Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alumni, and Friends,
 Our December has been one long string of frosty mornings and sparkling sunny days. Each morning Friendship Hill is dusted in crunchy white frozen dew until 10am, when the sun finally pops up over Totem Pole Hill. With the short days, icy nights, and the leaves gone from the apple trees, it is sometimes hard to imagine that this is the same place we were all together for camp just a few months ago.
Even though camp seems like a different world in the winter (imagine just two kids instead of a hundred and thirty) we still strive to embody the philosophy and practices that govern our daily lives during the summer. Every day on the ranch -- summer or winter -- we see that shared effort builds community, that cooperation is more productive than competition, and that respect for each other and the natural world strengthens friendships and a builds a foundation for the future. Camp may be seasonal, but the values we use to frame our summer community are a more durable proposition. We always hope that those of you who have lived here as campers or staff will take those lessons out into the wider world. I know we do.
 Just as camp ended last summer, another grand endeavor began. After several years of planning, designing, refining, and fundraising, we launched the reconstruction of our main camp kitchen. True to the Camp Trinity way, we are building the new kitchen ourselves. You can see progress here. If you’ve ever spent time at camp, you’ll know that pretty much everything here has been constructed with the help of campers and staff. Well, the new kitchen will be no different, and if you want to lend a hand there will be many opportunities to do so. If you are too old to come to camp, then plan to join us for a volunteer work weekend this spring when we can peel poles for the new Eating Platform roof. RSVP here.
With the chill creeping in, it must be time to add another log on the fire. Wishing you and your family Happy Holidays from all of us here at the Bar 717 Ranch.
Best Wishes,
Kent
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…that Rosie, our beautiful Red Wattle sow will soon farrow another set of piglets? She's due February 4th, 2018. Our plan is to breed her again so she will have another batch of piglets during camp next summer!
