Parent Info

Information & FAQs

Adelante/McKinley Wilderness Youth Project Campout 2023

Commonly Asked Questions

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What are the dates?

  • Saturday, May 27 to Monday, May 29th (Monday is a holiday from school).

What are the Drop Off & Pick Up Date/time and Locations?

    • Drop off: 8am on Saturday, May 27
    • Pick up: 1:00 pm on Monday, May 29
  • Meet-Up Locations:
    • Adelante Students: Franklin Elementary (1111 E. Mason St, SB, CA)
    • McKinley Students: Guadalajara Market (601 W. De La Guerra St, SB, CA)

How many people are going?

  • 18 kids and 5 adults (as of 5/24) 

Which WYP Staff are leading?

  • Lead Staff: Erika Lindemann, 805-252-1469 (No cell reception from 10:00 am on Saturday- 12:00 noon on Monday.)
  • Additional leaders are: Sofia Smith Hale, Ulises Rios, Luisangel Cardenas and Alex Campos.  Read more about staff leading the campout.

Will there be cell reception? How can I contact the counselors?

  • There will not be cell reception after New Cuyama.  There is a landline at Quail Springs but we will only be using it to contact parents if there is an emergency. So there is no way to contact the counselors. “No news is good news!”
  • Our at home emergency contact is Andrew Lindsey.  If you need to reach someone during the weekend, he may be reached at 805-698-8686.
  • We will allow youth to send you a text message before we leave cell reception and when we get back into cell reception, but otherwise we will be turning off phones, collecting them up for the weekend and youth will not have access to them.

What schools do the youth attend? 

  • 11 youth attend Adelante 
  • 7 attend McKinley
  • All participated with Wilderness Youth Project during the 2022/23 school year

Where are you camping? 

How far away is Quail Springs from Santa Barbara?  What route will you be taking?

  • Quail Springs is about 130 miles from Santa Barbara.
  • Because Hwy 33 is still closed from the recent rains/slides, we will be driving HWY 101 north thru Santa Maria, then HWY 166 east / south to Cuyama. The drive will take about 2 hours. 
  • We will take 3 vans - 2 passenger vans with 9 students & 2 staff each, and one van that will hold the camping gear.

What will the environment and weather be like?

  • The weather is forecasted to be around 80 degrees during the day and as low as 50 degrees at night.  See real time forecast here.
  • The Cuyama Valley is high desert - it is usually hot and dry during the spring and summer months.  
  • The campsite has a lot of shade from large trees. It will be hot during the day and cool to cold at night.  

What are the camping facilities like?

  • The facilities are extremely rustic.  
  • Water is limited on the site so we will be using water carefully. 
  • WYP will be providing all of the kitchen/cooking gear and will be working with participants to prepare all of the food.
  • There is a composting toilet (no flush toilets).  
  • We will be set up for handwashing and hygiene but there are no showers or running water.

Will there be showers?

  • No

What are the sleeping arrangements? Will children sleep in tents?

  • All children will sleep on 3 large tarps, outside, under the stars.
  • There will be 6 children on each tarp and 1-2 staff sleeping right nearby (on a separate tarp) for supervision and to respond to needs during the night time.
  • The children will not sleep in tents.

What does my child need to bring/pack? 

  • Please review the packing list. 
  • Bring a sleeping bag if you have one.  We have sleeping bags to lend. 
  • Also bring a cozy blanket from home and pillow.

Will they need swimsuits? 

  • Yes, bring a swimsuit.
  • We are going to look for water nearby but the terrain is high desert.
  • Prepare for hot weather and cool nights. 

How late can I cancel? 

  • Cancel no later than Wednesday. May 24. 
  • 100% Commitment needed at this point so we can purchase food and plan for gear needs.
  • If you have any doubts or questions please let us know as we need to get a # of attendees for purchasing the food and the right number of sleeping bags.

Questions?

  • Contact WYP office at 805-964-8096 or vasb@jlc.bet