Log Cabin Wilderness Camp

A long time ago...

Gold was discovered in California in 1849. By the thousands, miners came from all over the
world to make their fortunes. From the seaports of San Francisco and Eureka, they spread out in
all directions following the rivers to the high country where gold was just waiting to be picked up.
In the north they followed the Trinity and Klamath Rivers high into the Klamath Mountains and
Trinity Alps. From San Francisco, they worked their way through the Sierra Nevada’s following
the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers.
     Thirty miles from Mono Lake, the population of the sleepy town of Bodie exploded. Search for
the elusive mother lode drove the miners higher into the mountains until in 1910, at an elevation
of 9600 ft. above sea level, the Log Cabin Gold Mine hit paydirt. Over the next thirty years, the
mine became famous for the gold it produced and for the harsh winters the miners endured. The
mine was closed at the onset of World War II by order of President Roosevelt.
     By 1950, new mining techniques and the high price of gold presented an attractive proposition to
reopen the mine. Unfortunately, efforts to upgrade the equipment and buildings were not a part
of nature’s plan for the mountain. The parts of the mine that were not buried under twenty feet of
snow were whipped by winds in excess of 80 mph. Nature’s one-two punch was too much for the
modern day miners and the Log Cabin Gold Mine was closed permanently in 1956.
     In 1971, the Hathaway and Garbutt families who owned the mine, donated the property to the Los
Angeles Area Council. The gift included the land, the mill operation, all buildings and equipment.
This unique piece of property sits just north of Tioga Pass Road on the rugged and picturesque
eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada overlooking Mono Lake.
     In 1981, the Clem C. Glass Eagle’s Nest was built to serve as headquarters for the Log Cabin
Wilderness Camp. Today, the Eagle’s Nest has been expanded to include a program center,
trading post, health lodge, showers, whirlpool spa, kitchen and dining room.
     Over the years, Log Cabin was transformed from a traditional summer camp to a high adventure
base camp. In 1973, the camp hosted the first “Quest Beyond Eagle” a two-week challenge open
only to Eagle Scouts. The program was expanded to include the High Country Gateway
program, offering one-week backpacking trips through the Yosemite Wilderness. In 1998, the
program was expanded again to include the Sierra Nevada Mountain Man Adventure.
     Log Cabin Wilderness Camp is truly a unique and special place that your crew will want to return
to again and again.