Wen and Tara's
Excellent Adventures
We’re going camping! The qbabe CampOUT trips are back, and you're invited. Come spend 4 nights and 5 days in Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Trinity Lake with a group of fun, friendly women over Labor Day. What a great way to say "farewell" to summer!
The above picture is the swimming hole off the back of our campground--yep, we have the whole campground!
Labor Day Women's CampOUT w/optional rafting
Shatsta-Trinity National Forest
September 4-8, 2009 (Friday-Tuesday)
THE CAMP EXPERIENCE:
We have the entire campground, and there's a swimming hole in the river right off the back of the site. We’ll have a nice fire going, tables for picnicking and places to put up our tents. In the day, if you hang out around camp, you’ll likely have most of it to yourself. Late afternoons & evenings it’ll fill back up. During the day, enjoy a hike with the group, kayak on Lake Trinity, explore the area with a friend or two, or laze about the campground reading a book, playing games or napping.
Optional activities include wine tasting (TBD--there may be a minimal charge for this, paid to the winery) and a full day (9 AM- 3 PM) of river rafting. (Additional cost of $107 per person for the day of rafting.) Yes, it's your chance to raft the Trinity River (Class I-III) for the day! Lunch, guides and equipment are provided. We are working with a local outfitter, so you will be in good hands. We need 14 women to make it a go, and you must sign up in advance.
In the evening, sit around the fire eating s’mores, having a glass of wine or hot chocolate, laughing and getting to know each other under the stars. Take a late-night stroll, then tuck into your tent for a good night’s sleep...in a campground filled with women!
ITINERARY (Subject to change--wine tasting, hikes etc. are still being finalized.)
DAY 1: Arrive any time after 3:00 PM. Put up your tent, meet some of the other campers. Sit around the fire, or go on an evening stroll. Then crawl into your tent for your first night in the great outdoors…
DAY 2: Eat breakfast, pack a lunch and then hike, kayak or do whatever tickles your fancy. We’ll suggest some activities and most likely lead a hike for those who want to come along. Potluck dinner tonight--YUM!
DAY 3: River rafting! We'll head to Big Bar (about an hour away) for a day on the river (Class I-III, suitable for beginners). We'll leave camp in plenty of time to be there for a 9 AM meet up time. Not the rafting type? Snooze by the stream, swim or just hang out. In the evening, we’ll sit around the fire, chatting and making s'mores.
DAY 4: Pancake breakfast. You bring your coffee or tea, and we make you pancakes. Later, go wine tasting with the group, or relax on your own…The possibilities are endless. Tonight it’s more fun and frolicking around the fire, laying around under the stars, and generally making merry.
DAY 5: After breakfast, it’s time to pack up and say goodbye. We need to vacate the site by 11 AM, but feel free to enjoy the area for the rest of the day with your new friends! People often stop off together for a hike or a meal as they prepare to get back to the "real world"...
Here's another photo looking off the back of the group campground:
TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT:
THE TRIP IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED! However...
If we have been emailing about the trip, and I sent you out the directions etc. and you are just coming here to pay and make it official, do the following: 1) Follow the alternate payment instructions if you have them and 2) Jot me a note via email that you're coming. (I may or may not get the note, but have you on my "maybe" list so it's okay to come.)
If you are coming here for the first time and want to attend, send me an email. If I have coverage and get it, I'll write you back.
Rafting is closed.
Sorry, no refunds, but you may certainly transfer your registration to a friend or someone on the waiting list.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW & FAQ:
COMING FOR PART OF THE TIME: This is totally fine. Some folks come for just the weekend, and it's no problem. Turn up when you can, and leave when you need to.
WILL EVERYONE KNOW EACH OTHER?: Nope! Most folks are coming alone or with one other person and will know no one. Meeting new friends is part of the fun!
DO I HAVE TO DO ALL THE ACTIVITIES?: You can do as little or as much as you wish. Sign up for river rafting, go wine tasting, swimming and hiking. Or, grab a book, your journal, watercolors or camera and make your own adventure.
WHAT TO BRING: We'll help you figure out what to bring, provide you with directions, and any other info you may need. For a list of some suggested items, click here.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED: Transportation to and from Trinity, wine tasting fees, river rafting fees, camping equipment, food except as indicated (one pancake breakfast, s’mores around the fire), any incidentals or other activities you might choose to undertake.
