7th Annual Gathering of Gear Geeks

[Ken Thompson]

Oh Yeah! An assemblage of Chaff heavy hitters converge at Point Reyes for the 7th Annual Gathering of Gear Geek. Coincidences being what they are I had this trip all set and 11 days later David Gardener steps up and announces the NorCal GGG #1. So this weekend was the largest concentration of BPLrs in a 10 mile radius certainly.

Thanks again to those who made the long out of state trips to be there.

Left to right Adam, Jacob, Sandra, Cameron, Doug, Me, Denis, David, Kat, Tom, Matt. Jennifer, Ian. Sheila, Marsha, Peter

[Ian]

What is this sorcery you speak of?

[Ken Thompson]

I had said that I was not going to do a traditional GGG in 2015. This is true. But I hope to have some things to post here shortly. Just planning ahead.

Edit: This one was for those Chaff mates who thought the last one was too big and lost some intimacy.

[Ken Thompson]

Chaff Live, Heavy Hitter Edition

Starring in this years GGG in no particular order

Doug I
Tom K
Ian B
Kat P
Jennifer M
Peter V
Sheilla
Marsha
Matthew B
Jacob and Sandra D
The Bowden Family
Dave W
Rick E
Jay W
Cameron K
Lori P +Wayne
Adam and Lori C

Special Guests
Denis Hazelwood
Jerry Adams

With me as the host.

[Kattt]

This was wonderful; thank you Ken for getting us together.
Hard to put into words how touched I feel and how hard it was to leave.
Thank you.

[David W.]

Thank you Ken for organizing and hosting anther wonderful time at Pt Reyes. This weekend could not have been more perfect including the weather, scenery and company. It was a real treat to see old BPL friends and meet others I have been looking forward to meeting in person for a long time. Thanks to everyone who was there. You made it a memorable and relaxing weekend for me. Chaff live is undoubtedly more enjoyable that internet chaff!!!

[Kevin Buggie]

So, were there 2 BPL 'gatherings' within 20 miles of each other, on the same weekend? ?????. Why? Is this the cool kids or not-cool-kids group?

Can't we all get along, California?

Or, am I confused and there was only one gathering by different leaders/names/threads?

[Kevin Buggie]

Frankly, the group with David Thomas sounds more legit…… especially with guest speaker Eric Chan. Maybe next year…

[Kattt]

It just worked out that way Kevin. One trip was in the works and another was put together for the same weekend. Sounds like a great time for all, no competition.

[Kevin Buggie]

I guess im a little perturbed because it seems a little a petty (the stratification/ segmentation of the already miniscule BPL market sample.)

I'm glad I didn't take off work and have to decide which event to attend.

I would have loved meeting hikin jim, Ken T, Kat P, and Dave Thomas all at the same locale. An upshot tho is, I don't miss 12 pages of GGG posts flooding the forum each year.

Pictures?

[Jacob D]

Ken,

Thanks for the invite, Sandra and I had a good time and it was good to see everybody (most everybody, we missed a few) and catch up. Always good to hang with you (all of you) and nice to get together once a year still as we all rarely see each other otherwise.

edited to add: I only took a few photos and none of them were of any gear, but I'll post some up this week sometime. Looking forward to seeing some of the other photos taken.

Also, I could be in the minority, but I'm more like a Chaff lightweight. I do my best to avoid that place, but to each their own of course.

[Jacob D]

As for questioning the integrity of the timing/locale/etc… I don't think that's very fair. The location and timing were purely coincidental. Wildcat Camp (Point Reyes) is the most popular campsite in the area and almost always requires booking months in advance. I appreciate that Peter and Ken had the forethought to do this, knowing that it would limit the group size for better, or worse. No need to try and make more of it, or instigate competition where there was none.

The GGG had grown to quite large proportions at Henry Coe, there was always a core group of folks from the earlier meetings (I missed the very first). I'm sure the Norcal GGG will also develop a core group… there are a lot of BPL'ers concentrated in the area!

Lets keep it positive :)

[Kevin Buggie]

" Let's keep it positive"

All for that too, Jacob.
If it was a chaff event, or private event, move all this there or to PM…. that's my point.

If not, open it to everyone, or….

Edit to add: either way let's just be upfront with each other so we don't waste our time planning.

Pictures, anyone? Jacobs kit;?

[Jacob D]

Whatever man. I said my piece. Nice thread de-rail.

[Kevin Buggie]

Pictures?

[Justin Baker]

Kevin, there is a group limit for camping at point reyes (15 people?)
Ken has already stated that he is tired of organizing huge events. It's a lot of work and responsibility. I'm guessing he wanted to organize a private trip with some close friends.

