LIFT HIGH THE CROSS—Camp staffers Noe Parra, Sarah McDowell, Fawzi Harchaoui and Arnie Lafferty hoist a 13-foot cross above the Salvation Army’s Camp Mt. Crags. A previous cross was vandalized. Courtesy KELLY PACILLAS Despite the intense heat and a grueling climb, nearly a dozen Salvation Army camp volunteers hauled a 200-pound cross to the top of a 1,600-foot mountain on Aug. 2 to replace a cross that had been torn down from their Calabasas property.

The 10-foot wooden cross which stood above the Salvation Army’s Camp Mt. Crags for about 20 years was cut down, hacked into pieces and thrown off the side of the mountain about two weeks ago.

According to Dawn Wright, a spokesperson for the Salvation Army, authorities labeled the incident a possible hate crime. They suspect that the perpetrators, who must have carried tools to destroy the cross, accessed the site via Malibu State Park in the middle of the night.

TO THE TOP—Camp staffers negotiate rugged terrain as they carry a Salvation Army cross up a 1,600-foot mountain to replace another cross that had been destroyed by vandals. Photo courtesy KELLY PACILLAS But camp director Mark Logan said the determination of the culprits was no match for the resolve of camp staffers who are intent on preserving the symbol at the top of the mountain.

“It represents the work that God did for us and gives us hope. It’s a promise of eternal life for everybody who believes. So when it was cut down, it was discouraging and we felt violated,” Logan said.

As soon as camp organizers and volunteers saw the damage they began making plans for a replacement. A new and larger cross measuring about 13 feet now stands where the previous one was torn down.

It’s the second time vandals have destroyed the camp’s cross. In 1990, another cross that had stood on the site for about 20 years also was destroyed.

The Salvation Army purchased the 500-acre property in Malibu Canyon in 1939 to host camps and church retreats.

Each summer the site serves about 2,000 children from age 8 to 16 who attend three different weekly camps. About 100 people work at the site when the camps are in session.

The camps are for low-income children living throughout the greater Los Angeles area. The majority of participants are on scholarship, sponsored by donations to the Salvation Army. The most any family pays is $50 of the $300 cost, and some pay less, Wright said.

During the rest of the year the property is rented to church groups for various retreats. The camp also is home to 14 fulltime Salvation Army employees.

Resident guest group coordinator Kelly Pacillas, who has lived at the site for 11 years, was one of about a dozen volunteers who completed the four-hour journey last week to replace the destroyed cross.

Six people carried the long part of cross and two held the arms.

“It took us about an hour to get up 200 meters because it was really heavy and we had to work together to avoid slipping,” Pacillas said, pointing out that climbers had to scale a half-mile rock face to reach the peak.

“We would alternate trying to shove the long cross piece up and switching off carrying a 50-pound backpack with tools,” she said.

But the effort proved rewarding, said Pacillas, whose parents are pastors for the Salvation Army.

“It was worth all of the pain. It’s our property, and the cross has been up there for 40-plus years. When you look at the mountain, that’s what you look for,” she said.

Many campers have made a pilgrimage to the top of the peak to be near the cross.