Spring/Summer 2024

PinnaclesApril 1 - April 6 $950(6 days)ages 10 - 16
Big SurJune 20 - June 27 $1700(8 days)ages 9 - 15
Mendocino July 1 - July 10$1900(10 days)ages 10 - 16
Sierras July 14 - July 25 $2100(12 days)ages 11 - 17
Backpacking July 29 - August 5 $1700(8 days)ages 14 - 17

Download and complete our fillable application form.

Please Note: Camp Chrysalis has embraced fillable PDFs! While in the past we have asked you to print PDFs, and then fill them out with a pen, this year all PDFs are fillable within the document. This should make it easier for you to fill in the information, and easier for camp staff to read it during camp.
First download the pdf, then fill it out, then save them with your child’s name, then either email them to Lee Tempkin at lee@campchrysalis.com, OR print them out, and send them to: CAMP CHRYSALIS, 2434 McKinley Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703.

All fees can be paid with check, Venmo, Pay Pal, money order or credit card. A credit card will have a 5% surcharge. Contact Lee directly for information about Venmo, PP, or credit card payments.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE
PLEASE CONTACT LEE TEMPKIN FOR MORE INFORMATION

Enrollment is generally filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, Camp Chrysalis reserves the right to make admissions decisions on other basis, such as maintaining an even gender balance in the sessions.

A deposit of $400 is due at the time of sign-up. The tuition balance, application form, and the Personal Information and Permissions Forms (see “Forms” page) are due by April 1. Upon receipt of the application and deposit we will contact each camper's family to confirm their space and with further details about preparing for camp. There are no refunds of deposit for cancellation after April 1. Any refunds or credits for cancellation after April 1 are given solely at the director's discretion.


January 10, 2024

Dear Families,

I hope this email finds you and your family well during this glorious rain. We have finalized our camp dates and fees and updated our website which means that registration for summer 2024 is now open. Our Covid protocols from summer 2023 will most likely guide this summer’s actions with testing before and at camp, masking as needed, and hand washing and health checks part of our daily camp behavior. We expect to use school buses again this summer to transport all campers to and from our sites. Here are the details for summer 2024.

Big Sur: Thursday, June 20 - Thursday, June 27                    8 days           $1700
Big Sur is our first session and is ideal for first time campers as well as veterans. We’ll be staying in nine contiguous sites at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and will be learning about the riparian plants of the redwood and chaparral environments. We’ll explore the Big Sur River, hike to Andrew Molares Beach to swim in a lagoon, learn about and hunt crawdads along the river, and immerse ourselves in the rich redwood experience to be had there.

Mendocino: Monday, July 1 - Wednesday, July 10               10 days         $1900
Mendocino is our second session this year timed to take advantage of the best tide pooling of the summer. These very low tides let us explore intertidal areas usually underwater and discover the spectacular plants and animals that live there. We will be staying once again in a large group site at MacKerricher State Park for ten days with river expeditions up the Big River to a rope swing and hikes up ancient sand dunes to a pygmy forest and along a fern canyon to a waterfall. With the rain finally starting, we expect plentiful berries and happy plants everywhere! This year for the second time in several years, we will be at Fort Bragg for the July 4 fireworks celebration, a very special time for everyone on the Noyo Headlands.

Sierras: Sunday, July 14 - Thursday, July 25                            12 days        $2100
Our third session is to our Sierra site near the Sierra Buttes with glorious day hikes and swimming in twelve nearby lakes and creeks.  Geology and botany are key areas of focus in this session. Campers see the effects of glaciation as we hike each day to glacial cirques and learn about the wild flowers and trees that live in these environments. We are able to offer beginning archery instruction in this more secluded group site. This session ends with a backpacking trip to Deer Lake where we spend two nights sleeping under the stars.

Backpacking: Monday, July 29 – Monday, August 5                8 days         $1700
Our backpacking session is our fourth and smallest session with twelve campers and three staff. This year we hope to hike into the Ansel Adams Wilderness and will have ample opportunities to gaze at mountain peaks and climb over some, swim in beautiful mountain lakes and creeks and perhaps see some bears. We will know our destination by the end of January when permits become available. This session is for our older high school campers with prior backpacking experience.

Pinnacles: Monday, April 1 – Saturday, April 6                          6 days         $950
This year for the third time, we are offering a spring break camp at Pinnacles National Park. There will be hikes every morning to explore the unique geology of this area, traveling through caves and looking for wildflowers, falcons and condors. Last year, we spotted over 40 species of wildflowers and several condors!  In the afternoons, we’ll be relaxing at the swimming pool and introducing some of our crafts to the campers.

Crafts
In all of our sessions, we offer many crafts and art experiences. Campers paint T-shirts, sew leather bags, and sketch in their journals while learning to use brushes, silk screens, needles, and awls. We also create a rich wood working environment where campers create jewelry and other items while learning to use saws, drills and sand paper safely and efficiently.

Cohorts Groups
In our three core sessions, we divide the campers into four small groups or cohorts with two staff members and ten campers in each. Campers work with each other and their counselors to help prepare the meals, clean the dishes, keep the camp tidy as well as learn to chop wood, build and light the campfire. Each day ends with a campfire where we share our love of singing and our country’s traditional and contemporary folk songs with campers. Each session culminates in our famous skit night!

Enrollment
Our website is updated and registration is now open. I have attached our 2024 fillable PDF application to this email. Be sure to download this form to your computer before completing and returning it to me. Deposits of $400 per child/session can be made with a check, Venmo (venmo@lee-tempkin) or PayPal (please use leetempkin@gmail.com. Last four digits of my phone number is 1826, if asked). Do not choose the payment protection plan or click the button that says, "Turn on for Purchases" for Venmo, and be sure to choose  "Pay to a Friend" with PayPal or a fee will be  deducted. You may also send a small amount as a test payment, and I will confirm receipt before you send the balance of the deposit. Credit card payments are also available with a 5% surcharge.

We hope to see your child this summer at one or more of our sessions. We have had to raise our fees this year to accommodate our increased costs but they are still lower than many comparable overnight camp experiences. Please register early. Some sessions fill up by March. For more information, visit our website at campchrysalis.com or contact me at 510 843-6157 or lee@campchrysalis.com. And please spread the word to friends and family. Your positive comments are our best promotion. 

Sincerely,

Lee Tempkin, director