The trip started off at the Ashby BART station early Monday morning, where all the participants had the chance to briefly meet each other before carpooling to the BCM gear drop site. Here, explorers and leaders alike made formal introductions and started a discussion about group expectations for the rest of the trip. Roger and Max then led the explorers in the basics of efficiently packing a backpack, including what clothing layers to bring, why it is important to balance the weight, and how to pack light.
Before Packing LightDuring the Duffle ShuffleAll Packed Up and Ready to Go!
Around lunchtime, the group arrived at the Bear Valley trailhead in Point Reyes National Seashore. The explorers began their outdoor adventures with a lesson in “Maps 101,” where they learned about a specific hiking preparation plan under the acronym RAD, standing for route, altitude gain, and distance. Each day of the trip explorers respectively volunteered themselves to step into a leadership role: hiking leaders (2), cooking team (3), or cleanup team (3). One of the responsibilities of the hiking leaders, Brooks and Angel on the first day, was to conduct a RAD planning meeting before we set out for the day. These teachings helped translate theoretical knowledge into practical skills that the explorers can continue to cultivate beyond their outdoor excursions with Earth Team.
The hike from the trailhead to Sky Camp posed an exciting challenge for the group thanks to the steep uphill path. Still, the explorers did great as they established a strong support system, making sure the pace was not too fast for anyone, taking breaks often, and even practicing preventative foot care by encouraging the use of moleskin around hot spots at risk of turning into blisters. Upon arriving at Sky Camp, Roger walked everyone through the expected protocol for making camp and organizing gear. He taught us another acronym CAMP: Comfort, Assemble Gear, Make a Home, and Party! This ensured explorers tended to personal needs first before unpacking or tent building.
With the first day of backpacking coming to a close, Max found the opportune time to get one more lesson in: backcountry teeth brushing! Seeking to uphold the Leave No Trace (LNT) principles as a best practice for any outdoor nature activities, the group was taught that spraying your toothpaste in a mist is more environmentally friendly than just spitting it out on the ground or even in a hole. Prompting a fun session of dramatic spit takes, this lesson is undoubtedly a memorable experience for the explorers.
Day 2- Unexpected Turn of Events
As we began our second day, the explorers got another navigation lesson: “Maps 201.” They learned how to calibrate a physical map and compass to adjust for magnetic declination, meaning the angle difference between magnetic north and true north (geographic north). In this lesson, leaders also explained how the sun rising in the East and setting in the West is a good indicator of direction, so long as the seasonal changes that skew the sun North or South are accounted for. The lesson ended with an explanation of how geophysical topography, such as ridge lines, peaks, and valleys, are shown as contour lines on a map.
Before leaving Sky Camp, the explorers participated in one more activity. One of the core principles of LNT is simply making sure that trash is not left behind, something that is often overlooked when leaving a campsite. In this LNT lesson, Roger referenced pictures of potential types of litter to explain that materials take much longer to degrade in the outdoors, especially in comparison to their proper disposal environments. This emphasizes the importance of conducting a thorough group sweep to pick up any trash before leaving a campsite.
Once the grounds were completely swept of any runaway litter, the hike from Sky Camp to Coast Camp commenced under the leadership of Hazel and Martha. Taking a trail that doubled back towards the ridgeline until it became flat, the group had lots of time to chat and play various talking games during the hike. The explorers even learned about native plants and edible berries, such as huckleberries, as Max pointed them out along the trail. After beginning a descent towards the beach, the group decided it was time for our cucumber tuna wrap lunches and chose a spot overlooking the ocean. Here, Jamie showed everyone how to spot whales breaching or spouting along the horizon. Some group members also noticed a few birds of prey fly by seemingly on the hunt for their own lunch!
Lunch with a side of breaching whales!HuckleberriesTuna Wraps!
Arriving at Coast Camp was blustery, but the explorers worked together to pitch their tents and securely stake them to hold fast against the wind. They made camp quickly and even had time to play on the beach for a few hours before a dinner.
However, after a few hours of beach time and then dinner, the tents had to be taken down and packed up as our group was notified of the tsunami advisory. Although we began our evacuation packing before the sun fully set, by the time everyone was ready to go we needed our headlamps to shine through the dark. Setting off up the coast and inland to reach higher ground, the whole group rallied together for a bonus backpacking night hike. As expected everyone remained safe and together during this journey thanks to the leaders’ guidance, communication, and supervision.
Day 3- Rest and Recovery
Early Wednesday morning, we woke up dry in our tents and happy to see the tsunami had not swept us away in the night. We agreed on a quick cold breakfast of granola so we could quickly start back down the hill. Leaders of the Day Angela and Sijan made a quick RAD plan and we took off. Explorers enjoyed the foggy morning on the trail, but we were all excited to arrive back at Coast Camp and set up our tents. After such an eventful night, explorers and leaders needed a little rest and reflection time. The late morning was dedicated to reading, journaling, cards, and well deserved naps!
Hiking Back Down the HillBrooks Cowboy NappingPizza for Lunch
We reconnected as a group for a delicious lunch: Pizza. Chefs Brooks, Martha, and Kaden, designed us meat and cheese pizzas with tortillas, sauce, pepperoni, and freshly chopped cheese. While lunch cooked, explorers played cards and dice, learning new games like Phase 10 and 2-4-24. Once we had full bellies, the group walked down to the beach for more games! Leader Roger came prepared with a variety of games that developed teambuilding and leadership skills while also making us laugh! Roger and Stephanie led us in a multi-round, group-created game of charades. With cards like “Cat walking on the beach,” “Tsunami,” and “Roger,” we got sillier and more creative each round!
