6th Annual G.G.G. 1/24-26 2014

Justin,

Ken talked about something like 50 gallons being brought in and maybe more to suppliment that.

There was a posting that there is at least one water tank in the park that has water for hikers, but not sure how far it from our campsite.

What I am doing of myself and the family is to bring 1.5-2 L per person in with us.

The site is essentially dry with a few cow ponds here and there, which I would not be keen on drinking.

My thinking is that if everyone brings just a little bit of water in for themselves, it will ensure that we don't run out of water.

Heck, maybe there will be enough left over to fill a small UL hot tub? LOL.

Anyway, just a friendly reminder for everyone to bring in some water for themselves to make sure that the 50 gallons or so of water bring hauled in will no run out.

Never hurts to be safe…plus, the hike is less than 2.5 miles and most of it on a fire road.

As a side note: I bought a Black Diamond Orbit LED Lantern that runs off of 4 AAA batteries, which puts out some decent light. Nice for the tables for dinner time…card games for the kids to play, etc. If you have a lightweight latern and have the space in your pack to carry, sure it would be nice to share the night with a little light.

Tony

Good idea; it sounds like the water tanks will be available, but I'm planning to haul in a few extra liters to be safe. (I also don't recall how heavily chlorinated the water at Coe is.)

Mini-lantern, check! I may end up arriving Saturday morning rather than Friday night; it looks like today is going to run late.

Jeremy,

Hey, as long as you can make it out, Saturday is fine.

That is what I am doing.

My daughter has gymnastics til 8pm tonight, so no chance to get out their til Saturday around noon time.

Heck, I am just glad that they are willing to come out to see the madness that I have been involved in for the past few years.

Plus, I think there is an In and Out Burger place on the road into the park.

Lunch time!!!

Tony

Ms. EJ and I are bringing in several newbie friends who are really looking forward. One of them, Daniel, is a hiker newly arrived to the Bay Area from Germany – if he doesn't have to work tomorrow (he'll know at 6PM tonight) – could anyone give him a ride to and from SF on Saturday? He's a super nice guy. If we have room in our friends' car we may be able to drive him back Sat evening.

They arrived in time so everyone will be able to try them out.

Our friend Daniel, a super nice recent grad from Germany, just found out he doesn't have to work tomorrow (Saturday) and would love to come to the GGG. Is anyone able to give him a ride in to Coe tomorrow? He'd be happy to chip in for gas/parking.

Daniel really wants to meet everyone tomorrow and learn as much as possible about lightweight backpacking gear and technique.

email me: danny@backpackinglight.com We live in east bay and are driving in tomorrow (saturday) morning as well. Maybe we could meet you and drive Daniel. No guarantee, but it might work out. We have a 10 month old baby too, as long as Daniel doesn't mind.

I'm sure he wouldn't mind at all and would sincerely appreciate it – I gave him your email and he just emailed you with his cell number. He will be up very early checking to see if you texted him – he does have a very early bus he can catch to meet us at our place at 8AM in case it doesn't work out.

I was only able to join the GGG from Friday midday to Saturday afternoon, due to work commitments. I wish I could have stayed longer; my visit was short and sweet.
Ken T. thanks so much for everything and nice to see you again my friend.
In no particular order…
Diana V. glad to spend a few hours with you and hear some of your great adventures; you are an inspiration. Jane, no one should be surprised that you hike up a mountain! Douglas Ide, you should move out west, that's all. Joshua Billings, good to see you my friend ( of 16 years now). Cameron, don't be a stranger and best of luck with your new career . Peter Vacco, you say more in one sentence than most people in months of talking…we met two years ago but it seems like much longer than that. Matt, go get your own log :). Kevin, sweet family you have and your son Ryan's good bye hug made my day. David Wage, wish we visited a bit longer. Marc, I forgot to pick up what you left for me…always nice to see you and Rick. EJ thanks for taking the time to give me some blogging tips!. Jim, nice to see you again. David Gardner, nice to see you again as well. Rick Horne, not much of a visit this time but nice to see you and your daughter. Ben Feldman, nice to meet you and thanks for sharing your quick wit. Duane Hall, nice to finally meet you and look forward to some hiking. Ian B. sir, thanks for driving so far to come meet us all! Barely saw Jack Haskell, Jacob Dinardi and James Winstead. Too short a visit with Jay Wilkerson. Nice to meet you Rex Sanders . Amy Lauterbach, besides the nice conversation…your brussel sprouts looked delicious, almost asked for a taste! Sharon Jue, I enjoyed our chat the other night. Richard Nisely and Mark Verber, at least we got to say hi on the trail. You were not there Debi, but your brownies were enjoyed by many of us, and by some of us many times. Tony I heard you were there and you too Jack…did not see you. The ones I missed on this list, I am sorry, my memory is not improving these days. The ones I missed at the GGG, hope to catch you next year.

