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2025 GGG March 14-16

This topic has 49 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 5 days, 5 hours ago by Manfred.

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Mar 10, 2025 at 4:49 pm #3830027

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

Hi Rick,

Peter might know the answer as far as prospecting.
I’d say if you come after dark ( as I may as well) and everyone is in their tent your best bet is to sleep in your car. We don’t have a communal tent and even the lodge may not be available at night.

Mar 10, 2025 at 7:55 pm #3830029

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

Like a classic GGG we might get some weather :)

Sounds fun!

Mar 11, 2025 at 10:07 am #3830081

Richard Niemi
BPL Member

@rickniemi
Locale: Santa Cruz Mountains

Sleeping in my car is fine but I still don’t know where to go once I get there. If there are signs directing me to the GGG campsite area then it’s not a problem but no one has mentioned that. I also have a friend that may be attending for the first time and driving up on his own. He would like to know where to go once he gets there. What do I tell him?

Mar 11, 2025 at 10:38 am #3830082

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

I’ll ask Peter to chime in as he has been there and scouted out the place. My understanding is that it’s pretty self explanatory once you get there but let’s see what he says.

Mar 11, 2025 at 11:43 am #3830088

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

Until Peter chimes in I’ll say that I looked at the area on Google Earth and it seems that campsites are all pretty close to the buildings/ lodge.

i’d look for cars…

Mar 11, 2025 at 3:05 pm #3830099

Nick Gatel
BPL Member

@ngatel
Locale: Southern California

Peter provided directions in the 3rd post of this tread . . .

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/2025-ggg-march-14-16/#post-3828181

Mar 11, 2025 at 5:11 pm #3830121

Richard Niemi
BPL Member

@rickniemi
Locale: Santa Cruz Mountains

I got ahold of Emily one of the Caretakers at LDMA Italian Bar. She said our group will be staying at a spot called Skitter Flats. If I got this right where the main dirt road turns left and goes over the bridge you will go straight (not left and over the bridge). The camp is somewhere in that area. If she has time and weather permitting, she will put up a sign with GGG or GG. Camping fee is $20 per sleeping unit per night. A unit is a tent, RV, Truck or whatever. If multiple people sleep in a unit the cost is still $20. If you want to gold prospect cost is $20 per day per person. Everyone who is on the property needs to find Emily (during the day, she goes to bed early) and sign a legal release.

Mar 11, 2025 at 5:21 pm #3830123

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

Thanks for the info Rick!
We were hoping to help the hosts out financially by paying 20 dollars a piece regardless of sharing sites but a couple of us can fill in the rest :)

Mar 11, 2025 at 6:27 pm #3830127

peter v
BPL Member

@peter-v

locating this place is a no-brainer, as the road runs directly thru it. even at night, if you get to a bridge, you have gone roughly 20′ too far. as for the sop GGG weather, which seems to be a constant in our lives, there is a room we can hang in, with wood stove. I will attempt (again) to post a stunning and very beautiful picture of it…. I have on hand a propane heater for to hang on the porch and watch the drips .. drop. or the drops drip .. I’m not sure anymore .. does rain need a pronoun too these days ? so, after considerations .. does one think I should bring one heater, or two ?

Mar 11, 2025 at 9:12 pm #3830131

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

^^^ one should be enough? I think we’ll be what 11 people?

Mar 12, 2025 at 3:15 pm #3830172

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

Ok looks like we have the following

Casey Bowden

Rick Niemi (+1)

Doug Wolfe (+1?)

Matthew B.

Ken T

Peter Vacco

Nick Gatel

David Thomas

Manfred Kopisch

Kat (+1?)

anyone else debating coming up?

Mar 12, 2025 at 4:29 pm #3830186

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

I’m not sure who Doug Wolfe is, but I’ll be there (as mentioned above)!

Mar 12, 2025 at 4:39 pm #3830188

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

My apologies Doug! My mistake and laziness on the last name

Mar 12, 2025 at 4:44 pm #3830190

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

Thanks. No worries. See you all soon.

