2021 Summer Season Update

What a rollercoaster ride 2020 has been for all of us. There have been some incredible highs as well as some challenging lows.  We appreciate your continued support as we navigated these times with a focus on keeping Pie Tree Camp’s gates open.  We are thrilled that we have launched and expanded two new programs:  Pine Tree Camp to You and Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass.

Once again, we have made the decision to not offer our traditional overnight camp sessions for the continued safety and consideration to all of you.  Instead, we are thrilled to offer three exciting programs.  You read that right, THREE programs for you to participate in!

Pine Tree Camp to You is coming back bigger and better. Send-home camp box activities will be running with six different weeks of curriculum. You’ll have a chance to connect with your camp friends old and new and participate in specially designed activities created with you in mind. These activities will be offered in your Zoom cabin groups and give you all a chance to engage with people from all over world. Pine Tree Camp to You – the magic of Pine Tree Camp sent right to your doorstep.

Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass is coming back with a brand new program area offering:  adaptive biking! Thanks to a generous donor, we’ve been able to purchase a variety of bikes that can be adapted to your needs. In May, we’ll be launching this special new program area that will then become a part of our Adventure Day Pass days. Come spend the day at camp with your friends and family out on the water boating, swimming, hiking on our nature trails, crafts on the lawn, tie-dying, archery, sports, and so much more!

Our new offering is Family Recreation Weekends! Spend three days on the shore on North Pond with your family. This offering includes a cabin, all the activities run by trained Pine Tree Camp staff, meals, and participation in specially developed evening programs. This new and exciting program is a great way to spend some time unwinding in nature and enjoying all that camp has to offer in a safe and physically distanced way.

In 2020, you were all given the option about what to do with your deposits. For those that rolled over your 2020 deposit, you will be given the option to be refunded or to make a donation to these new and exciting programs. A separate email to all those that had made that decision will follow with a link to a survey that will tell us your decision.

We’re so excited about this summer! Our vision over the past year has been all about the best and safest way to serve all of you. With 75 years of camp now a part of our history, we looked forward to 100. 100 years of keeping the gate open to this incredible accessible and barrier-free space we’ve worked so hard to create. Getting out into nature and recreating has been and will continue to be our mission. Come with us as we continue discovering abilities together here at Pine Tree Camp.

We will follow up with more details including how to register for our 2021 opportunities soon.

Yours in camping,  Dawn, Mary, and Lori
#Vision100

Although we can’t be together around a campfire this summer, our innovative virtual Pine Tree Camp to You and brand new Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Passes will creatively – and safely — support Maine people with disabilities throughout this time of physical distancing.

Pine Tree Camp to You:  Learn more and register at this link.

Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass: Learn more and reserve at this link.

We have a saying in the camping community: 10 for two. Ten months of planning and preparation for two months of incredible summer programming.  And now, we have a new saying:  one for 75.  One summer of being creative in how we connect and engage in order to preserve and continue the traditions of Pine Tree Camp for the next 75 years.

Tucked along the shore of beautiful North Pond in Rome, you will find what, at first glance, looks like a quintessential Maine camp under a canopy of pine trees.   Look a bit closer and you will see why many refer to this place as “heaven on earth.”

Pine Tree Camp opened its gates in 1945 as a summer camp for children with physical disabilities.  Over the years, it has evolved into a place where children and adults with disabilities are able to participate in all the recreational activities for which Maine is known all year long.  The barrier-free setting, along with an amazing staff, ensure that activities like swimming, fishing, kayaking, hiking, boating and even camping in a tent under the stars are completely accessible to all.  Participating in activities that take people beyond their disability has a tremendous impact.  It builds self-esteem and self-confidence.  That experience coupled with meeting friends who understand and experiencing the feeling of acceptance is transformational.

Pine Tree Camp offers a wide range of opportunities for people of all ages with disabilities and their families including overnight camp, day camp for children ages 5-12 in the summer season as well as special programs in the fall, winter and spring.  Pine Tree Camp is also available for use for retreats by groups who share in Pine Tree Society’s mission.

We are proud to be Maine’s only American Camping Association-Accredited camp for people with disabilities.