California GGG #7 – Jan 29 to Feb 1, 2015

I have stayed there before.
Each campsite is $35 to reserve and you can park 2 vehicles in each spot.

David Gardner has proposed a reserve-your-own-spot GGG #7 at a new location.

Click the link to find out why we’re switching locations.

David, are these group sites or individual sites? Do we reserve them separately or is it something that you do and we pay you back? Do you know what the total capacity of this area would be?

David,

A suggestion before this goes too far into planning. Speak with the Samuel P. Taylor State Park folks about this.

I'm not from California and I know nothing about your state park policies but MN state parks STRONGLY resist large group events in their discrete site campgrounds … steering them towards group sites, which are more isolated.

Groups are sometimes noisier and/or active into the wee hours … which can cause friction with other campers. Indeed, I believe I recall more than one thread here at BPL about groups showing up at prime backcountry locations and altering the experience of other solo or tiny group backpackers.

There are both individual and group sites. Total capacity for the entire campground is over 200.

My initial approach is for people to reserve and pay for individual sites separately.

There is a limit of 6 people per individual camp site at any one time. I've camped there before and if everyone is quiet and discrete they're not too strict about it. What they won't tolerate is a large loud group that bothers other campers.

The largest site is the Madrone Group Camp. Holds 50 people and 30 cars. Cost to reserve is $225/night. I can't swing that, but if someone else can do it and then have others who sign up pay them back, that would be great.

There is also a large picnic area which is available during the day. I called the rangers and they are checking to see if the picnic area might be available for some portion of the evening too. I will make a new post when I hear back from them.

I am from California. I have organized very large groups in state campgrounds – $35 per site, 6 people each, two cars per site, $10 per second car per night, third/fourth/etc extra cars parked elsewhere outside the campground. Self organized – people got their own sites and offered spaces to other participants.

50 – 75 people show up at these things, 80+ RSVP, it all settles out by the day of. We also run a potluck one evening. Some of the best food I have ever eaten shows up at those. We have had one annual event seven years running in Montana De Oro or Sunset State Beach without incident. Camp hosts don't even blink. In de Oro one year, there was an even larger gathering of VW enthusiasts in the back loop partying most of the first night we were there – one drunk fellow showed up in our sites with a beer bong.

Just got back from Big Basin SP – we were in five campsites and the rest of the loop was packed out. Again, no one cared if we had a huge group in multiple sites.

One time, we got a group site at Sam P Taylor – six inches of rain the last few hours we were there, but otherwise it was a nice trip. Half the folks dropped out leaving us with about 15 people. The group sites are in a canyon apart from the main campground loop. If I had it to do again, I'd go with the main campground. We didn't have so many people but no way we could have crammed 50 tents in that space. Folks who were in the horse camping spot down the road had more space, but they were also dealing with piles of horse poop.

Having a single page to get RSVPs collected, on which comments can be made by all to get self organized, helps. Consider starting a meetup group just for this. An alternate might be groupspaces. Another useful website – Perfect Potluck. Easy to set up, easy to manage.

Lori, thanks for the info and suggestions.

"Having a single page to get RSVPs collected, on which comments can be made by all to get self organized, helps. Consider starting a meetup group just for this. An alternate might be groupspaces. Another useful website – Perfect Potluck. Easy to set up, easy to manage."

Anybody out there want to pitch in and start one of these?

Hi David,

I also noticed from the map it seemed the group site was a bit separated from the others, and was unsure about that.

I was actually within a few hours of reserving the two Sequoia group sites at Big Basin (100 spots, 40 cars), so I'm happy to reserve the Madrone site instead.

Let me know if there's a strong preference either way; I am also happy to help with organizing.

Thanks!
Jeremy

The Madrone Group Site is a bit separated from the others.

If you're willing to reserve it, go for it! It would be great to have a central location. I'll cancel my individual site and pitch in on that instead. Split the cost pro-rata based on how many people sign up? If more than 50 people want to attend, there are two other 15-person group sites and individual sites as options.

