Preparing for one or two weeks at camp can be a big deal! What should I bring? What shouldn’t I bring? What can make my camp life easier?

This page provides detailed information on four general topics of interest, regarding what to bring to camp.

• Clothing

• What to Bring

• What Not to Bring

• Suggestions and Advice

Please, review this page carefully. We also recommend reading WCYC Camp Rules & Policies. If you have any questions, please, contact your camp Session Director, or operations@wcyc.org.

Clothing

The camp grounds at WCYC can be hot, muggy, breezy, rainy… or perfect! You just never know what you’re going to get. So, the key is: Be prepared.

• For each week of camp, you should have at least one fresh set of clothing for everyday — shorts, shirt, underwear, and socks. That is a bare minimum.

• For each week of camp, consider packing four additional sets of clothing. (Clothes can get messy, sweaty or stinky throughout all the activities.)

• Laundry services are NOT available. (See below for convenient suggestions.)

Note: WCYC believes strongly in the need for all people to exercise modesty — men & women, boys & girls. However, we realize that “modest” is a subjective term. Please, consider carefully the clothes you bring to camp. Any concerning situation regarding questionable attire will be ultimately resolved by the Session Director.

Footwear

Our awesome camp at Fall Hall Glen is built on 450 acres of Wisconsin forest. As such, the terrain is incredibly uneven: lots of roots, ruts, pits, and sandy soil. Add to that all the running, the games, the fun activities… campers really need good shoes! For your safety, and to ensure you can best enjoy your time at camp, we require every camper to have a pair of sturdy, lace-up shoes.

In addition, campers may choose to bring:

• Flip-flops, slippers, slides, Crocs, sandals and the like are good for use to and from the bathhouse, and for low-key casual free-time.

• “Creek shoes”. Robinson Creek cuts through our gorgeous property, and plays a large role in daily camp life. (Especially on hot days.)

  • The creek bed is rocky, so campers MUST wear shoes in the creek.

  • The current can be pretty strong in places, so those creek shoes must be of a style that will remain affixed to the feet.

  • Good creek shoes will either lace up or snugly wrap around the feet.

  • Bad creek shoes would be of the flip-flop, slides, or Crocs variety; they will get swept off your feet, and may never be seen again.

  • The iron in the water will likely stain any nice white shoes. You may wish to come to camp with a pair of old, junk shoes (that you may decide to discard at the end of the camp session).

Swimwear

• During combined-swim times, all campers and staff must wear dark t-shirts and shorts over their swim wear. It is the camp Session Director’s discretion how often the swim times are separated (boy and girl) or combined. (For the Senior and Intermediate camp sessions, swim times are usually combined. For the Middle and Junior camp sessions, swim times are usually separated.)

• While walking around camp in a swim suit, (i.e. before or after appointed swim times), all campers and staff must be covered. A dark t-shirt and shorts, or a robe, or a pool-wrap will suffice. (A towel is not sufficient.)

• Swimming occurs in Robinson Creek, the bed of which can be rocky and slippery. Appropriate footwear is required. Flip-flops are not permitted in the creek, as they offer little protection, and are easily washed away with the current. Footwear should be sturdy, firmly affixed to the feet, with soles and reasonable protection around the toes and heels. Old tennis shoes work well, as do modern footwear designed for water sports/activities.

• Please note: Creek water can be rough on all clothing. Some stains on clothing will simply never come out. It is not uncommon for campers to simply discard their creek clothes at the end of the camp sessions.

What to Bring

Click here for a complete printable list of things you should consider bringing to camp.

Some items that merit special attention:

• Every camper must provide a completed and signed WCYC Health & Release Form!
• Sleeping bag or blanket & sheets (All campers sleep in a twin-sized bunk, with a durable, plastic-lined mattress.)
• Note: Occasionally, nights can be chilly at WCYC. Campers should pack with that in mind. Think, “layers”.
• Bible (Campers will have daily Bible studies. If you need a Bible, contact communications@wcyc.org, and we will provide one.)
• Bug repellant (You can never have too much!) (Note: WCYC recommends repellents with no more than 30% DEET.)
• Personal sports items: baseball gloves, frisbees, hacky-sacks, etc. (Some free time is available everyday.)
• Reading materials, letter-writing materials, or other quiet activity (State law requires all campers experience 60 minutes of rest-time every
day. Campers must remain in their cabins during this time.)

What NOT to Bring

Please, refer to WCYC Camp Rules & Policies for a list of what is not permitted on the Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp grounds.

Suggestions & Advice
• Suit cases can get extremely dirty from all the floor grit and sand. Some campers pack their gear in large hard-shell plastic bins (two
maximum, please). Bins can sometimes fit under the bunks.

• One suggestion that works well, especially for younger kids, is to pre-package individual daily outfits in individual bags. It helps keep the
clean separated from the dirty. And, it’s wonderfully convenient to just grab a bag with a fresh supply of clothes.