[d k]

Ken, though I missed seeing you and many of the others I've met at previous GGGs, I'm glad that you got to have the kind of gathering you wanted this year and not be burdened with looking after the masses. You deserved the respite, and I for one am grateful for the huge amounts of work you did organizing the previous ones. Whether you ever feel like organizing another mass event or not, you gave so many of us opportunities to meet in person the folks we'd been talking with and learning from online, and see lots of cool gear at the same time.

[Ken Thompson]

"If it was a chaff event, or private event, move all this there or to PM…. that's my point."

It is a trip report like before. Nothing more. So we can't post those now?

I'm really surprised and set aback by your attitude Kevin. I've never heard you express any interest in attending one, ever.

This one was for me, the people that wanted a smaller, more intimate one. And the people that I have actually hiked with.

Thanks for adding in a negative drift to this thread Kevin. You could have done a gripe thread in Chaff. You could have PMd me too.

I had a fantastic weekend with a bunch of people who I call friends. I was trying something new.

[Ken Thompson]

Thanks Deb. It was hard with a limit of 25. But it made planning and executing the plan super easy.

I felt like a guest myself for the first time.

[Lori P]

I got an email out of nowhere, and I appreciated it. I'm not in Chaff nor do I post all day, every day, in all the forums. NO idea how I ended up on this one. But it was appreciated, and I enjoyed meeting a bunch of people, even one or two I've seen in multiple forums.

I just rearranged my life after years of dealing with 500+ hikers in a large meetup group. I got really, really tired of trying to make everyone happy – you can't. The whiners, the entitled ones, the ones who think you should make the event available to absolutely everyone no matter how ridiculously impossible that is – fugheddaboutit. Ken, do whatever you like with whomever you like. Make yourself happy. No one is entitled to make you feel like shit for trying to have fun with the people you have fun with.

Point Reyes is the only place I know of where one can wilderness camp with a larger group, and that mostly because it is only marginally wilderness-y. Heaving an open invitation onto the internet for a backpacking trip and expecting that to go well – yeah, that's like expecting efficiency in government. Some things you can only do as well as you can do. Ken did great.

I'll say the same thing I said to everyone who felt entitled to tell me what THEY thought I should do for the meetup group – it sounds like someone wants to organize their own event. Why not go do that instead of pouting? You could even invite the "cool kids" (that's a laugh, the day I'm a cool kid will be the day I invent the helium-based backpack). They'd probably come. I take whatever opportunities I can get to go backpacking and camping and hiking, work schedule permitting.

Peter, I have been thinking of getting pack goats but your charcoal carrying acumen impressed me. Want to go backpacking?

[Ken Thompson]

Eating, BS, and sunshine.

Chef Ian making cornbread with Matt and Tom.

Josh, Peter and Doug trying out the Greenbelly bar samples

Food, food and more food.

Peter's McHale is so comfy he doesn't take it off.

MLD was well represented. Many mids.

First sighting for me of a CB3 Lori's tent. Huge amount of space for two. Very nice.

[Lori P]

Alamere Falls

first banana slug I've seen in Point Reyes.

The girls love a bad boy….

Beach time

[Jerry Adams]

Great trip, thanks all.

I'm going to have to go back again some day. Good way to get away from rain and gloom in Oregon. Convenient campground to leave my wife in RV and just walk over to trailhead.

I found a tick crawling on my stomach as I was walking along.

[David Gardner]

Hey fellow Gear Geeks,

Sorry about the GGG confusion this year. I did not know when or where Ken's GGG was going to be or I would have picked a different time, in the hope that some of the Pt. Reyes attendees might also have been able to make it to the "NorCal" GGG. Good people, and missed seeing them this year.

We had a great time at Samuel P. Taylor State Park, and I'll post a report and pictures on the other thread as soon as I get the chance.

– David Gardner

[Ian]

What are the chances of another GGG being scheduled less than 20 miles away from the unannounced Pt Reyes one on Superbowl Weekend? Both of them had an all-star cast of BPL characters and anyone who went to either one should consider themselves lucky. I for one can't put into words how enjoyable this weekend was.

I don't care if you have a 30lb base weight and are just flirting with the idea of going UL. I've only been to two but there's no secret handshake or hint of a "cool kid club." These are some of the most warm and welcoming people you'll ever meet. Hell, they're even nice to my obnoxious self.

It's interesting to compare gear but it's really about the extraordinary people you'll meet at these events.

My pics to follow momentarily…

[Author]

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