Official Camping Dates and Location

Started by AketuanNavi, March 29, 2014, 02:43:09 AM

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AketuanNavi

Location: Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park - Cedar Grove Area

Dates: July 6th-8th


Important Details:

The camping trip for AvatarMeet 2014 will be from Sunday July 6th - Tuesday July 8th. This includes everyone that is interested in camping this year, no matter what kind of camping you are interested in (or indicated on your AvatarMeet.com profile). Sunday is designed to be a flexible arrival day to accommodate different flight times and carpools. It is a 4-5 hour drive to the campground from Los Angeles International Airport so we advise people to carpool if possible.

We have reserved a group campsite at the Canyon View Campground. We will be at Group Campsite D.  As an alternative, there is a lodge on site with rooms, and a store/restaurant. If you are planning to stay at the lodge we strongly recommend that you book a room as soon as possible as it is close to July 4th weekend and the rooms will fill up fast. If you are planning on camping with everyone at the group campsite you will be responsible for bringing your own sleeping gear tent/sleeping bag...ect More information on camp food plans and other logistical information will be announced soon.

Lodge Reservations: Cedar Grove Lodge

Campground:


Map with the campground and lodge location:



More information about specific activities and other logistical details will be announced in the next month or two. Although most likely the activities will include day hikes, night hikes, ecological/environmental learning activities, carpool trips to see the famous trees/caves/museums of the national park, and much more. Suggestions/Discussion is welcome!

(If you are interested in backpacking, before the main camping trip there will be an informal one night backpacking trip on Friday night. Please PM Aketuan if you are interested in joining.)

If you have any suggestions or questions just ask here in this thread. AvatarMeet.com will be updated so that everyone can officially indicate if they will be camping or not, so please check your profile so we can have an accurate count of the number of people attending.


Sunday July 6th:        Arrival Day
Monday July 7th:        Activities TBD 
Tuesday July 8th:       Activities TBD
Wednesday July 9th:   Check-out is at noon, everyone departs for Los Angeles


`Eylan Ayfalulukanä

Tewti nang! Because this park is almost day-trip close to Reno, NV, flying in and out of Reno for a couple of people (only so much room in my car!) is a real possibility. Flying in/out of Sacramento or Fresno is also something to consider.

Yawey ngahu!
pamrel si ro [email protected]

CyanRachel

I'm planning on staying in a Standard room (with 2 double beds) at the camping lodge, and I'm looking for a roommate to share.

If anyone is interested in sharing the room with me, please post a message here or PM me ASAP so I can go ahead and book a room.  :)
Your love shines the way into paradise.
Avatar Ten Year Anniversary (Dec 18, 2009 - Dec 18, 2019)

CyanRachel

Well, turns out I won't be joining the camping group after all, since I waited too late to book a room at the lodge and they have no more rooms available. Bummer!  :(
So just disregard my above message about needing a roommate.
Your love shines the way into paradise.
Avatar Ten Year Anniversary (Dec 18, 2009 - Dec 18, 2019)

AketuanNavi

Sorry to hear that.   :(  There still is plenty of room at the group campsite if you still want to join us?

I'm going to be sending out emails to get a head-count for campers and backpackers and to make sure everyone has all of the important information. If you have any questions feel free to ask.


Tirea Aean

Assuming my finances are in line to even make the event, I will be camping and possibly hiking. :)

`Eylan Ayfalulukanä

Quote from: Tirea Aean on April 15, 2014, 12:35:18 PM
Assuming my finances are in line to even make the event, I will be camping and possibly hiking. :)

Txantsantwetikosman nang nang nang nang......!

Yawey ngahu!
pamrel si ro [email protected]

CyanRachel

Quote from: AketuanNavi on April 15, 2014, 01:32:47 AM
Sorry to hear that.   :(  There still is plenty of room at the group campsite if you still want to join us?

