Get excited for some backpacking right in our own backyard! We will be heading up north to Ojai to backpack the Sespe River Trail to Willett Hot Springs, about 10 miles out and back each way (but v flat!). Despite the distance, we will not have much elevation gain, which makes this a wonderful backpacking trip for both those new to backpacking and those who have been backpacking for years. Larry Harris is very excited for the trip, and will be bringing not one but TWO dogs - Benbow & Musket!
The working theory within the Trip Lead community is that Larry is actually secretly a wizard and Benbow the poodle is his magical familiar - the two will lead you into the wilderness, Benbow bouncing & prancing along like a graceful angel, and nothing but magical good times will ensue.
After leaving USC on Friday afternoon, we’ll car camp that night before starting to backpack to the hot springs on Saturday. We will follow the Sespe River Trail for about 10 miles to Willett Hot Springs. Don’t be intimidated by the double digits of the mileage - this trail is pretty heckin’ flat as it follows the river.
***If we were to get rained out (it would make the water levels of the river too high for us to backpack), we will head into the desert for an alternate backpacking trip of comparable difficulty & timing. Backpacking & dogs & Larry & good times will still be present ;)
PACKING LIST:
Sleeping bag (rated to 40 degrees)
Sleeping pad
Backpacking pack
Durable hiking shoes—this is very important as we will have creek crossings!!!!!
hiking appropriate clothes and h e l l a SOCKS (do people still say hella?)
Swimsuit for the hot springs! + towel
2L water capacity
Mess kit & mug
Toothbrush & other toiletries
Sunglasses! Sunscreen! Hat!
WE WILL PROVIDE:
Snax & meals
#Gear like tents, water filtration, stoves, etc.
Sleeping bags/pads/backpacking pack if you need them (please let us know if you do!)
Good vibes, great playlist, the best weekend
PROFESSOR: Larry Harris
DEPARTMENT: Marshall
Larry Harris is a Peaks & Professors all star with over 10 trips under his belt! When he's not hiking with Peaks and/or his two poodles, he can be found teaching about regulatory and practitioner issues in trading and investment management in Marshall School of Business. He holds the Fred V. Keenan Chair in Finance at the USC Marshall School of Business and served as Chief Economist of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from July 2002-June 2004.
PEAK: Sespe Creek
DIFFICULTY: 4/5
SCENERY: W A T E R! and rocks & trees & d o g s
FUN FACT: What could be more fun than water and dogs and dogs who love water?
TRIP LEADS: KAT & WEEZY
Where in the world are Kat & Weezy right now?
They’d be jockeying for the title of “Trip Lead most likely to be on an international backpacking trip at any given moment” if they weren’t almost always going on these trips together. (Eg. that’s them in Torres Del Paine NP in Patagonia, Chile from January ;) hehe)
Contact Kat: chen502@usc.edu
Contact Weezy: louisada@usc.edu
Sespe Creek Trail, Ojai, CA