Council Merger

Effective January 1, 2013, the Monterey Bay Area Council and the Santa Clara County Council have merged to form the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council (SVMBC). The new, combined council is headquartered in San Jose but a Scout shop and service center has been opened on North Main in Salinas. The SVMBC now owns three Scout camps: Hi-Sierra in the Sierra Nevada off of Highway 108 north of Yosemite, Chesebrough Scout Reservation in the Santa Cruz Mountians, and Pico Blanco Scout Reservation.

The question you all probably have is, "what does this mean for Pico?"

Hopefully good things. The SVMBC has taken great interest in the camp and has already been working to improve it. One new feature is the camp website:
http://www.camppicoblanco.org/
This website is under construction so stay tuned for new features.

The Pico spirit is as strong as ever. The merger is simply an administrative change that will benefit the camp. Scouting is Scouting, the redwood trees still tower over camp, the Pico Dust still fills out lungs, and the Little Sur River still flows.

Merry Christmas

All of us at Pico Blanco Scout Reservation wish you a Merry Christmas

A sunny flat along Skinner Creek

More Trail Work!

On November 10, a crew of 17 volunteers cleared 58 fallen trees along the trail to Fish Camp. This greatly expands hiking opportunities for Scouts and the general public along the North Fork of the Little Sur River. This trail also provides to more challenging destinations such as the Circular Pools and The Window. Once again, Fish Camp and Jackson Camp can be used as a beginners hike for troops.

Many thanks to our dedicated volunteers!

National Public Lands Day

Last weekend, to celebrate National Public Lands Day, the Ventana Wilderness Alliance conducted a trail work weekend based out of Pico. The 23 person all-volunteer effort cleared the Little Sur Trail up to the Saddle, clearing 87 downed trees, removing brush, and rehabilitating much of the tread. A trip report from the VWA can be found here.

This trail work trip was desperately needed. Over the past few years the trail up to the Saddle has gotten worse and worse, making trips to Pico Public and Mount Pico take hours longer than they used to. The work done last weekend will make the bakcountry more accessible for Scouts and the general public.

We would like to thank the Ventana Wilderness Alliance for their service. You can learn more about this great organization at http://ventanawild.org

Stay tuned for an upcoming trail work party!

The 2012 Pico Blanco Staff

Yucca Firsthand

Our Nature Director shows some campers a Yucca whipplei (chaparral yucca, our Lord's candle, Spanish bayonet, or Quixote yucca) along the camp road. Go on a nature walk with him and he'll show you how you can make your own needle and thread out of this plant!
Learn more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperoyucca_whipplei