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Get ready to explore these two BEAUTIFUL National Parks with Conor and Maia! Join us for 3 days of hiking, exploring, learning, cooking, meditating, and adventuring. We’ll be doing dispersed camping for two nights in the Hume Lake Ranger District, going on scenic hikes in the surrounding area and enjoying cozy nights by the campfire. Day 1, we will arrive, set up camp, and bond over cooking competitions and a campfire. Day 2, we will explore the Sequoia Trees, embark on a scenic hike (Big Baldy) that offers sweeping views of the Sierra Nevadas, and watch the sunset from a panoramic trail. On Day 3, we will hike around the Hume Lake before packing up and returning to USC!
ITINERARY:
Day 1 (03/28)
12:00 PM - meet @village and drive
5:30 PM- arrive at campsite, set up camp and fire
6:30 PM - Meet up as a group, safety talk
7:00 PM - cooking competition begins
8:00 PM - Judges eat
8:15 PM - Everyone eats
9:00 PM - Campfire talks, stargazing
Campfire activities: storytelling, music, skits, games, professor talks
10:30 PM - (optional) Sleep
Day 2 (03/29)
6:30 AM - (optional) sunrise + meditation + forest walk
8:00 AM - (everyone) breakfast + pack lunch!
9:00 AM - Drive to General Grant Tree
9:30 AM - Explore forest and General Grant Loop
11:30AM- Big Baldy Ridge Trail + Lunch (5 miles round trip)
3:00 PM- Drive back to campsite, relax, eat snacks
4:30 pm- Scavenger hunt/Group bonding
5:30 pm - Drive to panoramic point
6:00 pm - Hike Panoramic Point Loop + Watch sunset
8:00 pm - Dinner and campfire activities
Day 3 (03/30)
8:30 am- breakfast and break down camp
10:00 am- Hume lake trailhead- 2.6 miles long and travels around the lake
11:30 am- Take down camp, drive back to campus
(optional) Stop along way for lunch
5:00 pm- return to campus (trip leads help to get supplies back to treehouse)
PACKING LIST:
PERSONAL ITEMS
SUN PROTECTION
WATER BOTTLE
OVERNIGHT CLOTHES
HIKING BACK PACK
SNACKS
WAIVERS
(A DETAILED PACKING LIST WILL BE SENT OUT BEFORE THE TRIP)
WE WILL PROVIDE:
SLEEPING BAGS
SLEEPING PADS
TENTS
COOKING EQUIPMENT
FOOD AND WATER
CAN’T WAIT TO CAMP WITH YOU!
Coach Culbertson has spent time all over coastal California, eventually finding his way to the USC physical education department! He is an expert surfer and avid backpacker. If it’s outside, he’s probably done it! Expect to hear everything from learning about long shore drift to stories of some of the gnarliest waves in Cali!
Professor Warford teaches courses in the ethics of science and technology and written and oral engineering communication! Her teaching and research interests include engineering ethics and the rhetoric of science and engineering. Not only is she an amazing professor, she is also an avid hiker and backpacker herself! Expect to hear about other amazing Peaks trips she’s gone on!
Professor McGene teaches sociology and is known for her engaging lectures and uplifting personality. She is an outdoors enthusiast who loves to go on hikes and camps, and has already been to Sequoia on previous outdoors excursions. Expect to hear everything from her previous involvements with the outdoors and our organization, as well as her wisdom and expertise in the field of sociology.
PEAK: BIG BALDY RIDGE + OTHERS
DIFFICULTY: 4.5/5
SCENERY: Gorgeous lake, huge Sequoia trees, panoramic mountain views
FUN FACT: General Grant Tree was nicknamed “the nation’s Christmas tree” by President Calvin Coolidge!
TRIP LEADS: CONOR KRUGER
& MAIA PAYNE
MEET THE TWO COOLEST NEW TRIP LEADS IN PEAKS HISTORY.
Contact CONOR: cckruger@usc.edu
Read CONOR’s bio here. (hyperlinked!)
Contact MAIA: mmpayne@usc.edu