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An album of photos from Camp Mather is online. You may also want to look at the Family Photos.
Camp Mather is part of San Francisco Recreation and Parks. The original park was used by workers constructing the Hetch Hetchy Dam. Today it serves as a family summer camp for those lucky enough to win a space in the lottery. Claire managed to win one of the six person cabins for a week.
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The cabins were spacious enough to provide room for all of us to sleep, but lacked en suite bathroom facilities. No problem. The communal showers and toilets were a short distance away. It didn't seem so short when the older members of our cabin slipped out in the middle of the night. But…
The camp is paradise for the young. Besides scheduled activities, they were set loose on bicycles to go pretty much wherever they wanted to. Meals ranged from excellent to what we used to eat at camp.
One scheduled activity was a camp-wide talent show with the contestants allowed onstage in order of age. This resulted in an opening act of two young brothers who immediately had a laughing fit that lasted for several minutes. Scarlet got lots of applause for her demonstration of hula hoop expertise, which lasted until she completed 100 repetitions.
Located near Yosemite NP, the camp is convenient for visiting both the park, and the Hetch Hetchy dam. The dam was very nearby. We walked some way along the trail. Ron, Claire, and the kids walked farther. The spray from the dam outlet made rainbows, including a double one in the album.
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The wildflowers in bloom while we were there were fabulous. Neil Fahy and Mary Swanson were available to guide us on flower walks, a great treat. Mary told us where to look for the spectacular Harlequin Lupin. We followed her instructions and found this flower by the side of the trail.