HISTORY OF CAMP CHALFONTE
RGP - RYAN GIANNINI PARK
The Ryan Giannini Park is 20 acres of woods and fields located in Torch Lake, Michigan. Two log cabins were rescued from demolition in Elk Rapids, moved to the park and restored for camps and retreats for children, youth, and adults. The park is also home to a new organic off grid vegetable farm.
PHASE ONE
CABIN UPGRADE + WELLS
Last year the cabins were cleaned out and spruced up and made to host a group of people again. We purchased a wood burning cook stove and have set up a solar generator for the cabins to power lights, a tea kettle, coffee maker, a record player, and charge cell phones and laptops. The solar generator will even be able to power a small refrigerator. This year we plan on renovating the breezeway between the two cabins to be permanent walls with windows and insulation, and building out a rustic kitchen making the cabins usable in all four seasons. We are pricing out a hand pump well with a water storage unit on top to gravity feed water to the cabins and are pricing out an agricultural well for the food grown on the property. From the cabin’s well, we will also build an outdoor shower and pump house to keep it from freezing in the winter and provide adequate bathing opportunities for guests. With a fully functioning rustic kitchen we believe this will be a fantastic destination for families, focused groups, camps, and vacationers looking for a more back to earth experience.
PHASE TWO
WILD CHILD ADVENTURE DAY CAMP
A few weeks ago we installed a zip line, a tightrope, and a saucer swing in the trees. We need to make the zip line a touch safer but this little fun zone is just part of the plans for the Wild Child Adventure Day Camp. I will be working with the Elk Rapids Schools’ Kid’s Club this summer and have the opportunity to bring the kids to RGP on a special field trip. The activities will be foraging for mushrooms and other foods, fort building by teams, parachute play and lunch in the meadow. We will be trail clearing this spring and kids will get to go look for mushrooms along the trails strategically placed in straw beds along the way. There will also be multiple berry bushes planted this year however, we won’t get fruit from those until next season. There are benchmarks in this program that can be achieved in the short term such as mushroom beds for this year, and others that are more over a longer term like building a food forest with many different kinds of perennials, wild foods, and even maple sugaring. The goal is to be able to bring kids to the park and let them discover, play, and learn about outdoorsy stuff in a safe environment. I spent countless hours in the woods growing up and can say that without that experience I would not be the person I am today.
-MARIANNE BURROWS, EDUCATION DIRECTOR
“Pheasant back" AKA “Dryad’s saddle” edible mushrooms found at our Camp Chalfonte.
Interior view of just one of our gorgeous cabins.
Additional Sleeper cabin with 12 more beds.
Our wood burning stove.
Camp Chalfonte’s social media accounts are under construction- stay tuned for updates