Camp Focus:

Description:

There is an adventure waiting for you at YMCA Camp Hamman Ranch. We provide a High Adventure Environment for campers 10-16 years old.  We offer exciting one and two week sessions.  The two-week sessions allow you to pick from one of our high adventure specialties.  You may choose the River Ride, Cliff Hanger, Old West, Rodeo camp or new this year is the Mountain Bike Trail. 

Hamman Ranch Philosophy: Our goal at Camp Hamman Ranch is to create an environment that challenges teens to take risks, and build relationships.  We create a wholesome atmosphere supported by our five-core values faith, honesty, respect, responsibility and caring.  We strive to give teens the adventure they seek within the safety limits parents love.  Our staff of enthusiastic leaders combines their talents, skills and love of young people to promote a positive and safe camping experience for everyone.

Top-Notch Staff: A well-trained, enthusiastic staff is the key to a positive camping experience.  Camp Hamman Ranch counselors are chosen for their maturity, skills, patience, enthusiasm and desire to be good role models for campers.  We select staff that emulates our five core values: Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Honesty, and Faith. Staff members undergo extensive professional training, emphasizing safety, growth and development, teaching methods and group dynamics.  Our staffs are continually rated high on camper surveys.  In fact they are listed, as the number one reason campers want to return to Hamman Ranch. Our counselor selection process is extremely rigorous.  If you know of an exceptional person whom you admire and are inspired by, please refer them to us!

Hill Country Adventures: Two-week campers have the opportunity to sign-up for one or two of our Hill Country Adventures:  All campers that sign up for one or more Hill Country Adventures will spend time learning the equipment used on the trips.  These two weeks will truly reinforce the camper’s abilities to work and bond as a team.  They will also become dependant on their own abilities under the watchful eyes of our avid adventure staff.  Campers will develop a sense of self-confidence and independence.  They will learn new skills, meet great new people, work as a team, and upon departure be a fuller person, a better friend, and a more adventurous soul.

River Ride: (Campers ages 12 – 16) Our quality adventure staff will take the campers on our State’s most prized river.  The Guadalupe River has been the feature on many outdoor shows and in numerous magazines here in Texas.  The campers will experience two thrilling days shooting the rapids in a canoe or kayak.  They will paddle down the river, bounded by high rock walls and waterfalls.  As you approach the rapids you hear the roar of the water and feel the current pick up.  You know you are in for excitement when you see the first white cap appear.  As you go through you can feel the water spray on your face and feel every dip of the paddle as you navigate through the rapids course.  After one full day of this, campers spend the night camping out at Guadalupe State Park.  The next day they reenter the river and travel through the most beautiful part of the Guadalupe River.  The setting is enough to inspire campers to build bonds that will last a lifetime. (Campers on this trip must pass a swim test)

Cliffhanger: (Campers ages 12 – 16) You can’t miss this adventure trip with our professional well-trained staff.  The staff will lead the campers through the basics of climbing.  Campers will experience a day of climbing at YMCA Camp Hamman Ranch’s ropes course and rappelling at our own site.  These two activities help us teach the skills necessary for the real rock climbing and rappelling.  They will then travel to Enchanted Rock State Park. This dome made of granite rocks has the respect of rock climber’s nation wide.  Campers will spend a day climbing and rappelling off cliffs that are higher than most of Houston’s buildings.  The self-confidence, independence, and unique kind of freedom experienced when you take your first step over the edge of a 150-foot cliff cannot be shared in writing.  You will have to come and take that step yourself.  After a full day of climbing and rappelling campers will settle down for the night.  Enchanted Rock at night is a totally new experience.  Rocks take on shapes and cast shadows.  The big dome begins to cool down and the rock groans.  Campers start to tell stories and end up making life long friends.  The second day is filled with as many thrills as the first.  When it is finely time to go we find that the campers that came and experienced this trip are “Enchanted with the Rock”. 

Mountain Biking:  (Campers Ages 10 – 16)  This specialty is not for the weak or weak at heart.  You will start here on the Hamman Ranch hills.  Campers will learn basic bike control, simple bike maintenance and test their endurance prior to leaving camp for the big trip.  You will spend two days in the Texas Hill Country State Natural Area.  This is over 5,500 acres of wilderness that you can hike, bike or horseback ride into but you cannot have a vehicle in this park.  This wilderness area offers some of the best views and bike trails in the state of Texas.  As you relax at camp after the first day you start to visit with other campers and make new life long friends.   If you like to mountain bike don’t miss this trip.

The Old West:  (Campers Ages 10-16) This is a great opportunity to introduce campers to individual horse care, western riding, and experience the adventure of the Old West.  This is a session where each camper learns basic responsibility for their horse; grooming, saddling up and proper riding techniques.  Campers in this program are separated into groups by their skill level and then the program is developed around the rider’s ability.  There is a strong focus on increasing the camper’s ability to communicate with “their horse”.  Campers spend more time “in the saddle” in both arena work, as well as trail riding.   The qualified cowboys and cowgirls at the ranch also teach camper’s barn maintenance, horse health, differences in tack and horse commands.  Campers are continually challenged with agility test, obstacles, and the western riding style.  Mid session the “cowboys and cowgirls in training” leave their cabins behind for a long horseback ride to the scenic cowboy camp overnight site.  This is the perfect program for the horse lover, or the cowboy present in us all.

Rodeo Camp: (Campers ages 10-16) This session is a great opportunity to introduce campers to the rodeo arena.  This camp will open up a whole new level of equestrian knowledge, skills and activities.  Campers learn basic responsibility for their horse; grooming, saddling up and proper riding techniques.  There is a strong focus on increasing the camper’s ability to communicate with “their horse”.  They spend time developing the necessary skills that allow them to take part in “rodeo type activities” such as Barrel Racing.  Qualified and trained Wranglers oversee each activity ensuring the safety of each child.  At the end of the session campers will be given the opportunity to attend the local rodeo as an observer and then ride an exhibition barrel run in the rodeo arena.  What a great camp for the starting cowboy and cowgirl.  Saddle up and let’s ride into adventure.

Hill Country Adventures are on a first come, first served basis and space is limited.  Additional fees are required for all Hill countryAdventures.  Get your registration form in while spaces are still available.

Camp Programs

• Ride a horse in the Hill Country of Texas (unless you are signed up for a horse specialty you will only ride horses one time during your session)
• Test your marksmanship skills at the rifle range
• Canoe and kayak down the river
• Try your hand at archery
• Rappel down the cliffs
• Put yourself to the ultimate test at the most challenging, intense ropes course ever built. 
• Challenge the Hamman Ranch Trail.  This team event will test you both physically and mentally.  Are you up to the challenge?
• Take a dip in our cement pond.  One of the best in the Hill Country.  Come and do a cannon ball off our diving rock.
• Wednesday Night at the Y – Try your skills at our improvisation night.
• Arts & Crafts – Friendship Bracelets, Crafts, Painting
• Outdoor Skills – Building shelters, Camp site selection and arrangement 
• Waterfront – Kayaking, Canoeing, Fishing, Swimming, Volleyball, Basketball
• Wilderness Survival – Archery, Orienteering, and the Hamman Ranch Trail

The above list of activities is only a list of possible activities.  Every camper may not be able to do every activity listed.  Some activities are weather sensitive.  We can only kayak and canoe if there is the proper amount water in the river.  If too little water we will cancel and if the river is at flood stage we will not allow camper on the water.  If the camp is in drought we will abide by fire marshal rules and not have campfires.  Campers that fail to follow camp rules will forfeit their right to participate in regular camp activities and may be sent home.  

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