YMCA Camp Orkila

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YMCA Camp Orkila is on the northwest shoulder of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington. It has been in operation since 1906. It is operated by the Greater Seattle Area's YMCA. It is open year round and offers many different programs ranging from conference and retreat hosting to summer camp programs for grades 3 through 12.

Camp Orkila is on the water and looks out to Presidents Channel and the Canadian Gulf Islands, which the sun goes down behind every night making for amazing, colorful sunsets. Most of Camp Orkila's 280 acres are preserved forest with hiking and horse trails. The cabins range from open air to full duplex style housing near the conference center. The facilities at Camp Orkila include a junior olympic sized pool, model farm with horses during the summer, many types of sports facilities, various kinds of boats including a 44 passenger cruiser, two dining lodges, a marine salmon center, outdoor chapel, a number of large covered and indoor gathering spaces, a craft center with attached pottery studio, and the requisite stage and campfire pit with Puget Sound and the sunset for a backdrop.

Camp Orkila is usually visited by children from schools all over Washington. The place is meant to help increase childrens' education in their classes, especially science since there are many places to see animals and such. At the main dining hall, they have a system where they have a person go get the food, set up the tables, and such. Camp Orkila staff usually measure the amount of food leftover from campers. Schools compete for the least amount of leftovers, or "ort", from their stay. They also have recreation time where you can do activities of your own. Bathrooms are usually used by the cabins or campers near them (if the cabins are of a certain gender). Usually, the campfire runs every day, but nobody is allowed to roast food such as marshmallows and hot dogs. Instead, you get to watch certain skits performed by the Camp Orkila staff. Camp Orkila may have some rules of it's own, but still, it's a very tranquil place to go.

[edit] External links

• Camp Orkila's homepage
• Seattle YMCA homepage
• Camp Orkila Freedom Sports Week Promotional Video