The Russian Gulch Outpost camp was a 16 acre primitive camp site along the south bank of the Russian Gulch creek about six miles west of Camp Royaneh and over Pole Mountain.  The site was donated to the San Francisco Council in 1963 by Sherwood J Hall of Las Vegas and was used as an outpost camp until the late 1980’s.  The site had been logged previously and was nothing more than a wide spot in a year round creek with an area to camp.  However it provided an excellent location for an outpost camp that was accessible by either foot or horseback and had ample water for the Scouts.

Scouts that signed up for the trek would meet at Camp Royaneh on Sunday for the orientation and then hike from Royaneh on Monday morning over Pole Mountain to the camp site.  During the week the Scouts worked on their camping, cooking and pioneering merit badges.  Water for the camp was provided by 800’ of plastic pipe connected to a 5 gallon catch basin and the KYBO was nothing more than a basic pit latrine.  On Friday afternoon after a week of backwoods camping the crew would hike out to the Pacific Ocean where the camp vehicles would bring you back to Royaneh for swimming, dinner and the traditional campfire.  The founder and and first director of the Russian Gulch trek was Jerry McDonald.

Scouts that completed the trek would receive the coveted Russian Gulch neckerchief and slide at the Friday night campfire. The cost of the Trek was $33.00 in 1969 and was limited to 24 scouts each week.  During a coastal wildfire in the 1980’s the Russian Gulch site was destroyed.  The site is still owned by the SFBAC but its use is limited.

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