Camp Hi Hill

USA / California / Altadena /
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Hi Hill Outdoor School is operated by the Long Beach Unified School District. The school is located on thirteen acres of government-leased land in the Angeles National Forest near Mt. Wilson, fifty-two miles from Long Beach. Every fifth grade student in LBUSD has the opportunity to attend Hi Hill and learn in our outdoor classrooms. The mission of Hi Hill Outdoor School is to provide an outdoor science based program emphasizing conservation, environmental awareness, and democratic social living skills in which students actively participate in a safe and healthful manner.
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Coordinates:   34°15'19"N   118°5'42"W

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  • I had the opportunity to go, but, my eldest brother messed things up. Now, I'll never know what I missed.
  • I went to Camp High Hill with my 6th grade class from Longfellow Elementary School in Long Beach. That would have been in 1959. I remember I was homesick the whole time! It was a wonderful place, however. We were in a cabin called "Studio." It was the only cabin without an indoor bathroom. They had a "thunderbucket" outdoors. I remember the cabin counselors were high school seniors. The trail counselors and others, of course, were adults. Our trail counselor was named Carolyn if I remember correctly. Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Bob Bro
  • Wow I was so bored at home & I wanted to check if the Camp Hi Hill was still there & it's still there! Is been 20 yrs yes 20 yrs that I've been to Camp Hi Hill back in 1994 when the Houston Rockets beat the Knicks in the 1994 NBA Finals,President Nixon died,The Lion King came out in theaters,OJ Simpson trial,Forrest Gump movie,Beastie Boys,pogs, & Kurt Cobain dies who committed suicide. I had a huge blast being there that I remember seeing the stars at night,SNOW,was very cold like 15*F,good was good,fun & pretty much was like a military base that we have are own bed bunkers. It will always be part of me of my life that I had great time when I was in 5th grade. I wish that I remember more but it's been 20 yrs that it's hard to remember. That the people that I know & went to school with from Elementary School, I lost contact with them that we all moved on.
  • Think I went to this camp back in the early/mid 50's, but it was called Camp Ah-Da-Hi. Seems like this place is in the same location anyway. Slept in the great outdoors in a cot with a sleeping bag! They did have the swimming pool (unheated) and boy was it COLD!! Also had a large building where we were involved in crafts, and a "chow hall". Did a lot of hiking. Even went out and the counselors (I believe high-school seniors, as mentioned elsewhere) caught rattle snakes, cut off their heads, and later skinned them. Doubt if that would be done now! As I recall, I really had a great time! Phil W
  • I attended Camp Hi Hill in the mid sixties from Patrick Henry Elementary School and what should have been a great experience, turned into a traumatic event. First, Patrick Henry was a staging area for all the buses in the district and as I walked up Canehill Ave, there were many of them parked along the curb to take not just students from my school but from others, as well. I had no escort and I saw no one that I knew, so I surmised that everyone was already on a bus; so, I picked one...a mistake that my teacher would later accuse me of deliberately doing and punished me by making me submit a report to her in a 3 hole punched folder, of what I had learned....no one else had to do this; I was the only one and the only one who got on the wrong bus. I was a wide eyed innocent little girl and the very idea that I deliberately got onto a bus of total strangers was ludicrous, insulting and infuriated me when I got older. But, getting back to the bus that I had chosen....I looked around and so no one I knew but it was too late.....no one seemed to care, no one asked me my name or what school I went to and suddenly the bus drove off. My parents really did not prepare me very well with information as I had no real idea of where we were going,except "to the mountains;" where I had never been before. The switchbacks terrified me (I learned they had a name when I got back), no one talked to me and I wanted to go home, but that of course was out of the question. When I was assigned to my cabin, the woman in charge or I should say the older kid (a senior) was snotty to me and said, "who are you." I was treated like a pariah and when it was time to go to sleep I laid in bed still wearing my glasses as I was not quite ready to remove them, when that snotty person in charge yelled at me, "do you always wear your glasses to bed?" The other girls laughed. I was very near sighted and though still not ready to remove them, took them off and hoped I would find them when I awoke because I absolutely could not see without them; but I don't think I slept a wink. I was cold and heard all the noises unfamiliar to me from outdoors and I was already homesick. I wanted my mother and felt abandoned. I was just a little girl who had never been away from home and never been camping. I fell on the rugged trail on the way to get something to eat the next morning and burst into tears and cried and cried and cried not caring who saw me. I was an introverted kid and after that experience even more so. I didn't discuss any of this with my teacher when I got back or my parents. I just took my lumps "for deliberately getting on the wrong bus."
  • My idea of "camping" is a penthouse suite at the Waldorf-Astoria. If I want to commune with nature, I will have housekeeping deliver a potted palm to the terrace. If I want to rough it, I won't order room service. Needless to say, Camp High Hill was not my most favorite experience, especially when I came down with Whooping Cough.
  • I'm glad it's closed and hopefully permanently. No child should have to put up with the disrespect that I experienced plus I was not properly fed....I lost weight and was already a skinny kid. No one was observant to see how I was doing or the other kids. Also, I didn't have any gloves yet they were sorely needed. How was that appropriate??? I was just a kid and I suppose it was my parent's fault for not buying me any. In Long Beach we certainly never wore gloves or had any need to buy them! We moved to another city a few years later but if I had remained in Long Beach I would have demanded that reforms were put into place if Camp Hi Hill was to stay open. It was a horrendous experience and I will never get over the scars it left on me. Here's something.....just what the heck were our teachers doing while we were gone???? Seems like an unnecessary vacation for them!
  • I was there this weekend, it felt haunted, and eerie ,( it is boarded up ) did they always mistreat students ? sorry to hear about your experience.
