A rite of passage and a local tradition for thousands of Colorado Girl Scouts and troop leaders for the past 60 years is coming to an end.
The Flying G Ranch, a 360- acre camp bordering Pike National Forest near Deckers, is up for sale, ending several years of worried pleas by troop leaders to save their beloved, rustic retreat.
But the camp is too small and seasonal to meet the growing demands of year-round troop camping, according to a study conducted by the Girl Scouts Mile Hi Council. The Denver-based organization, which represents troops in 14 counties, has owned and operated the property since 1945. In 2002, it was damaged in the Hayman fire, which scorched more than 137,000 acres nearby.
“The decision to sell was bittersweet,” said Rachelle Trujillo, the Mile Hi Council’s spokeswoman. The group plans to open a new $10.5 million facility called Magic Sky Ranch, a year-round, full-service camp near the Red Feather Lakes area outside Fort Collins.
So far, $9.1 million has been raised for the new project, Trujillo said, and she hopes to raise the remainder by the end of this year. The facility is expected to open in 2007.
Still, news of the camp’s sale sent the local Girl Scouts community into mourning.
“Every time my kids think bout it, they burst into tears,” said Jean Scraggs, an Evergreen resident and local troop leader who has visited Flying G every summer with her kids for the past eight years.
“The new place will be incredibly beautiful as well,” she said. “It’s just sad to see the old one go.”
Staff writer Amy Brouillette can be reached at 303-820-1316 or abrouillette@denverpost.com.
