The outdoor settings we visit require you to have all items on the first day of your trip. Forgotten items will be purchased with your pocket money. Do not pack more clothing than listed. On your trip we will help you fit everything in your soft-sided duffel and daypack.
____Daypack: Bring one large “school type” daypack. To be used during the day to carry personal items. Please make sure your day pack has a chest and waist strap for hiking.
____Duffel: You are allowed one duffel. While engaged in activities, excess clothing is left in your duffel locked in the van. We suggest a tough, flexible soft-sided bag approximately 34”x16”x16” or smaller. No wheels please, they become a loading hazard on the vans!
____Sleeping Bag: A medium weight, mummy style, nylon bag with synthetic filling (Polar Guard 3D, Qualofil, Lite Loft, etc.) or goose down made for camping and backpacking and rated to 20°F. A stuff sack is required.
TRAVEL GEAR
_____“Therm-A-Rest” or foam ground pad for sleeping
_____2 backpacking type water bottles, and/or a 1 liter minimum Camel Back type hydration system
CLOTHING
You need a one week supply of clothing. If you bring too much it gets in the way. We will wash laundry once a week. Choose as many synthetic articles of clothing as possible; they are warmer than cotton, easier to dry and great for layering.
Inner layer
____One week supply of underwear
____Long underwear top and bottom; synthetic fabric is essential
Middle layer
____3 pairs of lightweight shorts
____1 polar fleece jacket; the fuzzy synthetic stuff
____5 short sleeve shirts
____2 long sleeve shirts
____2 pair of jeans/khakis
____2 swimsuits
Outer layers
____Medium weight rain proof jacket. Breathable, Gortex or similar, type is best
____Lightweight rain proof pants
____1 pair polar fleece pants
HEAD AND HANDS
____Baseball style cap
____Fleece or wool hat
____Gloves or mittens
FOOTWEAR
____5 pairs of lightweight, athletic socks
____3 pairs of hiking socks; a wool, synthetic blend is preferred
____Water sandals that secure around your ankles (Tevas, Chacos, Nike)
____Sneakers/ closed toe shoes
____Light weight hikers, below ankle: Hi-Tek, Merrell, Vasque, Asolo, Nike. A generous, comfortable fit is critical.
TOILETRIES
____SPF 30+ sunscreen, chapstick with SPF
____Personal toiletries, medications, prescriptions, bandanna, etc.
____Mole skin or second skin for blisters; buy at pharmacy
____One medium towel
____Laundry bag and small camping pillow
____1 package of Wet Naps; personal cleaning towelettes
____Insect repellant
MISCELLANEOUS
____Headlamp (important) or lightweight flashlight
____Camera (Phone and camera must be separate devices!), batteries/charger
____Stationary, stamps and journal
____Mess Kit: fork, spoon, knife, plate, bowl, mug & mesh bag
____“Crazy Creek” camp chair
____Cheap watch
____If you wear glasses or contact lenses, please bring a spare pair of glasses, including a protective case. Wearing contacts is okay!
____Sunglasses with secure strap (Chums or Croakies)
____Suggestion: small colored nylon “stuff sacks” or plastic Ziploc bags help to organize your stuff
Information Regarding Your Trip---PLEASE READ THIS!
Weather: Be prepared for varied conditions. Temperatures will range between 50°F- 100°F.
Spending Money: Bring approximately $75 per week. This is for personal expenses and gifts. If you run out of money, you have spent too much. Unless there is an emergency, Bold Earth will not advance money.
Identification: ID is required when checking in for your flights and to cash travelers checks. Bring along a picture ID, library card, school ID or state ID card. If you bring a passport it will be held for you by the trip leader. A Travel Permission Slip is MANDATORY(available online 3 weeks before your trip).
Health Notice: Giardia, a water borne illness is common. We treat all natural water sources but it still sometimes gets through. If after the summer you have diarrhea, contact your doctor.
Helmets: Helmets are provided and required for rafting and climbing.
Laundry: You wash your own clothes once a week along the way. We provide the suds, coins and know-how. Many participants have identical jeans, socks, hiking boots, etc. A good practice is to put your name on items which are not unique to you.
Trip Journal: Bring along a notebook to record the challenges and successes of your adventure.
Forest Service (“USFS”) and National Park Service (“NPS”): Bold Earth is required to notify all participants that, to the extent a court determines USFS and NPS restrictions on waivers of liability apply to Bold Earth as a matter of law, Bold Earth’s liability for negligence may not be waived while you are traveling on those affected lands.
Reading List: The people, places and activities you will encounter on your trip are diverse and incredible. These are a few books offering background information. We suggest you consider reading these books before, during or after your adventure. Also, you might like to read Outside Magazine available everywhere. For additional adventurous reading, check out Extreme Classics: The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time.
Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey. The noted author's most enduring nonfiction work, it is an account of Abbey's seasons as a ranger at Arches National Park outside Moab, Utah. Abbey reflects on the nature of the Colorado Plateau desert, on the condition of our remaining wilderness, and on the future of a civilization that cannot reconcile itself to living in the natural world. A beautifully written challenge for Americans to take stewardship of their environment.
Journals of Lewis & Clark, by Meriwether Lewis & William Clark. At the dawn of the 19th century, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked on an unprecedented journey from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific Ocean and back again. Their assignment was to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and record the geography, flora, fauna, and people they encountered along the way. The tale of their incredible journey, meticulously recorded in their journals, has become an American classic.
My First Summer in the Sierra, by John Muir. In the summer of 1869, young and fresh, Muir traveled through the Sierra Nevada with a shepherd and his flock. This book is his journal, and it, too, is young and fresh. Muir, who would become a legendary advocate for wilderness and the founder of the Sierra Club, always played down the dangers he faced. But this book is full, nevertheless, of bears. And charm. It’s a reminder of how much wildness we have lost.
Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, by Clarence King. A bona fide classic, originally published in 1872, this is still exciting reading. It describes the perils and pleasures experienced by Clarence King while conducting the first geological survey of California in the 1860s. His language was equal to the marvels he found, and here with unfading brilliance are his accounts of scaling such mountains as Tyndall, Shasta, and Whitney. The chapters on the Yosemite Valley and surrounding High Sierras were written while he was surveying the boundaries of a newly designated national park.
LEARNING • SERVICE • LEADERSHIP