I hiked out of Coe with a big smile on my face and a renewed appreciation for this community of friends and fellow outdoors people. Thank you all .

my friend Adam, and I also were only able to stay Friday night, and hike out Saturday. Ken, thanks for organizing such a great event. I'm sure that a lot of work went into it, and it is much appreciated.

I didn't get a lot of time to meet most of you folks, but the ones I did, it was a pleasure. I look forward to seeing you guys in the future, whether it is on the trail, or at future GGG's. It's fun to put a face to the names. It was great to kick back talking shop with Ian B, listen to Doug's wit, meet Denise and her pooch Zarah(sp), and see Kat's incredible photos and good sense of humor. Jane is a pleasant and inspiring lady, and it was fun meeting Ken, the "other" Hilleberg owner. Like Kat, I apologize for those I left out, but it was great meeting all of you.

I've also got to comment on how friendly and welcoming the community here (and at GGG) is. In spite of carrying in what must have seemed like a backpack full of bricks, there was absolutely no feeling that anyone was looking down their noses. As I said, everyone was welcoming and the attitude was one of open-mindedness and a desire to help. I've been on a lot of internet forums for various topics, and the members of BPL continue to impress me with their attitudes. It's a great community to be a part of.

Lastly, if I'm not there next year, blame Doug I. The reason will be that my wife killed me when I came home from the trip and announced that I had to get a Warbonnet hammock after Doug showed me his. In fact, if neither of us Dougs are there next year it will be because she also put a hit out on him. ;-)

Yes, Doug, I could not remember your name but I do remember you and Adam; nice to meet you guys. And thanks for mentioning Denise and her sweet dog. I had a lovely time talking with Denise and Sharon on Friday night!

Marc,

Did you find a pair of red leki hiking poles leaning up against the back of your truck?

Realized that I did not have them in my car til I left the park.

Drove back and you were gone and I did not see them there.

Maybe you packed them in your truck.

Anyway, if someone found them, please PM me.

They have some black duct tape wrapped around one pole and some brown leuko tape on the other.

Great trip, I arrived late at about 2pm.

Will start working on the photos now.

Great to see everyone again and lots of kids and new faces.

Tony

First of all "Thanks a lot" for another wonderful GGG event. Kat already did a great job mentioning everyone. We all had a lot of fun with everyone – Brock was clearly the hit with our girls. But who could resist an 11 month old toddler, who takes your hand and starts walking with you?

We were the last people to leave the campground and found a gray kid's backpack and blue wind jacket. Please PM me with a description (brand/model) of any of those items if you are missing them and we will figure out how to get it back to you.

Best Regards,

Manfred

Had a blast. I think I enjoyed myself this year even more than the past events; it keeps getting better and it was interesting to meet some (so many!) new folks. I'm sorry but I don't remember everyone's names.

People who I hadn't seen in a while…
~ Jane B, great seeing you and I hope your shoulder thaws out soon. No worries about the cabin stuff, life goes on!

~ Doug I, you're still a little ornery but I think I spotted a chink in your armor. Thanks for the well wishes on my foot. Sounds like I won't see you at Zion… but maybe somewhere else? Take the short way if in doubt.

