Past, Present, and Future at Loch Leven Camp & Retreat Center

More About Loch Leven

What Do You Hear? 

The sound of the wind passing through a stand of sycamore trees sounds different from the same wind passing through pines or cedars or alders.  

The creek sounds different depending on whether you are standing right next to it, or listening to it echo through the canyon from a distance. 

When visitors to Loch Leven take a moment to listen, to be present, to be aware, they notice these things. 

I often invite children and youth to close their eyes and listen silently, and count how many different sounds they can hear. The wind and the creek are only two of the many sounds they hear. What else?

Birds chirping.

Other campers laughing.

Footsteps of someone passing by.

Their own heartbeat.

The camp bell, calling us to dinner.

(It’s dinnertime? Let’s go!) 

I’m always amazed at how well children are able to remain still and quiet during this activity. So many camp activities involve active movement accompanied by shouts and laughter: hiking, swimming, archery, tree climbing, sports, crafts, and so much more. The ability to be silent and still is not what one would expect from a group of young campers, but that’s just one of the many surprises one discovers at Loch Leven. 

Another activity I invite young campers to participate in is imagining what Loch Leven Camp & Retreat Center was like 10, 100, and 500 years ago.  

Ten years ago, perhaps older siblings or friends spent some time here. “How big do you think this tree was ten years ago?”  

If they think back several decades, perhaps it was their parents who stayed here. Perhaps they are the second or third generation of Loch Leven guests in their family. 

My first visit to Loch Leven was in 1983, when I was twelve.

Three decades later, my own children made their first visits to Loch Leven. (Their very first camp experiences were at Community of the Great Commission, another wonderful UCCR camp located east of Auburn in northern California, but when my family moved back to southern California in 2007, we returned to Loch Leven, the camp I attended as a child.) 

My sons quickly fell in love with Loch Leven, just as I had many years before.

In 2015, when my oldest son needed to lead a service project to become an Eagle Scout, he chose to do it at Loch Leven. The project involved turning an old unused storage room into a “craft shack” where campers can obtain materials for lanyards, friendship bracelets, and more. He’s too old to attend youth camps now, but he still looks for opportunities to volunteer as a counselor, and has even been part of Loch Leven’s seasonal staff.  

For him - and for many others - Loch Leven is more than just a place to relax or have fun. It’s a place that has deeply affected his sense of self, giving shape to the person he’s become.

People of the Pines 

This has been happening for a long time. The history of Loch Leven goes back further than a few decades. Countless generations of people have discovered the beauty and serenity that can be found here.  

The first humans to live in these mountains and care for them called themselves Yuhaaviatam, a name that means “People of the Pines.” They were part of the Maara’yam (Serrano) people. Their creation stories are centered around San Gorgonio Peak, the highest mountain in southern California, located just east of Loch Leven.  

Things changed with the arrival of the Spanish in the 18th century, followed by rule under Mexican and American governments. Years of fighting and massacres committed against indigenous peoples reduced their number to just 30 people, but today, many Yuhaaviatam descendants still live in nearby communities. 

Loch Leven continues the tradition of land stewardship through reforestation projects, fire protection, and management of land and water. Equally important is the love and respect guests develop for not only this location, but for all of creation. In this way we seek to honor the one God/Creator of us all, as well as those who were this land's first stewards. 

Uncle John & Cactus Kate 

European-American settlement began in the 1880s, when a disabled railroad man named John Skinner settled near the spot where Mountain Home Creek and Skinner Creek meet. He only had one good arm, and he worked the land with help from his three-legged horse. “Uncle John” was well-educated, but visitors who saw him in his rustic home assumed otherwise, and he was happy to play the part. 

His home became a popular rest stop for travelers heading further up into the mountains. His stepdaughter Kate helped run what was becoming a well-known resort. “Cactus Kate” became a legend in her own right; stories were told about how she once survived an avalanche, and how, on another occasion, she successfully fought a mountain lion. 

Little remains of the resort run by Uncle John and Cactus Kate. A flood in 1916 washed many of the buildings away. Eventually, the property became the Dolly Varden Angling Club, and new buildings were built. Among these is Campbell Lodge (built in 1928), the only remaining redwood lodge in the San Bernardino mountains. Completely renovated in 2014, Campbell Lodge continues to host guests today.

New Experiences 

Since 1956, Loch Leven has been owned and operated by the Pacific Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which welcomes groups and individuals from every religion and culture to discover for themselves the magic of Loch Leven. 

Often, visitors arrive having never experienced camp before. Some have never even left the city, which makes everything they experience at Loch Leven a new experience. For others, it’s a whole new experience just to sleep in an unfamiliar space. It’s intimidating at first, but by the end of their stay, they’ve developed lifelong friendships! 

I remember one 7th grade camper who had never been at camp before. He had a hard time adjusting to life at camp, where he had no access to video games and other things that brought him comfort back home. He also had trouble going to sleep at night, because he was worried about spiders attacking him during the night. (Note: no visitor to Loch Leven has ever been killed in a spider attack!) 

It was a struggle to keep this young camper from giving up on camp completely, until the night we hiked up to Inspiration Point (the hill overlooking camp). There, we laid on our backs and looked at the stars. They were so bright that night! We even saw a few meteors streak across the sky. This particular middle-schooler was captivated. He kept exclaiming, “Whoa!” and I heard him say to those next to him: “Man, I can’t help but think of all my friends back home who’ve never seen this!” 

That was the moment he realized what a magical place Loch Leven is. For his fellow campers, it might be when they put on a harness and climb 50 feet up an oak tree, or when they hit the target at archery, or when they overcome their shyness and take part in a camp skit, and receive the wild applause of their fellow campers.

A Lasting Impact 

What is it about Loch Leven that leaves such an impression on people? Why does time spent here have such a lasting impact? 

I don’t know that I can fully answer those questions. All I know is that one of my most life-changing moments took place during a weekend retreat at Loch Leven. Sitting just outside the main lodge, I could hear the creek below, but I could also hear a voice - or, sense a presence - within me, calling me to pursue a vocation in ministry. 

It was powerful and persuasive. I couldn’t say no - though I did wait six weeks before acting on it, just to make sure that it wasn’t the result of too many s’mores clouding my judgment.  

Would I have sensed that calling if I hadn’t spent time at Loch Leven? I don’t know. There are many places in the world where people find it easier to pray, meditate, and ponder big questions. But for me, that place is Loch Leven. 

That was thirty years ago, but I still find myself drawn to Loch Leven. My experiences there have helped shape my life. The leadership I exercise when I teach and preach, the way I’ve raised my family, and how I find peace in stressful times, have all been influenced by Loch Leven.  

I’m already looking forward to my next visit. Aren’t you?

–Danny Bradfield (he/him)
Bixby Knolls Christian Church. Guest Contributor

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