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For reservation information please contact the school at: http://www.thacher.org/home.cgi |
Don Andrews of Monrovia, CA writes.
| Ray, Thank you for bringing back such great memories of Golden Trout Camp. My uncle, John (Bud) O'Keefe purchased the camp from Mr. Towler in 1949 and he and my dad ran it for the first season, after which my uncle and aunt (Emma Jean) continued to own and operate it until they sold to the present owners [Thacher School]. I spent many summers working at the camp and tending the many head of stock always present for the numerous guests. I surely remember the brochure! I've probably seen hundreds of them over the years. What stories I could tell of the many hair-raising adventures us kids(my sister & two cousins)had during those years. How sad the the fate of the sawmill, always considered a welcome half-way mark during that long 4 hour horseback ride. And the accompaning switchbacks on the trail! I have witnessed whole pack trains go over the side when a packer failed to consider the proper order in which to put the mules. Oh, the stories and memories! Thank you for bringing a little of it back to this 58 year-old nostalgic. Don Andrews (November 2001) |
Dwight Sigworth of Tigard, OR writes.
| Ray, My Grandfather, Dr. Dwight Sigworth, started coming to Golden Trout Camp in 1933 when the Towler's owned GTC and Chrysler and Cook ran the old pack station. He came almost every year after that until 1966 (except during WWII). I got to come with him as a guest when I was 11 and again in the summer when I was 14. I got to work there with John and Emma Jean O'Keefe. It is one of the high points in my life. I remember the unspoiled country with a tough 10-mile trail from civilization. We were almost always the only people on the lake and my Grandfather knew every fishing hole, so we always caught lots of native fish. My favorite lakes were Cottonwood Lake #4 and Chicken Springs Lake. About five years ago I took two of my children up and we camped just below Cottonwood Lake #1. It was fun to see things, but the road so close and the resulting restrictions to access are a shame. I understand, but it is a shame. I would love to find two people who worked with me in 1963 at GTC. They are Kathy O'Keefe, the O'Keefe's daughter and Bob Alward. A lot has happened to all of us in 40 years. Dwight Sigworth (March 2004) |
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*GOLDEN TROUT CAMP -- 20 miles from Lone Pine, is located at 10,000 ft. elevation in the very heart of the Whitney Range of the Sierra Nevada. America's highest peaks are but a few miles to the north and offer mountain scenery that is unparalleled in its spectacular beauty. *THE CAMP IS REACHED by either of two pack stations, the Mt. Whitney Pack Trains or the Cottonwood Pack Station. *MT. WHITNEY PACK TRAINS is reached by an excellent road out of Lone Pine to the mouth of Carroll Creek at the foot of the towering eastern slope of the Sierras. A good trail ascends the slope by a series of switch-backs, through forests of pinion and, as the elevation increases, affords an unsurpassed view of Owens Valley and the mountains to the east. The ride from the pack station to the Camp is about four hours. *THE COTTONWOOD PACK STATION is located approximately ten miles north of Olancha. A good dirt road leads into the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon and to the pack station. From the station the trail follows up beautiful Cottonwood Creek, past lovely pools and falls, the old saw-mill, and also after about a four-hour ride, to Golden Trout Camp. *THE MT. WHITNEY PACK TRAINS may be reached by addressing your inquiries to them at Lone Pine, Calif. Cottonwood Pack Station is reached via Cartago, Calif. *GOLDEN TROUT CAMP is situated on Cottonwood Creek in a grove of Forest giants. About three miles above the Camp lies the first of the famed Cottonwood Lakes. The Lakes are at, or above, timber line and are stocked with the supreme prize of the fresh water angler, the fighting Golden Trout. |
*THE CAMP has been in continuous operation for over thirty years and during its operation has offered recreation and sport to thousands of outdoor lovers who yearly come not merely to fish and hunt, but to spend long, peaceful days in one f the few remaining primitive areas of this country. There is a wide variety of one-day side trips to be made from the camp and lunches are packed for those who wish to spend a full day along the mountain trails. *THE CAMP has been designed to offer an ideal vacation for those who enjoy the simple comforts of life amidst outdoor surroundings of incomparable grandeur. That the success of this aim has been achieved is evidenced by the increasingly large list of those who return for a visit year after year.  A View of Golden Trout Camp Frashier's Photos, Pomona |
 Majestic Mount Langley *AS TO CLIMATE AND TIMING OF YOUR TRIP to Golden Trout Camp -- The camp season runs from June 15th to October 15th. The lakes are open to fishing from July 1st, but in June the streams offer excellent sport and the mountains with their still-melting snow afford their most impressive views. Deer season opens in mid-September and continues until after the closing of the camp. |
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Mt. Whitney Packer's & Owens Valley History Home Page | |
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More of Golden Trout Camp in the High Sierra |
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Mt. Whitney Pack Train's Chrysler & Cook Brochure |
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1930s & 1940s Mt. Whitney Pack Trains |
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Sierra Crossing |
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Panoramas of the High Sierra |
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 Sign Guest Book |
 The Pigmy Packer |
 View Guest Book |
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This
page was last updated on 23 August 2007