled to a land
A place where redwoods stand
A place where boys can grow

They called it pico
Pico Blanco
That's where I want to go
That's where I am

It's where I learned about life
And how people can make things right
Where I learned about love
I learnrd about God above

Now I call her Pico
Pico Blanco
That's where I want to go
That's where I am

Pico
Pico Blanco
She is my home
She is my friend

But now it's time to go
It's time to roll up the show
To drive that dusty old road
And head home

I'll remember Pico
Pico Blanco
That's where I'll want to go
That's where I've been

Pico
Pico Blanco
She is my home
Away from home
She's a lady

Dudley's Lousewort

Pico Blanco Scout Reservation hosts the state-listed rare plant Dudley's Lousewort, Pedicularis dudleyi.

It is found on riverside terraces, especially near Old-Growth Douglas-Fir. Only three small populations exist in the entire world- all in California. These include specific sections of Pescadero Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Arroyo De La Cruz In the South Santa Lucia Mountains, and finally the Little Sure River in the Santa Lucia mountains where Camp Pico Blanco is located.

Additionally, one of the largest patches of it occurs in Pico.

The plant is currently being researched in camp, and scouts visiting camp have the rare opportunity to view and learn about this extremely rare and special plant.

The Gumby

The Gumby, the trick with the stick, is a Pico tradition. It is a stunt that is performed with a simple Scout Stave or "Gumby Stick". Watch this video for a quick history from the original gumby. Then, watch the video below and see if you can beat this guy's time:

Men in the Making

Please check out Men in the Making, a pamphlet produced in 1963 by Scout Executive Alfred Young. It provides insight into the founding, history, and purpose of Pico Blanco Scout Reservation and recognizes those that made the camp possible. Pico Blanco is truly a place for Men in the Making.

Bing Crosby Central Kitchen, 1963

I am always a fan of photos of Our Lord's Candle, the flowering stalk of a yucca plant. This was taken in the summer of 2011 near the top of Mount Pico Blanco. The ocean is about 3500' below. Something unique about the northern Santa Lucia Mountains, the range that Pico Blanco lies in, is that it is home to the northernmost yucca, a Southern Californian plant, and the southernmost Coast Redwoods, a Northern Californian plant, making the region botanically Central California. This phenomenon creates a very unique ecosystem in that there are large, open, warm slopes rising above cool redwood canyons.

Campsite Names

1. Awanee

2. Blackfoot

3. Cayuse

4. Delaware

5. Esselen

6. Fontana

7. Geronimo

8. Huron

9. Iroquois

10. Jicarilla

11. Kiowa

12. Lamont

Pioneer Camp (Separate from main camp)

The campsite number corresponds to the letter of the alphabet (E is the fifth letter so Esselen is Campsite 5). People either refer to the campsite by its name or as campsite and the number such as Campsite 1.

Songline

A few decades ago, the Pico staff developed a way to entertain Scouts as they wait in line to be served their meals. The staff line up and form a corridor for Scouts to walk from the serving line to their tables and sing songs from the Pico songbook. Sometimes the song fits a theme like "W e Had a Henhouse" when its chicken night, "Six Pence" on pay day, "Viva La Compagnie" on the first night, or "Rise and Shine" in the morning. Many of the songs like "Quartermaster Store" have verses added by staffers that relate to camp events or certain staffers. Scouts and Scouters enjoy songline since it emphasizes that "A Scout is Cheerful".

Summer 2010 #4: Adventure Day

Adventure Day, or A-Day, takes place on Wednesday each week. The camp takes a break from merit badge classes to enjoy Scouting to the fullest. Patrols travel around camp, participating in fun activities such as slacklining, canoeing, shooting competitions, fire building, nature hikes, and bugling. At the end of the day, patrols cook dinner in their troop campsites and invite staff members over for a lively campfire. Patrols who participate in a set number of activites earn the Adventure Day Participation Award, a core requirment for the Honor Patrol Award.

A Pico Campfire

This is the traditional Pico campfire. It is built to last the entire campfire program, providing ample light for skits and songs and then glowing embers for the Pico Hymn, sung by the Pico Staff. The art of making a proper Pico fire is passed down from staffer to staffer.

Pico Blanco Hymn
Here among the trees majestic
Pleasures you wil find
On the trails of Pico Blanco
With your friends and mine

Trail the eagle, ever onward
This shall be our cry
Be Prepared, this our motto
Serving all mankind

High Adventure at Pico Blanco

A Reservation For Boys

"Adventure is all around the Pico Blanco section of California. It is a land of spectacular scenery. The Little Sur River, wending its way through a primitive forest of giant redwoods, a waterfall gushing from the mountainside into the river, its spaciousness, its wild tempestuous backdrop, and its latent opportunities for wilderness treks and exploration are symbolic of the area’s rugged beauty.

Today, Pico Blanco Scout Reservation stands on this land, set aside to the sole end that it is preserved as a primitive area where the American boy can have the inestimable experience of untouched wilderness and unspoiled natural beauty. It is a reservation for boys, away from civilization, intended to offset the softening influence of our modern social life, and to help in the development of America’s future men to be self-reliant, of strong character, and physically fit." -Men In The Making by Alfred Young

Sunset and Sunrise from Mt. Pico

A famous event at Pico Blanco Scout Reservation is the Monday night ascent of Mt. Pico for Scouts 14 and older. Scouts depart after merit badges and ascend the Great White Mountain, arriving at the 3709' summit cone just in time for the most glorious sunset ever over the Pacific Ocean. After a night atop the mountain, Scouts arise as the sun rises over the Ventana Cones and make it back to camp for a well deserved breakfast. This hike is challenging and strenuous but rewarding.

Albino Redwood

Our camp is home to an albino redwood tree. I'm pretty sure you can't find one at any other Boy Scout camp. This one was spared by the fire last summer.