TLC for fire-ravaged Scout campground

Elliot Copen, 17, was worried the Scouting America camp he had visited dozens of times in an undeveloped canyon of the Santa Monica Mountains would feel empty.

- BY NOAH HAGGERTY

GENARO MOLINA Los Angeles Times

COLIN CORZO clears mud and debris at Camp Josepho, which was damaged by the Palisades fire.

The Palisades fire roared down the canyon 11 months ago, destroying the historic lodge and its Hogwarts-like interior (albeit without the “flying balls,” he noted), a smattering of cabins and the trading post where Scouts would buy candies and memorabilia. Weeks later, heavy rains sent mud and debris careening into the canyon, burying sections of the camp in feet of dirt.

Elliot, an Eagle Scout with Troop 67 in Santa Monica and a leader in the Scouts’ honor society Order of the Arrow, had seen the videos online of what the disaster had done to the camp where he had made so many memories. “It was just weird,” he said. “It felt wrong.”

On Saturday, he was one of about four dozen Scouts, parents and regional Scouting leaders who headed to camp for the first time since the fire, picked up some tools and got dirty.

It was a humble and cautious start: remove some of the invasive species that were taking advantage of the open soil and dig out the camp’s veterans memorial that the mudslides had partially covered.

It was also a much-needed moment for the Scouts to mourn their loss, spend time with their peers and give back to the land that has given them so much.

Camp Josepho is one of three camps owned and operated by Scouting America’s Western Los Angeles County Council. Their Catalina and Sequoia sites are certainly breathtaking, but Josepho - which is just minutes from the city - was an accessible haven from the hustle and bustle of algebra tests, essay deadlines and school drama.