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If your cowboy soul is already yearning for an escape to wide open spaces after the first week of classes, come along for an overnight trip to the rocks that have been featured in everything from Django Unchained to Iron Man! Tucked away in the shadow of Mt. Whitney, the Alabama Hills have a little bit of everything - hiking, scrambling, and (if we’re lucky) some pretty epic stargazing. We’ll spend our days exploring the hills and rock formations, take a quick trip up to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, and wind down in some hot springs. It’ll be a bit chilly, but it’ll be fun!
PACKING LIST:
H2O (lots of it)
Change of clothes + pajamas
Comfortable shoes
Warm outerwear (it’ll get COLD at night)
Hat + SPF
Toiletries and other daily necessities
Mess kit: bowl/tupperware and utensils to use to eat
Flashlight or headlamp
Snacks
Swimwear + towel for hot springs (optional)
Sleeping bags/pads, tents, blankets, and other camping gear (if you have any)
Waivers
WE WILL PROVIDE:
Food
Sleeping bags/pads, tents (for those that don’t have one)
PROFESSOR: ABBY FIFER MANDELL
DEPARTMENT: Entrepreneurship
As senior lecturer in entrepreneurship and founding executive director of the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab, Abby has guided hundreds of start-up teams to apply user-centered design to challenges faced by individuals and families worldwide. Community foci include older adults, farmworkers in California’s Central Valley, and adults diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Abby trains mission-based organizations on fundamentals of user-centered design and in 2018, won the Academy of Management Innovation in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award.
Prior to USC, Abby worked at Brailsford & Dunlavey, where she designed educational programs and facilities at Duke University, The University of Vermont, Dartmouth University, and UC Riverside, among others. She is a Wexner Heritage Fellow and serves on the advisory board of United Parents and Students. Abby holds a M.A. in education and received a B.A. in Religious Studies and American Studies from the University of Virginia, where she was student body president. She lives in West Adams with her family.
PEAK: ALABAMA HILLS
DIFFICULTY: 2/5
SCENERY: Rocks, arches, the Sierra Nevadas. The usual.
FUN FACT: On a clear night, you can see the Milky Way!
TRIP LEAD: BRIGITTE
Considers the Eastern Sierras one of her favorite places ever and hopes you will too!
Contact Brigitte: br14681@usc.edu
Read Brigitte’s bio here.