COVID-19 and Summer 2021

We are certain that we will be providing a summer of fun, friendship, kindness, and community for your camper. And, while camp this summer will feel like camp, we recognize that it may look a little different than in past years.

While we await state guidance, we are continuing to move forward with the same conservative plan we have had since we opened enrollment in the fall (for more details visit our COVID page):

• We require a seven-day pre-camp quarantine & negative test (we are working on this)
  
• Campers and staff will be in small pods and wear masks at camp for at least the first seven days
  
• We are modifying our program to allow for proper distancing, and to maximize time outdoors
  
• For now (and in all likelihood) staff will not be allowed to leave camp property without a CGL chaperone
  

We have added the requirement that all camp staff receive a COVID vaccine. Many staff have already received at least their first dose, and we are optimistic that all staff will have received at least one dose prior to campers arriving.

Keeping camp healthy is a shared commitment from every single member of the camp community. And, we acknowledge that our protocols are strict, even as vaccines become more widely available, and people’s assessment of risk changes.

• your family can no longer fully comply with our requirement for the seven-day pre-session quarantine; OR
  
• your family no longer feels comfortable with the plans we have made so far; OR
  
• your family isn’t willing to accept soon-to-be-announced State & Jefferson County restrictions, which may include more than seven days of masking and spacing…
  

• You may opt out of this summer until noon on Monday, April 5th.

Here’s how this works:

1. We will hold your funds on account until we are able to re-sell your spot to another family.
   
2. Refunds will be processed in the order of cancellation.
   
3. Any cancelled spots that are not re-sold will have funds rolled forward to 2022.
   
4. Any family that opts out after noon on Monday, April 5th will not receive a full refund, per our cancellation policies.

If you would like to opt our of this summer, or have any questions, please respond to this e-mail or give us a call. This will be the only reminder we send.

If you are all in for camp, then you don’t have to do anything! Forms will be available soon, and any April 1st payments due will be charged on April 7th.

Thank you so much for being a part of the CGL family, and we can’t wait to see you all this summer!

Our email to already-enrolled families (December 22nd, 2020)

Dear 2021 Enrolled Camp Granite Lake Family:

We really, really want to run camp for your child this summer!  All of our kids need to be outside, off screens and together! For us to do that in the time of COVID, we are asking you – and everybody in our small community – to make some commitments that will assist in our efforts to keep camp healthy and safe.

As we plan for a summer that will not be back to normal, we continue to consult with the health department, doctors, and policy makers at the State and Federal levels. And, even as vaccines are starting to be delivered, we are not betting on the availability of vaccines for staff and campers prior to the summer.

We are confident that this policy, which may still be in place in June & July, will be the most conservative policy we implement:

• Campers will be required to quarantine for at least seven days prior to their session, and receive a negative COVID test within 72 hours of their arrival.

For the quarantine time period this means:

• Campers will interact only with their immediate family, and will wear masks when that includes in-home childcare and grandparents.
• If there are necessary interactions in public (Drs. Appts, dentist, co-workers, etc.) campers, and their families, will wear masks.

And:

• No travel by plane or public transportation
• No restaurants, bars, sporting events, concerts, etc.
• No attending other camps (We are considering allowing siblings to attend childcare and day camps where masks are worn all times.)
• No playdates, parties, or gatherings outside the immediate family (including outdoor events, like 4th of July)

Attending or working at CGL this summer will be a shared commitment. Our counseling staff, summer leadership team, and the Year-Round Directors are agreeing to live with strict precautions throughout the summer. For example, staff are being hired with the expectation that they arrive more than two-weeks early, stay in small pods for 10 days, test negative, and cannot leave camp the entire summer, other than on accompanied trips to parks or trails.

Your quick decision will help us survive as a business by giving us time to fill spots with families that can make this commitment.

Dear 2021 Enrolled Camp Granite Lake Family:

Because of COVID, camp is going to look different this summer. Before your deposit becomes non-refundable on February 1st, we want to give you a sense of what we think summer will look and feel like.

We are aligning with Health Department, State, and Federal guidelines by creating ‘layers of protection’ to keep any COVID exposure to a minimum.

If, after 7-10 days, we have successfully created a COVID-free bubble, then we could enjoy the high-fives and hugs we are used to at camp!

Part 1: Pods, Masks, and Siblings

• Buddy Cabins (our version of pods) are two adjacent cabins of campers who will “share air.” These groups will sleep, eat, and participate in activities together as a ‘camp within a camp.’
  
• Masks will be worn by everyone when around people from outside their Buddy Cabin group. Examples: counselors teaching activities to other Buddy Cabins, health center visits, all-camp activities, etc.
  
• For the first 7 – 10 days of the session, interactions across Buddy Cabins will be outside, masked, and socially distanced. This applies to siblings in different Buddy Cabins, too.

To succeed at our goal of creating and maintaining a ‘camp bubble,’ program and activities are being modified, a bit.

Unfortunately, we are going to suspend backpacking until 2022. Backpacking involves mixing groups, food preparation, and leaving camp, so we are going to skip it this summer. In addition to COVID, Rocky Mountain National Park had significant damage from the East Troublesome Fire, and it won’t be known until later this spring if we will have the same kind of access as past years.

Without backpacking, we are going to expand our on-site camping opportunities – there are some great, unexplored spots around camp that are beautiful for spending the night in a tent!

We are also going to suspend our culinary program for the summer. Food preparation and consumption during COVID is a major focus of the Health Department, and it’s too challenging for us to overcome this year. Don’t worry, we will still find time for s’mores with our Buddy Cabins!

Finally, in order to accommodate the Buddy Cabin structure, the process by which campers choose their own activities is currently being studied and revised. More to come on that later in the spring.

Dear 2021 Enrolled Camp Granite Lake Family:

We deeply appreciate your commitment to the Pre-Camp Quarantine Week.

Pre-Camp Quarantine means stepping back into pandemic lockdown, even as the world might be re-opening this summer. We are all in this together – the success of the camp session depends on each of us.

The goal: after 7-10 days, if camp is virus free, we remove our masks and celebrate with high fives and hugs!

Some of the sacrifices people are making:

• Summer Staff are leaving their spring jobs early to have their own quarantine week.
• Families from Washington, Connecticut, California, Maryland and more are arriving to Colorado at least seven days early.
• Vacations are being rescheduled to get back home more than a week ahead of time.
• Other camps and summer fun are being put on hold for that week.

Leading up to summer, you can look forward to ideas from us to help you get through Pre-Camp Quarantine Week.

(If you’ve got teens… Talk to them now about the quarantine week! Are they okay staying at home for a week of summer so they can go to camp? Let them know that they won’t be allowed to see their friends or socialize in a way they could be used to by then. Please have this conversation now so they can decide if they are ready for the extra commitment to keep camp healthy.)

Yes. There may be masks, pods, and more changes. We are working on them right now as State policies start to clarify. Call us if you have questions, because we might be able to answer them!

We have found this New York Times Article titled The Difference Between Worry, Stress, and Anxiety to be helpful in understanding all those feelings inside of us, and our kids.