Appreciate all the help people are willing to give to get this thing organized, and open to all suggestions.

I'm interested in attending for the first time. I would be happy to kick in on a group site or pay for my own. Let me know. I'm likely only around for Saturday and Sunday.

I’d really like to come. That said, I have no idea as to what my employment status will be come next year; I’m getting laid off at the end of this month. I’ll probably go back to contracting. If I get a contract, I’ll probably have to work. If I don’t have a contract, well… You get the idea. As a contractor one never knows when one will be able to find work. Sigh.

I’m glad to see people stepping up. The last 3 years have been really great. I hope I can attend this year.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

David,

Glad to see that someone is taking this on.

If you need advice, I am sure that Ken can talk to you and give you pointers.

He probably has emails for the manufactures.

Below is something that I came up with a while back that was posted at the end of the last GGG photo essay based on conversations that I had with Ken.

Ken's Tips for Organizing your own Gathering of Gear Geeks:

1. Site Selection

• Number of People Dictates the Location
• Human Waste Disposal Determines suitability of site selection
• Water availability at site
• Are Fires Allowed
• Online Research & Communication

2. Ease of Permit and Location Access

• Keep it simple: no special use permits, no insurance waivers, no hassles
• Parking Lot Size, Availability, and Permits for Vehicles
• Develop a working relationship with Rangers & Park Staff
• Distance Needed to Hike to Campsite Determines How Many Will Attend
• Meeting at the Trail Head or Campsite

3. The Considerate Dictator

• Pick at a Date that is good for YOU- avoid big holidays & vacations
• Creating the Online Invite: One Easy, Informative, and Updated Posting
• Don’t Be Mom….everyone is an adult

4. Paying for it All

• Expect to Cover Upfront Cost Out of Your Own Pocket
• Low Cost is Key for a Good Turn Out: No renting private ranch or campground
• Clear Posting of Per Person Fees to Attend & How the Money is to be Spent
• Paypal: Easy of Use and Accounting for Who Paid and When They Paid
• List of Who Has and Has Not Paid on Online Invite

5. Preparation & Recruiting Help

• Master Check List to Keep on Track & Organized
• Doing a little bit all of the time…spacing out the work load
• Name Tags
• Pit Toilets/Outhouses: Toilet Paper, Wet Wipes, Glow Sticks, and Air Freshener
• Support Vehicle: Firewood, Duraflame log as fire starter, Water, Water Jugs, Shovel, Broom, Trash can, Trash bags
• Have extras of all the supplies you are taking
• On Site: Cleaning out the Fire Pits & Pit Toilets/Outhouses
• Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help

6. Fun Activities & Events

• Wood Stove Burn Off
• Encourage people to show off/share their talents

7. Leaving the Site Better Than You Found It

• Cleaning Up & Packing It Out
• Maintaining Good Working Relationship with Park Rangers and Staff
• Earning the Chance to Return to the Campsite

8. Sharing the Memories

• Posting Photos & Telling the Story Online: Giving a Reason to Do It Again

Hope that it helps.

Tony

David… Thank you… reservation made… bringing the kayaks…

@Hiking Jim: Hope you can make it. Always enjoy your stove shows.

@Tony: Thanks for the info and tips.

Regarding Samuel P. Taylor State Park:

1. With group sites and individual sites the park has far greater capacity than we need. Total capacity is on the order of 400 people.

2. Flushing and chemical toilets available. There are shower facilities too, but the showers are turned off due to the drought.

3. Water faucets all over the place, although visitors are encouraged to bring their own water.

4. Wood fires allowed in the designated concrete fire pits. All types of stoves permitted.

5. My basic approach is for people to reserve individual campsites and pay for them on their own. If individuals want to aggregate at particular sites to reduce fees, I will leave that up to them.

