I took the following pictures on Friday, August 20, about 5:30pm,  just before dinner during week 10 of our 12 weeks of alumni family camp.  For the younger crowd, a favorite activity is crawdad fishing off the ski dock right in front of the lodge.  Get some lunch meat from the kitchen, tie it up with some string and you’re good to go.  (Face paint option, but it can help.)

Crawdad fishing

Some other lake wildlife are hoping to score some treats from the fishermen.

Ducklings

Dinner on summer Fridays is a BBQ in front of the lodge.

Kim Grabow, fountain assistant, bringing out wine for the Friday BBQ

You always want to save room for dessert when dining at Camp.  Lighting isn’t great on this shot, but you can still see the gorgeous chocolate cakes freshly made by Kurt, our wonderful Swiss pastry chef.

Chocolate tortes

Over the next couple of weeks, I will get out and capture more images of summer fun at Stanford Sierra Camp.

Fall is a beautiful season in Lake Tahoe with endless days of clear blue skies, golden aspen leaves, calm lake waters, and vibrant green pines.  Schedule your meetings for morning and evening, then leave your afternoons free to relax or explore the Fallen Leaf Lake area.

Barbie knitting on the deck with calm Fallen Leaf Lake in the background

Active options include getting out on the water in a kayak, peddle boat, row boat or sailboat from our boat dock.

Kayaking the calm waters of Fallen Leaf Lake

Schedule a few days, so you can also hike on one of many nearby trails.  Fall weather is usually very mild and a wonderful time to get out on the hiking trails.  Angora Lakes is an excellent destination where you can hike up one trail and down another.

During the fall, time your meeting to coincide with one of many special events in South Lake Tahoe.  For the active crowd, the Lake Tahoe Marathon Week has a number of competitions to choose from September 22nd through the 26th.  If beer drinking and braut-eating are more your style, Oktoberfest at Camp Richardson is October 2nd and 3rd just minutes from our conference center.  Just down the street from Camp Richardson, watch the Kokanee salmon on their arduous journey up Taylor Creek from Lake Tahoe  to Fallen Leaf Lake at the Kokanee Salmon Festival.  The first weekend in October visit the Taylor Creek Visitor Center for activities including the Salmon feed, 5K, 10K and 1/2 marathon trail runs.

For many of us Lake Tahoe locals, fall is our favorite season.  Check our availability calendar to choose dates for your fall retreat and experience the beauty of autumn at Fallen Leaf Lake.

Over our 20-acres of lakefront property on Fallen Leaf Lake, we have some  unique locations many guests never find.  Witch’s Pond, a quiet, secluded spot to get away to read, meditate or have a private conversation is one of our hidden treasures.

Look for the trailhead sign just before the parking lot

Once you find the trail head, it’s a short uphill walk to the pond.

The trail to Witch's Pond

It will only take you about a minute to get to the pond.

The view of Witch's Pond as you exit the wooded trail

There are a couple of benches to sit on, or we have a dock and normally set a couple of chairs on the dock.

If you need help finding the pond, ask at the office, our friendly staff will be happy to help you.  Set some time aside to visit Witch’s Pond and enjoy the serenity, fresh mountain air, crystal clear blue skies and inspiring view of Cathedral peak overhead.

Cathedral Peak

This past weekend we hosted 100 alumni women along with health experts from Stanford and the bay area for the Sixteenth Annual Healthy Living Retreat for Women.  Building on the success of the program each year, this year’s event went very smooth and the attendees gave rave reviews.  Jocye Hanna, associate director at the Stanford School of Medicine’s Health Improvement Program (HIP), recruits the speakers.  Joyce looks at the evaluations at the end of each year to build the next year’s program.  This year there was a well-rounded mix of presentations on research and medical advice on women’s health plus workshops on emotional and spiritual well being.  Topics ranged from Women’s Health and Sex Differences in Human Disease to Mindfulness and Health and The Pursuit of Happiness and Health.

Marcia Stefanick, PhD leading a workshop in the Tallac Room

Another important and popular component of the retreat is fitness testing.  Exercise physiologists from Stanford measure and test participants’ body composition, muscle strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness.  Many attendees return annually, so the fitness test provides valuable feedback and results which they can compare from year to year.

Muscle strength testing

Afternoons are free for the attendees to join a guided hike, a crafts workshop or just relax in one of the many comfortable indoor or outdoor areas around Camp.

Afternoon crafts on the Old Lodge deck

The view of Taylor Creek and Mount Tallac

This year we shuttled a group of 20 to the Taylor Creek area for a walk with naturalist Debra Scolnick.  Debra led the group on an hour-long walk sharing interesting information on the flora and fauna in the area with just the right amount of humor.

Chef Dave puts together a spread of delicious healthy meals for the retreat.  Menus focused on fresh and when possible organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein.

Fresh fruit on the lunch buffet

The Seventeenth annual Healthy Living Retreat for Women is scheduled for May 12-15, 2011 with the option to arrive on Wednesday, May 11.  Please contact us for more information on the retreat or about scheduling your health-focused event at our comfortable center on beautiful Fallen Leaf Lake.