I'm going to be sending out emails to get a head-count for campers and backpackers and to make sure everyone has all of the important information. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Irayo for responding, Aketuan, but I'm really not into sleeping in a tent outdoors. I wanted to join in the activities at Sequoia, but only if it meant I could stay in a room at the lodge.  ::)  :-[
Your love shines the way into paradise.
Avatar Ten Year Anniversary (Dec 18, 2009 - Dec 18, 2019)

Ekirä

For people who know the area: how important do you think it is to bring a tent/other form of rain protection? I think it would be fun to sleep in the open, but not so fun if it rains. The park's website says on the matter of weather "Precipitation usually occurs from January to mid-May; rain in the summer is rare."

But I don't know how risky it would be chancing it without a tent. Any thoughts? Better safe than sorry?

Tirea Aean

Quote from: Ekirä on April 27, 2014, 04:57:02 AM
For people who know the area: how important do you think it is to bring a tent/other form of rain protection? I think it would be fun to sleep in the open, but not so fun if it rains. The park's website says on the matter of weather "Precipitation usually occurs from January to mid-May; rain in the summer is rare."

But I don't know how risky it would be chancing it without a tent. Any thoughts? Better safe than sorry?

Yeah, this. I'll be coming in from the East coast. I'm rather tight with money at the moment, and I'm also a fan of packing light. I don't want to buy hundreds of dollars of stuff while I'm there just for 3 days. I also don't want to lug tons of gear from all the way over here on my flight. And it would probably be awkward to ask about sleeping in someone else's tent in the event of rain. :S O_O

Empty Glass

Kaltxi everyone.  Some-time visitor, first-time poster.  I've only ever posted on ToS before, but I thought I'd chime in here as I do know the Sequoia-Kings Canyon area a bit.

I believe that it is good to be prepared and have a tent or other form of rain protection with you.  It is frequently sunny in the Sierras during the summer, but rain is definitely not unheard of.  A frequent experience of mine: the day starts out looking perfect and the morning is beautiful, but by noon there are a number of clouds in the sky, by 2:00 the sky is completely gray, and a short while later it does start to rain in varying degrees of intensity before clearing up again.  I once made the mistake before of assuming the weather would always be sunny and I ended up paying the price with hastily creative ways to protect my gear.  Since then, I've always gone into the mountains ready for whatever weather could be thrown at me.

Certainly though, you could get some really clear nights, and then I definitely recommend sleeping in the open.  ;)

About money and gear...well, I would recommend renting equipment from either REI (http://www.rei.com/stores/rentals.html) or Sport Chalet (http://www.sportchalet.com/category/services+%26+advice/in-store+services/equipment+rentals/outdoor+rentals.do).  There could be other places you could rent gear from in California, but those two are the big ones at the top of my head.

If there's anything else I can help with, just ask.  ;)  I doubt I'll be able to come, but I want everyone who does go to be able to enjoy Sequoia-Kings Canyon to the fullest.

mikkowilson

Thanks for the info Empty Glass. Welcome to the LN party.

Who has a big tarp they can bring? :)

I'm thinking I'll bring my hammock & lightweight rain fly for it. Hope I don't need it. ... 'course then there won't be any suitable trees. :p

- Mikko ... Lives in a rainforest, always expects rain.
Mikko Wilson
Juneau, Alaska, USA
[email protected] - www.mikkowilson.com - +1 (907) 321-8387

Blue Elf

Quote from: Ekirä on April 27, 2014, 04:57:02 AM
For people who know the area: how important do you think it is to bring a tent/other form of rain protection? I think it would be fun to sleep in the open, but not so fun if it rains. The park's website says on the matter of weather "Precipitation usually occurs from January to mid-May; rain in the summer is rare."