~ Mark V, enjoyed chatting with you about fabrics, footwear, and layering philosophy. There are only so many people who really get in depth on technical fabrics. I should have bought your tea kettle from the swap, my wife just confirmed I made a mistake :)

~ Steven P, really good catching up with you man. Maybe I can leverage Wage's condo up in Portlandia and have a little time to tramp around with you up there somewhere.

People who I just met (or sorta just met)…
~ Aaron, thanks for the map of your favorite Mt. Tam running trails. As soon as my foot feels solid I'm checking it out! Good luck running 100+ at the 4mph Challenge!

~ George, really enjoyed talking with you. Sounds like we share a lot of the same interests. Be safe in Africa and steer clear of the lions!

~ Max, it was good to meet you. Good luck with your PCT hike!

To the more familiar faces…
Ken, Kat, David W, Cameron, Marc, Rick, Rick N, Manfred, Michelle, Tony, Matt, James, Chris, Julie, Justin (thx for the Pliny, dood!!), John A… I think I got to at least say "hi" to everyone, wish I could have caught up a little more with some of you. This thing has gotten pretty big, it's getting harder to make the rounds and see everyone! I probably forgot a name or two in there. ** KEN ** thanks for organizing! You're commitment to these and the smaller gatherings does not go unnoticed!!

It's always nice to see a few of the vendors showing up too, so thanks to all of you who made the effort. I'm still pondering if transgender packs are for me and whether or not my hot dog is on the loose?

Also a personal shout out to Gen from Yama Mountain Gear who let me borrow the shelter I used way longer than he should have. It never made it on my blog (never say never!) but at least a few people got to see it at the GGG. For those who were asking me for info about it, feel free to get in touch if you still have any questions.

Cheers!
Jacob.

It was great seeing everyone and meeting a lot of new people. Ms. EJ and I have a lot of folks to thank – for now I’ll post pics to share with people who couldn’t be there and come back to add some thoughts and captions. Thank you everyone for making our newbie friends Rebecca, Paul and Daniel feel welcome and at home – they had a blast. I know Tony will have a lot of great pics as always and we’re looking forward to seeing them.

Ryan demoing a Blizzard Bag survival bivvy:

Pulling the Blizzard Bag over your head and cinching around your face for max warmth:

Orange is the new olive in hiker and SAR survival wear:

Hikin’ Jim trying out Roger Caffin’s 3 oz remote inverted canister stove:

Lit and letting out its mini-roar:

Watching the little stove go:

Trying out the Seattle-based Cascade Mountain Quick Lock (Flick-Lock) Trekking Poles. Fantastic value in a carbon fiber flick-lock adjustable pole – widely available at Costco, at least in the SF Bay Area. Found this video demonstrating them: http://bit.ly/M2s1nA

Manfred’s Cuben Haven. Lots more Cuben shelters this year:

Manfred’s kids’ Black Diamond Beta Light. Manfred says the two poles in the center works like a charm to stop kids fighting over space and was particularly helpful keeping the peace on Boy Scout trips:

Zpacks Cuben Duplex (this tent along with Manfred’s Cuben Haven are going on his planned Alaskan expedition this summer). Manfred thanks again for walking us through the shelters and also letting us try on your Zpacks Arc Blast:

MLD Trailstar:

Tarptent Notch:

Tarptent Double Rainbow:

Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape:

Black Diamond Mega Light:

Doug’s Hammock and Cuben Tarp, Said he sleeps like a baby. Until Doug showed us, never realized that this hammock has you on a diagonal to help flat you out so you’re not sleeping in an extreme “U” shape:

Another hammock:

Some came on foot, others by pedal. Bikepacking in:

Another Tarptent Notch:

We could barely pry Roger’s stove out of stovemaster Hiking Jim’s hands as he was putting it through its paces:

Ron and Brian’s new lightweight pack series from Six Moon Designs in 30 and 40L (Ron also showed another full-suspension series, Fusion 50 and 60, but asked us not to post pics of those now):

Side view with Mark modeling:

Were those acorns stored in the bark of a tree?