• When packing clothes, be sure to include a couple outfits that may be entirely trashed. Some of the games can be pretty intense, involving
so much mud and wear-n-tear, (drywall plaster, really?) that the clothes pretty much need to be tossed.

• Campers should reconsider bringing cheap flip-flops. They are not allowed in the creek, because they are easily swept down-stream in the
rushing currents. Furthermore, flip-flops offer no protection from brush and brambles. And, the WCYC campground is very uneven; flip-flops
invite twists and sprains.

• Please, mark or label all property that is brought onto the camp grounds. That includes clothing, bedding, towels, books, flashlights, etc. (It
helps staff reunite lost items with their owners.)

• Campers may appreciate pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelopes to send to family during the camp session.

• Pocketknives are discouraged. If they are brought, they are to be given to the cabin counselor at the beginning of the session. Counselors
have ultimate authority over their use.

Dropping Off and Picking Up Your Camper

This page presents a general idea of how WCYC handles the dropping off, and picking up of our campers. However, there are four separate camp sessions, each administered by a different Session Director. Therefore, there may be slight variations between sessions. All registered campers should receive an email from their camp Session Director at least one week before the camp session starts. Consult this email for specifics. Please, contact your Session Director for further questions.

General overview
Check-in for each WCYC youth camp session begins at 4pm on the first Sunday of the session. Please, do not arrive before 3:30pm, without explicit permission from the Session Director. Please, do not leave your camper unattended until they have been successfully checked-in.

If you anticipate arriving after 5:30pm, please, contact your session director to make special arrangements.

Click here to confirm the name of your Session Director, and first Sunday for your camp session.

When you arrive
The first building you will see on the WCYC campground will be the Great Hall. It’s a log cabin that actually faces Fall Hall Road. (Google map) Please, park in the large parking lot (a cleared field) just north of the Great Hall (property map).

Escort your camper into the Great Hall for check-in. (You can leave all the camping gear in the car for now.) During check-in, we will take care of some important business, including these items:

•   Check your camper in (see notes below)
•   Confirm family contact information
•   Confirm receipt of required health & release form (see notes below)
•   Confirm camp fee balance, and complete payment of any outstanding amount 
•   Assign your camper to a cabin
•   Check in with the nurse
•   Receive contributions to the camper’s “canteen” (see definition below)
•   Receive instructions from camp staff about how the rest of check-in Sunday will unfold, including when your camper
should be at the first event
•   Get session-specific information on the timing and process for pick-up

Note: The check-in process goes much quicker, and more smoothly, if you have completed the camper registration online. Please, make every effort to do this prior to arrival. (Click here to register online.) For questions, contact registrar@wcyc.org. However, if you need to register your camper during the drop-off at check-in Sunday, the camper must be accompanied by their parent, or legal guardian.

Note: If someone other than you will be picking up your camper(s) at the end of the camp session, please, notify the staff at this time.

Note: Upon check-in, campers are required to turn over all medications — prescription & over-the-counter — to the camp nurse.

Note: Upon check-in, campers are required to hand in all cash. (The only thing to purchase on-grounds is in Canteen. And, we handle that money electronically.) If your camper does not wish to turn over the cash, please, leave it at home.

Note: Any prescription medications are logged and handed over to the nurse. All other relevant medical concerns should be discussed
during check-in.

Note: Canteen is a small on-site store, stocked with reasonably-priced candy, treats and chilled canned beverages. Youth have access to canteen for about an hour each day, in the middle of the afternoon. $25 is a common amount for two weeks of camp.

What Is Required for Registration?
Before your camper can be successfully checked in, we must have a completed WCYC Health & Release Form on record. Please, complete this form prior to arrival. If you registered your camper online, this form should have been completed at that time.

After Check-In
After your camper has been checked in, you can return to your vehicle, and drive your camper to their assigned cabin. (Consult the eager volunteer staff for directions.) Drive slow and safe: there will be lots of excited campers running around.

Pick-Up
Please, check with your Session Director for details regarding pick-up. Many questions can be answered during the check-in (explained above).

Please, please, please… honor the pick-up deadline set for your session. Every year, some camper is left for multiple hours after the deadline. We hate to sound so rigid. But, state law (and common courtesy) requires two adults to remain on camp grounds until every camper has been picked up. And, at the end of the session… our all-volunteer staff are ready to go home, too.

The scene on pick-up Saturday is always a little chaotic. Campers are packing up, cleaning their cabins, saying good-byes… and finding all manner of reasons to delay the end of their awesome WCYC camp session. The staff are usually torn in a hundred directions, answering questions, and saying good-bye to the campers. And, parents are driving around, trying to coordinate with their campers. Please, be patient with each other, embrace the process, and drive safely.

Mid-Session Drop-Off or Pick-Up
If you will be dropping-off or picking-up your camper outside of the above-referenced dates and times, please, communicate directly with your Session Director. If possible, please, make your intentions known before the check-in.