But I don't know how risky it would be chancing it without a tent. Any thoughts? Better safe than sorry?
"There's no bad weather, you are only equipped incorrectly" - golden rule. It's better to have some extra things you will not use finally than missing them. On the other hand, it has no sense to spend money for equipment you need for one action only and do not plan use it repeatedly.
This can be solved by rent or maybe your friends will be able to lend you what you need. Try to ask them.
Good luck with weather :)
Oe lu skxawng skxakep. Slä oe nerume mi.
"Oe tasyätxaw ulte koren za'u oehu" (Limonádový Joe)


AketuanNavi

A few years ago I went backpacking and made the mistake of not bringing any form of rain cover  :o  ...needless to say I now ALWAYS bring a poncho, pack cover, and rainfly. Even if the weather is predicted to be perfect it is always worth the extra weight. Oh and I've also learned that the higher in elevation you are, the more unpredictable the weather becomes. (Yes I have been snowed on and hailed on here in July :P ) Thanks again for the info Empty Glass! I will be bringing 2 rain flys with me (one small, one large with doors) so I should have an extra just in case someone forgets. As for tents, I believe that most tents come with a rainfly so everyone should be ok there. REI is a great place to rent gear. I've rented a few things there before and it's always been great. (It's also worth getting a membership for $20 to get nice discounts if you live even remotely close to a store)... Anyway lets hope we have perfect sunny weather. :)


mikkowilson

I'm going to need sunscreen.

I will forget.

I will burn. Again.

- Mikko
Mikko Wilson
Juneau, Alaska, USA
[email protected] - www.mikkowilson.com - +1 (907) 321-8387

Raiden

#15
There is a slim chance that could wind up bringing an extra tent.

Tim said something about being able to help by bringing extra equipment, so there's that too.

EDIT: Okay, there's more than a slim chance that I will be able to bring an extra tent (and it will be the right size for two; I usually just use the extra space for field guides and any bugs that I find while I'm there OwO)
Trouble keeps me running faster

Save the planet from disaster...

`Eylan Ayfalulukanä

Sikat will be using my setup from last year. I'll have a bigger tent and my sleeping cot. Perhaps room for one more person. Lots of room for storing stuff against any rain (and being on the windward side of the mountains, rain is more likely than not). Tarps do not take much room, and I can bring several of them (I even had one last year).

The big decision will be whether or not to bring a cooler. On one hand, this is possible because I can drive to the campsite, and I know the camp will need it. On the other, coolers take up a lot of space in the car. I can bring my truck instead, which is fine for camping, but not so much for driving around LA.

I may be doing some test packing soon.

And Mikkowilson, I am sure there will be sunscreen available.

With Raiden in our midst, I will also probably need specimen bottles and a herp stick..... (Maybe I can finally bring him some black widow spiders.)

Yawey ngahu!
pamrel si ro [email protected]

Ekirä

Thanks for the weather advice, guys, I guess I will be bringing a tent. Never safe to rely on sunny weather, I suppose. ;)

Raiden

Quote from: `Eylan Ayfalulukanä on April 28, 2014, 01:36:40 AM
Sikat will be using my setup from last year. I'll have a bigger tent and my sleeping cot. Perhaps room for one more person. Lots of room for storing stuff against any rain (and being on the windward side of the mountains, rain is more likely than not). Tarps do not take much room, and I can bring several of them (I even had one last year).

The big decision will be whether or not to bring a cooler. On one hand, this is possible because I can drive to the campsite, and I know the camp will need it. On the other, coolers take up a lot of space in the car. I can bring my truck instead, which is fine for camping, but not so much for driving around LA.

I may be doing some test packing soon.

And Mikkowilson, I am sure there will be sunscreen available.

With Raiden in our midst, I will also probably need specimen bottles and a herp stick..... (Maybe I can finally bring him some black widow spiders.)

Hohohoho!

That would make me very happy. Unfortunately, I'm still living with my parents (I'm actually moving out this Fall....timing was so close!), and it would make them not so happy.

I'll take a rain check on it though.
Trouble keeps me running faster

Save the planet from disaster...

Tirea Aean

So I'll be packing light. I'll more or less be coming with clothes and hygiene essentials. Any chance I'd be that guy who sleeps in a spare tent? Maybe next year I'll be in a better position money-wise to do rentals or something..