PARKING: Parking will be limited and we’re going to highly encourage carpooling. I have been told there is a central lot. (They must have redone the campground--it used to have parking spurs.) We will park in the lot and carry our tents to the sleeping areas. It doesn't seem far; just know you will likely not be sleeping right up next to your car.
RIVER RAFTING: We need 14 women to make this outing a go! Come and raft the Trinity River (Class I-III) for the day! Lunch, guides and equipment are provided. We are contracting with a local outfitter, so you will be in good hands. Cost is $107 per person, and the trip is from 9 AM to 3 PM on Sunday, September 6th.
BOATING: Bring a kayak, canoe, an inflatable raft, a fine duck-shaped tube or your rowboat. The boat launch is 1/2 mile from the campsite. Please note: due to water-level fluctuations (Trinity is a resevoir), you may or may not be able to launch there. You may also put in at other places around the lake. Please note that there may be a fee for launching. We will not have parking for boats or other watercraft that are not on or in your car (e.g. if you are pulling something on a trailer), and so cannot accomodate them. Kayaks, canoes etc. stored on top of your car are fine.
TENTS: This is tent camping, so you'll need one. Please don't bring a giant tent AKA a "Costco Castle" because we are all sharing the space. Depending on the size of the sleeping areas, your tent might be fairly close to others. Then again, making a little community in the woods is half the fun. Don't have a tent? REI does tent rentals.
HYGIENE: There are flush toilets and running water at the campground. Dish water and other "used" water is called "gray water" and is disposed of in the appropriate gray water receptacle. We will have a dish-washing station with a basin, sponge and soap. (Bring a dishtowel.) There are no showers at the campground. However, we will provide a "wash tent"; this is a small structure we set up with a wash basin and biodegradable soap inside. Bring a washcloth and towel, heat up some water on your stove, and you're welcome to use the wash tent to clean up. We don't hang solar showers inside (for a variety of reasons: excess moisture, lack of a catch basin and the poles not supporting the weight). If you plan on bringing a solar shower for your personal use outside, please be advised that you will need to also bring a catch basin to catch ALL the water, even if you are using biodegradable soap. (A catch basin is a large, flexible waterproof fabric "tub", usually at least 3'x3' with sides of about a 12" that you stand in while you shower, making sure all the water goes into it. You then empty it, typically with the help of a friend, wherever gray water goes.) We do this because in bear country we can't have scented soap or soapy water of any kind on the ground in the campground. Plus, the soap eventually end ups in the river and lake. So, in order to be good stewards of the land, if you bring a solar shower you must hang it far from the water's edge and use a catch basin. No exceptions.
FOOD STORAGE: This is bear country. Proper food/toiletry storage is required, which at this campground means placing items in the bear box (there will be limited bear box space), using a backpacking bear can, hanging food backcountry style from trees (bring your own rope and stuff sack) or placing food in a tupperwear bin/cooler in the back of your vehicle. If bins are visible through vehicle windows, they must be covered with a blanket. There has not been any bear activity at the campground this year and while the park service certainly can't guarantee against damage, placing food and toiletires in your car is an accepted method of food storage for this area. One item that we highly recommend is the LOKSAK/OPSAK waterproof, scent-proof ziplock bags from REI. They will contain all food scents. Go to http://www.rei.com/product/758706 for medium sized bags. Other sizes are also available. You MUST abide by the area's food storage guidelines, and NO food or toiletries may be taken into your tent or left out in any area of the campground, including in daypacks etc. This is non-negotiable!
KIDS: This is an adults-only trip.
DOGS: We love our 4-legged friends but because this is bear country, and also because when you get 10-15 dogs together in a new place it can be chaotic and/or stressful for the dogs (and their humans) we are not allowing our furry friends on this particular trip.
SMOKING: This is a non-smoking trip.
ACCESSIBILITY: The site does not seem to be fully accessible, however the bathroom is accessible. Contact me with specific questions and I’ll check with the park for details. In some places the campground is listed as accessible, in others it is not. In order to ensure it meets your particular needs, please contact me.
RVs: There are no RV hookups or places to park them, so they're not technically allowed. If you have a van-sized RV that can fit in a regular parking spot, let me know and we can see what we can work out.
FUN: We tend to have a lot of this, and it comes with as much laughter as you can handle. Past trips have been a ton of fun and you're sure to leave with a bunch of new friends, feeling relaxed and renewed.
I look forward to seeing you in Trinity for fun and friendship in the great outdoors! Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.
