Mountain Meadow Ranch

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Mountain Meadow Ranch, also known as MMR, is a family owned three-week summer camp for boys and girls aged 7-17, located near Susanville, CA on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, 75 miles northwest of Reno, NV. It boasts one of the highest return rates of any camp, averaging at about 70% campers returning to come the next year.^[1]

1 History
2 Activities
3 Staff and Directors
4 Philosophy
- 4.1 Camp family
- 4.2 Áj Ypékanbe
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Originally a hunting camp for the indigenous Maidu Native Americans, in 1902 the ranch came under the ownership of wealthy hunter George Wingfield, who first homesteaded the area. After going through several other changes, Mountain Meadow Ranch was founded as an all-boys summer camp in 1956 by professional football player Jack Ellena, Sr. and his wife Jacquie Ellena when they acquired it shortly after Jack graduated from UCLA. At the insistance of sisters, the camp opened to girls in the early 1960s, and it has been open to both genders ever since.^[1]

[edit] Activities

Mountain Meadow offers a wide range of activities, including:^[2]

Horsemanship
Mountain Biking
Riflery
Archery
Tennis
Drama
Ceramics
Arts and Crafts
Photography
Swimming
Sailing
Canoeing
Fishing
Fencing
Campfires
Basketball
Baseball
Soccer
Football
Lake Sports
- Water Skiing
- Wakeboarding
- Kneeboarding
- Tubing

Adventure & Challenge Activities
- High Ropes Course
- Low Ropes Course
- Backpacking Trips
- Fishing Trips
- Water-Ski Overnights
- Archeology Expeditions
- Desert Adventures
- Summit Expeditions
- C.I.L.T. (Campers in Leadership Training)

[edit] Staff and Directors

The ranch is owned by Jack "Chip" Ellena, Jr. and wife Jody Ellena, who have been running the camp as head directors since 1993. Also directing as co-directors are Chris Rauen, Chuck & Casia Smith and "Big Wave" Dave & Lydia Kniffin. The staff and counselors at Mountain Meadow are typically between the ages of 19-24 and most have completed at least one year of college. ^[1]

[edit] Philosophy

Mountain Meadow's philosophy is simple: to provide a fun, safe environment for children to enjoy their summers, offering new experiences and allowing development of new social and physical skills. ^[3]

[edit] Camp family

While Mountain Meadow certainly offers an impressive range of high-quality activities, the directors assert it is the sense of camp family that keeps campers coming back year after year. Described as a "home away from home" by many returners, camp is a place where one can forget his or her insecurities, sit back and enjoy life. Antagonism between fellow campers tends to be rare; rather, everyone comes together as a family and sets aside their differences for three weeks.^[3]

[edit] Áj Ypékanbe

A Maidu saying meaning "serve all," the principles of Aj Ypekanbe (ajsh-ip-ay-kan-bee) were introduced in the summer of 2005 by directors Chuck and Casia to target the "core ideal of the Mountain Meadow Camp Family." It helps campers and staff alike to grow as individuals and improve their character traits, enhancing the camp experience as a whole. The six core characteristics are as follows:^[3]