Getting Ready

Gear

Participants are expected to supply their own personal clothing and personal gear, including waterproof jacket and pants, a compact sleeping bag and hiking boots. All communal equipment, such as tents, stoves, pots and pans are provided by the camp.  While we encourage participants to bring their own internal frame packs, we provide extras for those who do not want to make the investment in such equipment.  A full supply list will be sent to families in March 2011.

Clothing

The weather in the Rocky Mountains can change hourly.  Often temperatures will reach 85 degrees during the day and 45 degrees at night.  Therefore, it is important to bring clothing for both the warm days as well as the cool nights.  A more detailed packing list can be found here.

Food

At base camp, all meals are prepared in our kosher kitchen by our professional culinary staff.  Most meals are vegetarian, although about once a week we cook meat on our outdoor grills.  We believe that the food we serve and eat should reflect our environmental values. Whenever possible, we try to serve organic and locally-grown foods.

On overnight excursions, meals are prepared by the group and cooked on camping stoves or over open fires.  The food cooked on excursions is always enjoyed by everyone!  All excursion meals are kosher vegetarian.

Do not bring food to camp. The only food that may be eaten at camp is the food provided by the dining hall.  Ramah Outdoors is not only a kosher facility, but we are also in the middle of a vast wilderness area.  We are only guests on this land which is inhabited year round by an array of wildlife that would love to sample our good food. No food will ever be stored or eaten in our daily living areas, sleeping tents and bathhouses.  Any food brought into camp by participants will be donated to a local food pantry.

Electronics

At Ramah Outdoor Adventure, we pride ourselves on being a rustic, back-to-nature camp.  It is an opportunity to get away from electronic distractions of everyday life. This means NO CELL PHONES, IPODS, OR COMPUTERS ARE ALLOWED AT CAMP.  Our base camp office is equipped with modern technology, which is used by senior staff to communicate with the outside world.  Watches are welcome at base camp, but are left behind on excursions.  Living according to the cycle of the sun can be one of the most powerful experiences of the summer!