  • I liked it other than missing Wednesday due to constipation from the food.
  • I'm sorry for those of you that had a bad experience at Camp Hi Hill. It must of been a nightmare. I worked at Hi Hill as the residential maintenance worker. My daughter was born on the property in Washaway cabin where we lived next to the bridge and Oak Museum. Before I was hired it was hard to keep a man in that position most leaving after 6 months. I stayed almost 6 years. And the next guy stayed decades. As a child I spent a wonderful week at Camp Alpine. It was great! It was a much needed vacation from the poverty my parents were living. It was not having to deal with a drunk father and a very sad Mother. For a week. The school district funded my week. From this experience I wanted to live and work in the mountains. Fast forward to the day I was hired and move to Hi Hill with my new Baby son. Things were looking up. I couldn't believe where I was going to live! Often I heard from people who didn't live in the mountains how "Lucky" I was to live there. After my first month I wanted to leave. But I stayed and endured heavy hardship. Starting with co-workers from the principle to the teachers and cooks. The way they treated my family and I was unbearable. They had their club including other residents in the small ( minded ) community. I was being crushed from every direction. I would be punished with mad work given to me by my supervisor if i had to take a day off sick. Everything you could do to crush someone's spirit was how I was treated by most of the staff. Guided by the Super. A few, were genuinely good people. Most were not. I was made to go out in the snow with a 102 fever to work on pipes and it was a -0 wind chill. I couldn't see out of one eye. What I have stated here was only a very small amount of the hardship I was suffering. The abuse followed my daughter to school as the bus driver was the principal's friend and she would allow her daughter to bully mine and wouldn't stop it. And then, the snow would come. Everything becomes ten times harder. My heart goes out to any child that suffered at the hands of those at Hi Hill. I still refer to that place as High-Hell.
  • My name is Lisa Kiss and I also went to High Hill from Patrick Henry. It was a bad experince that kids should not have been put through. The Counselors were screwing each other, the food was awful, it was very cold, did not learn anything, did not have proper clothing, they killed a bear and we had to see the bear and blood, they had us out in the cold snow on walking on thin ledges of the mountain and the whole place was just a pig pen with a terrible smell. Glad it is closed so other children will not have a horrible memory.
  • So sad to read stories of how bad some kids had it there. That must have happened in a much different time that when I attended in 1966 for sixth grade camp. I do remember there were three camps used by long Beach and this was the one I attended.. No horror stories from me we all had a great time!!!
  • Hello Ron, I'm interested in learning more about your story. If you receive this message please reach out to jreitzen@gmail.com with your contact info. Thanks!
  • I don’t know what year went but I went in 1992. The Whole experience was great didn’t have problem a just one counselor who was kinda shady and made some BS rules of not walking with shoes on inside our cabin and put tape around his area around his bed called it” The Danger zone” he seem he had a low tolerance with kids. Luckily he didnt last the whole week because he got sick and we got another counselor who was very nice and thought the other counselors rules were stupid. We hiked in the rain to a place called horse thief canyon climb rope one a waterfall while rain was pouring it was fun. Sorry for the bad experiences every one had. I’m sad it’s closed I wouldo love my daughter have the same experience like I did.
  • I went to Camp Hi-Hill in 1984. I hated it. The only thing I remember that was good was the food. Other than that I had a terrible experience and would not dream of sending my kids to this place. I am glad it is gone for good!!!
  • Wow it's sad seeing all of these sad stories. My mother couldn't afford to pay my way so I told my teacher Mrs. Beckham that I couldn't attend due to funds. She told me that If I wanted to go, she would set it up and she did. I attended in 1991 From Lafayette Elementary School while in the 5th grade. About 38 years ago and I still remember it as one of my best experiences. I was in Cabin Yucca, and enjoyed it very much. I was one of the only teams who got our coffee can stoves properly lit with brush and twigs. After cooking our buttered toast with an egg in the middle and some sausages, we let others use our stove. I remember enjoying the long hikes and drinking from the natural springs. Sad that things change and that many others hated it.
  • Camp Hi-Hill was the best thing that happened in 5th grade... I wish it was Hugh school too and if I had the chance I'll go now even tho I'm an adult now... I miss all the singing and we were so lucky to go with the kids from avolon school... I missed this one chick from there she was the the nicest girl
  • I’m sorry to hear it’s closed. I loved my experience in the sixth grade. I went in 1985 from Madison elementary. I loved it so much my mom sent me to the summer camps when we could afford it during junior high years. I loved every second. I remember the principle had to have a rattlesnake killed that was found in camp so he decided to cook it and allow students who chose to have a bite. He gave our school a lesson on snakes and what to do if you come across a poisonous snake. Also how animals were eaten when people had to. There was a small bone in my piece of snake and one of the teachers gave me a bug box. It’s a little box with magnifying too. I kept that snake bone until I moved out of my folks home. I was very proud since I was the only girl who would try the snake. Lol. By the way it tasted like chewy chicken. In fact I loved camp hi hill so much I became a counselor after I graduated high school. Being a counselor, however, wasn’t as much fun. The kids were great, same hikes (which I loved) but getting along with the staff and other counselors was kind of awful. I liked mr partridge and Bernie. The rest I try to forget. It was just very clicky and people didn’t work together like I thought they should. The cook was a letch and the females were warned not to go to his cabin. I was just a kid so even with my own difficulty with other counselors I still loved my overall experience and I hope I helped the girls in my cabin experience the same fun I had as a camper. I worked there 1991-1992 then I left attend LBCC. I still have fond memories of drinking water from hidden springs, the strawberry hill hike, making acorn rings, and trying to catch lizards.
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This article was last modified 7 years ago