Close GameSelfies!StrategizingWatching the WavesLong Talks on the Beach
Then Roger taught us: 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. He stood on one end of the beach with a water bottle at his feet yelling “1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish…” while we ran towards him, but as soon as he said “Blue Fish” we had to freeze. We had to retrieve the water bottle, bring it back to the starting line, and make sure everyone had held it before we crossed the beach. Sounds easy enough. However, each time Roger turned around, he would guess who was holding the bottle, and if he was right, we had to start all over again! It took a few practice rounds to get the hang of it, but explorers quickly established a plan, worked together as a team, and were able to complete the mission successfully before it was time for dinner!
Explorers weren’t quite hungry yet when we returned to camp, so Roger had us do a self reflective activity. He read a few phrases and asked us to rank ourselves by how much we agreed or disagreed with each statement. As he continued reading to us, we ended up sorting ourselves into a grid that coordinated with our personal leadership style. Interestingly, we had group representation in all four of the leadership groups, showcasing the strong diversity in expertise among explorers.
Finally, it was dinner time: Mac & Cheese night! Chefs Kaden, Martha, and Brooks worked hard chopping cheese, perfectly cooking pasta, and adding a little protein for the omnivores in the group! We enjoyed our meal and a peaceful night under the stars. While our mileage was low for the day, we were grateful for the rest and big meals because we knew we had a big hike in store for us the next day!
Day 4- The Flag Ceremony
Thursday, we enjoyed oatmeal breakfast with cranberries, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and lots of other tasty toppings! Explorers were creative, some may even say brave, with their food combinations during the trip, experimenting with all sorts of flavors. While we packed up camp, leaders of the day Natali and Kaden came up with our RAD plan, and we learned our hike would be a little over seven miles, mainly uphill. Even though this seemed like a daunting task, both our leaders of the day assured us that we would keep a slow, steady pace and take lots of breaks! With that, we finished packing up and began our journey up the hill to our next, and final, campsite: Glen Camp.
RAD Plan First!Beautiful ViewsSelfies with Mina!Leaders Having Fun Too!
We hiked up the hill through the morning fog, past some lost horseback riders, and snapped a few photos of the stunning coastline. By noon we were hungry and ready for some lunch. This awesome log seemed to be the perfect spot for some chicken wraps!
We made it to Glen Camp in what felt like no time at all. This long section of the trip was made so easy by Leaders of the day Kaden and Natali. Everyone was grateful for Kaden’s impeccable time management and sunscreen/water reminders and Natali’s positive attitude that kept all of us all on track! We set up tents and played cards throughout the rest of the afternoon, only breaking for a delicious rice dinner made by chefs Angel, Angela, and Hazel. We wrapped up our last camp night with a meaningful and silly flag ceremony. Every explorer got a flag filled with kind words from the rest of the group and we had fun reading our flags to each other late into the night.
Day 5- Hike Out
Our final morning was a bit bittersweet. Everyone was excited to return home, see their families, and, most importantly, get their phones back! But we were sad to be saying goodbye to the forest we had called home for the past week and the friends we shared so much with. Sijan and Angela led us in a RAD plan back to Bear Valley Trailhead. The hike brought us fun alphabet games and giant banana slugs! Even though we were hot, tired, and a little smelly, the explorers powered through the last hike and arrived at the trailhead ahead of schedule.
Banana SlugBeautiful ViewsSelfies With StephanieWe Made It!
Leaders lead the explorers through a reflection activity, giving them space to celebrate their accomplishments and process some of the lessons learned from this trip. Then, everyone had the chance to make a sandwich lunch before heading back to the BCM gear drop site, where all the borrowed camping supplies were cleaned and stored for future trips to come.
With all this said and done, the explorers shared some thoughts about their time on the trip, spotlighting moments of learning, self-growth, and adventure.
“It was fun to have a night hike and camp in an area that wasn’t just a regular campsite.” – Hazel
“A highlight of the trip was cooking because I don’t usually cook at home [and] just being out here, using a simple stove, and getting a very cool versatile pot with a nice handle attachment I was able to cook some delicious food, like pizza and spaghetti and mac ‘n cheese. Cooking for a whole group was a very good experience; it feels heartwarming and rewarding to me.” – Kaden
“The ‘no phone’ policy was really amazing because staying away from my phone made me realize that there’s a world more than just the emails and the business that I get, and just being in nature and appreciating what’s around me was really amazing. This trip meant a lot to me!” – Sijan
“We made little flags for each other, and each person had their own flag [where] we wrote positive traits about them. It was really funny.” -Brooks
Earth Team would like to give a big thank you to Whale Tail, NOAA, and the Joseph and Vera Long Foundation for funding this trip. This backpacking excursion through Point Reyes has given these high school students the opportunity to develop outdoor skills and engage with the natural environment they work so hard to protect. Earth Team would like to thank Big City Mountaineers for their resources and providing such an excellent experience for explorers and leaders alike. Most of all we thank Roger, Max, and Stephanie for their leadership and experience on this trip. Thank you for taking us outdoors and leaving everyone with core memories of a once in a lifetime backpacking expedition!