Mar 13, 2025 at 9:25 am #3830219

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

I know this is a bit late, but does anyone in the Bay Area want to ride up together? I’m in Berkeley and am taking off late morning or so on Friday and coming back Sunday after things wind down (I don’t know when that will be). I could take one person…or go in your car.

Mar 13, 2025 at 10:24 am #3830222

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

Hi Doug,

I am PMing you Matt’s email. He just contacted me and you two can ride share!

Mar 13, 2025 at 11:28 am #3830226

Manfred
BPL Member

@orienteering

Hi Doug (and Matt),

I’m driving in my minivan from Menlo Park Friday morning, returning Sunday. Let me know if you want me to take either one or both of you along.

Manfred

Mar 13, 2025 at 11:44 am #3830227

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

Hi Manfred,

That sounds great. I just emailed Matt about him possibly coming over to Berkeley and we three meeting up here to ride together.

I guess we should use PM’s to work out the details.

Mar 13, 2025 at 2:40 pm #3830238

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

Turns out Matt and I are going together and Manfred will be in his own vehicle. See everyone there.

Mar 13, 2025 at 6:42 pm #3830255

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

See everyone up there !

Mar 14, 2025 at 9:41 am #3830277

peter v
BPL Member

@peter-v

sat and Sun are looking to be clear and wonderful. Friday , well .. not so much .

but hey .. we got heat. we got lightings. we got a porch to hang on. we got a bakery to hit on the way in. we got booze out the yahoo (hot rum toddies). we even got some probably questionable grammar.

see ya’ll there ..

last one in the mud is a WUSS !!!

cheers,

v.

Mar 17, 2025 at 10:32 am #3830465

Manfred
BPL Member

@orienteering

Thanks to Kat and Peter for organizing this years GGG!

When driving down to the Italian Bar along the Stanislaus River on Friday I encountered this sign and was thinking I might be in for a rough weekend.

While I found plenty of potholes and even a sinkhole the only people I found down at the bottom where people like these (Doug & Kat) and it turned out to be a great weekend.

Kat had once again brought her wonderful Seekoutside tent with woodstove that had made last year’s cold, rainy GGG in Henry Coe so much more fun. Her tent and her woodstove made for a wonderful Friday evening with the early arrivals despite the rain.

The rest of the weekend we had great sunny weather.

Several McHale packs were on hand to try out. Peter loaded them with 40 lbs cat food bags and I eagerly tried one out.

While the pack was comfortable, I was wondering quietly whether I could still carry this kind of weight across the Brooks Range.

Saturday evening we enjoyed Peter’s presentation about his traverse of the complete Brooks Range – the first ever by anyone that is documented. It must have been over 30 years since I last saw a carousel slide projector (I’m including the link for younger readers who might wonder what that even is). The slideshow brought up many great memories of my own trek across the Brooks Range with my teenage sons. Having been out there for less than a third of the 12 weeks and 3 days that Peter traversed the complete Brooks Range, I was in utter awe about his achievement. We all sat until after midnight talking.

Sunday morning came and went by fast. Several people had brought little trinkets and handed them out. There was for example window film shrink insulation for use as a groundsheet. I was most intrigued by the photos that Nick handed out. His photography of nebulae is outright amazing

Thanks again to the organizers and all participants of this year’s GGG!

Mar 17, 2025 at 12:34 pm #3830482

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

Yes, mucho thanks to Kat and Peter for instigating, organizing, and making a most comfortable outing. It’s great to be around such good people and I had lots of interesting and entertaining conversations. And got some tips and ideas for gear (including for campervans).

Mar 17, 2025 at 1:07 pm #3830486

Kattt
BPL Member

@kattt

Thank you Peter for doing all the work here and thank you to everyone who made this trip!
‘Till next time :)

clockwise from the left:
Manfred, David Thomas, Nick Gatel, Peter Vacco and Doug Coe.

Mar 17, 2025 at 1:43 pm #3830492

Manfred
BPL Member

@orienteering

Doug (and others who took photos) of my minivan conversion,

here is a BPL post from 2020 where I detailed my minivan conversion with photos that might be helpful to anyone interested in undertaking a similar project.

Manfred
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