6. There is parking for two vehicles at most of the individual sites.

7. No permits required, no waivers, etc.

8. I am working on building relationships with the rangers there.

9. No distance to hike to camp sites. They all have car access. Their are disabled camp sites available as well.

10. There is a large picnic area near the entrance to the park, where I figured I would set up a "headquarters" during the day and keep a list of who has showed up and which camp sites they are in. Also a schedule of group activities that anyone wants to come up with. I will also have name tags there. I was also thinking we could arrange a gear show/swap in the picnic area, probably on Saturday. I will check with the rangers about that.

11. I will also check with the rangers about a suitable location for a wood stove burn off. I want to have an alcohol stove burn off this year too.

12. Keeping track of who plans to attend. My original thought was that people who reserve a site can send me a PM with their names and site numbers, and I will add them to a list that I will add to the OP. There is also a web site in the works which may serve that function.

Thanks for the help.

David

David, good on ya for picking up the torch, it already looks like a success!

Thanks for stepping up, and for the invitation David.

Regarding a sign up list, I used Google Docs last year for the So. Cal. GGG and it worked out well for my purposes. Easy to create and maintain. Here is a link to that list:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0As_fcoqPT8XadDA0b2h3dkZxWmRQV2tYYmNNYno5S1E&usp=drive_web#gid=0

Happy planning!

Here is a web site that has been set up for the event:

https://sites.google.com/a/praetor.org/ggg-west-7/

RSVP and your name will be added to the list of Participants (but none of your personal info displayed).

Whether to reserve a group site is still up in the air. It will depend on what kind of interest people express.

I checked with the rangers today, and we can use the picnic area for large group functions during the day but it closes at dusk. So if we want to do the traditional socializing around campfires in the evenings we need to consider our options. The nominal limit for individual camp sites is six people at a time. The ranger I spoke to indicated that if people are quiet and discreet, they don't really go around counting, only if they get complaints. So if we book individual sites in the same general area we could circulate amongst the sites.

Or, if enough people express their interest, we can see about reserving a group site.

Signing up on this web site does NOT reserve a space at the park. That needs to be done separately via ReserveAmerica.com

David, when we do the NorCal Coleman Collectors Gathering, we take over a campground enough, that we actually see others coming over to see what we are doing. We are quiet, just have a gazillion lanterns going. Encourage folks to reserve sites close together, so anyone else is at the fringes and not being bothered.
Duane

I've just RSVPd for Saturday through Sunday. As a BPL newbie, I'm looking forward to this.

Should I hold off on reserving a spot while details are still being figured out, or just go ahead and pick something near site 56? This thread isn't super clear…

Gene

When my wife and I introduced David to BPL, I kept hearing a voice in my head: "He is The One." I never understood it until now. Thank you David for taking the helm. Beautiful location and hope it will save Ken some travel time after schlepping so far south every year. I'm really hoping I can be local that week but will already reserve a spot and RSVP on the sheet.

Have a bunch of friends interested in participating after hearing a great report from friends we brought last year.

Also happy to help with outreach/org.

Ken you've built the GGG into something very special and blazed a path for everyone. I just remember how much we enjoyed our first GGG at Pt Reyes – seeing all those lightweight tents, cooking gear, clothing and the people behind those avatars I knew for years was awesome. Thank you again for making and sharing the magic.

Trying to clarify where we are at this point.

I think we should try to fill up the entire Orchard Hill Loop at Samuel P. Taylor. The individual sites (6 people) are site nos. 27 – 57.

There are also two mini-group sites in the Orchard Hill Loop, sites MG2 (10 people) and MG3 (15 people). If anyone is willing to reserve one or both of those it would be great, then we can work out how to divvy up the cost.

When you RSVP at https://sites.google.com/a/praetor.org/ggg-west-7/rsvp please list your site number.

David, I checked Reserve America and MG2 & MG3 are showing N/A and not showing under anyone's reservations on the GGG West Google Doc, so maybe they've already been reserved by another group?

Keep that first post as up to date as you can David.

I think since you are changing the format and already changed the name that you should start with #1 :)

Bay Area GGG #7 is yet undisclosed.