Cheers

Yes, there is a type of woodpecker native to California called an acorn woodpecker that stores acorns in holes in trees. They can be difficult to pull out without something to pry with.

"Were those acorns stored in the bark of a tree?"

yep.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Acorn_Woodpecker/id

"Were those acorns stored in the bark of a tree?"

Further, the acorn woodpeckers leave them in the bark until they need food in mid-winter. Not only do they get the nutty goodness, but there is an extra.

After several months of being cached there in the granary tree, tiny insects will have invaded the acorns. Then the acorn woodpeckers eat the nutty goodness, but also some animal protein as well.

I've been watching and photographing that same oak for a lot of years now. Different birds.

–B.G.–

Well, with was my very first G.G.G. and I have to say, I had a whole lot of fun! It was great to meet everyone, but I am sorry to say that I was so busy, that I probably only remember a few of your names. I’ll have to say that one of the biggest rewards for me was to see the looks on your faces when I pulled out various freshly baked goods. I had a ball and hope to be back next year. I want to especially thank Ken and his crew for pulling off an outstanding event. Best regards – Jon

Nice to be able to talk to any vendor and have their attention, especially Lee from Trail Designs and Jon from Flat Cat Gear and his brownies. Many thanks to others who even came up to me and introduced themselves, even with me being a hic from the sticks and fast approaching geezerdom. Thank you Ken for the Starlyte stoves and setting this up. Sorry Diana V for all the stoves at breakfast, but at least you understood, thank you again for hauling my two gallons of water in. Hi Kat, hope you can do a trip and I'm there. HJ, good to see you in person. 200 stoves? Really? Ian from WA was a very nice gent, he packed my ice chest in for me. Many other really nice younger folks too. No kids in my neighborhood, so I enjoyed listening to the kids playing. Could not believe how warm it was there. My EE Enigma quilt worked great, but then it only got to 49F at night.
Who's that geek without the shirt? :) I was sweaty after jogging most of the way out and back in for a pot, not pot.
Duane

Ken – Thanks for putting together another incredible outing. These gatherings keeping getting better each year. You continue to do an outstanding job organizing and representing our unofficial group. Who knew an internet upstart could be held in such high regard by the State Parks Office and 100+ backpacking friends.

Jon – Very cool of you to demo your gear and gourmet trail cooking ideas. At the end of a hard day on the trail I would give the world for one of your burgers and a brownie.

Special thanks to the anonymous BPLer who donated the fire pits.

I was battling a flu/cold and so I spent too much resting resting rather than socializing. Always nice to see old friends James, Chris, Julie, Andrew, Ellen, Marc, Rick, Jacob, Mark, Kat, Jay, Kevin, Jack, Richard, Tony, Manfred, Michelle, Jane, Josh and many others. Steven and Doug thanks for traveling so far to hang out. I know I am forgetting many others who deserve thank yous and shout outs.

Rex – I have enjoyed your articles. It was nice to speak to you in person.

Ian – So glad you made it down. I have enjoyed your posts and sense of humor. Nice to put a face with the goat avatar.

Aaron – Thanks for the company and conversation walking in.

Marc/Rick – Thanks for the water.

I hope to hike with as many GGGers as possible in 2014. See you on the trail.

David W.

Thanks to Ken for making this happen and thanks to everyone else for making this an awesome weekend! I met a lot of great people and everyone was super nice. Thanks for all the encouragement and advice for my PCT hike this year. Hope to see everyone again next time!

I added my photos and additional write up here:
http://hikeitlikeit.com/2014/january-fun-at-the-ggg/

:) later!

Kat, it was nice meeting you as well. Don't feel bad about names at all. There were a lot of people there and way too many names to remember. I figure this was just year one for me, hopefully I'll meet more and more people each year (in other words Ken, keep up the good work. hahaha).