Come, into the Wilderness! Olympic National Park awaits us!
 

Okay!

So, as some of you may have heard, there will be a camping trip before or after (yet to be decided) the 2012 meetup. So, I've created another (masterfully-titled OwO) thread for the occasion.

So far, it will occur at the Olympic National Forest, North of Seattle. There are two camp setup options possible, but there are differences between them.

-Group:

Group setup means we will be camping in close proximity with each other, which might be nice, but we will pay more money for this sort of setup. Also, there is a lodge that serves one of the group campgrounds, which likely means showers and such would be available there. The cost for the lodge site is 20 for the reservation, and then 2 per night per person.

So, for example, if we stayed at the lodge site for 5 nights, and there were 35 of us, we would need to pool 370 dollars to pay for the whole thing, besides whatever money it would take to put some food together. That would only require a little more than 10 bucks from each person.

Pros:

-Close-knit setting
-Possible showers/food/etc.
-An "indoors place" for those who might want it

Cons:

-More expensive
-The lodge is nice, but might take away from the outdoors/life-in-the-wilderness experience
-Might be farther away from good hiking trails and such
-Only a couple group sites

-Individual

The individual setup won't be as close-knit as the group setting, but since different camping "spots" in a site are usually side-by-side, it wouldn't be too much different. There are also more of them, and so more variety in terms of choices. There is also one at the Hoh river rainforest, which I think will be a place that many of us would like to hike to/in.

The cost is different...it's 12 per night, so each person would have to pay separately. It would be more expensive, but there wouldn't need to be a pool. Also, the only amenities at most of the individual sites are likely running water and pit toilets.

Pros:

- More variety
- More trails to pick from for hikes
- No need for a cash pool

Cons:

- More expensive per person
- Fewer amenities
- Not quite as close-knit

Okay, that's probably all for now. If those interested in coming to this camping trip could post and say whether or not they will be coming and their preferences for camping, that would help move things along.

Remember, we need to make reservations, and camping sites in these kinds of places fill up quickly, so post ASAP so that we can get plenty of space for our "clan"!

Bring on the camping!! :D

I hopefully should be coming (50%?) - depends on when and what.

I like the idea of the group campsite.

Okay, so just for clarification, this thread will be for suggestions, questions, and updates from us as we continue planning the trip.

Please vote in the poll if you are going instead of telling us in here, so that we can keep this thread cleaner than my last one.

This is the poll thread:

http://www.tree-of-souls.com/seattle...ping_poll.html

If we were to stay at the group site, how much effort would it take to get to some of the hiking trails? Would we need to have a few cars on hand to travel around the park?

I like the idea of being closer to trails in the individual sites, but the alternative definitely seems less expensive.

I should try to familiarize myself with locations of all the campgrounds, trails, etc.

There might be some greener ways to get to the Olympic National Park. Check out their website:
Getting to the Olympic Peninsula | Olympic Peninsula

I guess it all depends on the exact place where we end up. Maybe if there are enough of us it might be worth sorting out a coach to get us there and bring us back. Does anyone know what other useful websites there are for the area? I've found a few here:
Olympic Peninsula website:
Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau | Olympic Peninsula

This one has links to campsites and stuff:
CAMPING on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula

another one here:
Olympic National Forest Campgrounds

Some general info here:
Olympic National Park - Planning Your Wilderness Trip (U.S. National Park Service)

Another general one:
Olympic National Forest- Home

A waterfall trail (does the picture on the website remind you of anywhere?):
The Olympic Peninsula Waterfall Trail | Olympic Peninsula

I'll leave it there. Had a bit of google over load! Hahaha.

Alan

I've just voted for the group site but if there is an individual site with a shower (July = hot. Or not?), I might think it over. Especially if this individual site happens to be in Hoh forest with an access to waterfall routes!

(Beautiful sites! Thanks for the links, I've just seen those waterfalls - whoah!)

I don't exactly have a preference for what type of site. I do all kinds of camping, and I love it all :D VERY looking forward to this.

Irayo, Raiden, for posting all this info! And I'll go now to the poll to vote... :)

Irayo too, Alan, for posting those links.

So the camping is now for sure for sure going to be before the meetup? If so, why is that? (Though I was on IRC a bunch last night, I somehow missed the discussion)

Alan: great info. Irayo. :)

Moco Loco: most likely yes, it will be before, unless a bunch of people can't do it before.

Also the group discussions take place on a different channel than ToS. It is on #avatarmeet-camping. Feel free to join us next week. :)

No worries about the links. I did forget to look up equipment hire for those of us who will not be able to cart all the stuff across. I'll have to do that. I know there is that big outdoor pursuit place in Seattle about a 15 mile walk east from the Science Fiction Museum.

Alan

I know that a few people have volunteered to bring extra gear...and the place I think you are talking about is REI. REI is great (I get a lot of my gear there) and they do cheap rentals of outdoor stuff. This might be a great option for people that are flying/don't have gear.

Hahaha! I've just notices I put '15 mile walk' to get to REI :facepalm:...:xD: I meant 15 minute walk. Doh!

Yeah, you're right I was meaning REI. Here's their website:
REI Store - Seattle, Washington - Sporting Goods, Camping Gear

I did put it on one of the itineraries I did for the June meet up as it has a massive indoor climbing wall...not that it is my kinda thing. Although I have done some in Derbyshire and Wales when I was in sea scouts. Come to think of it I used to do a shed load of hiking and camping!

Yeah, I had loads of energy back then...kinda running on vapours now! Still want t' come hiking though. Just that I might be with Apache and fellows taking a more sedate 'stroll' rather than 'hike'. Hehehe.

Alan

The REI climbing wall is lame.

Expensive, one climb, and always booked up for HOURS (and days) in advance.
Gimmick.

... And I found a loose hold half way up it. :P

- Mikko

So I'm guessing you are saying it doesn't quite cut the mustard? ;)...:D

Alan

I LOVE rock climbing, at least in the one gym I've been to :P Just one more reason for me to hate living below sea level.

Whatever you got lets go do it. I always like pushing all the buttons to see what happens.

Hi Alan ..... you found some awesome links for us ..... the waterfall looks like a must-see! Thanks for all the preliminary research.

Although I am not 100% sure that I will be able to make the camping portion, I did vote for group accommodations (with fingers crossed for the lodge) :) and for hiking.

I must admit I'm not completely familiar with the area...err...being some 5000 miles away :facepalm:...:xD:, but it would be great if the sleeping venue had the range of facilities from a lodge through to a few tres fo hammocks to be strung. Then we could all be together for like a base camp and then pick from a variety of hikes to suit everyone's tastes. Must be possible I would have though. Plenty of time to plan yet, though, I'm sure.

No one has asked for my thoughts on this; but ..... I see two possible negatives for having the camping trip ahead of the meetup.

The first is ..... wasn't this particular time period for the meetup chosen so that students will have the best possible chance of attending .... those few days beforehand might make a difference to some of them who wanted to camp.

The second is ..... it seems as though having the camping beforehand would diminish the actual day of the reunion when EVERYONE comes together for the official start of the meetup. (THAT should be one of the most memorable moments of the meetup ) I say that because the campers would have already bonded and made a lot of memories and inside jokes that will make the rest of the group (the non-campers) feel like outsiders. We have all been in a position like that and it is not the feeling of family and clan that we hope to promote. .:(

Are there any objections to having the camping after the meetup? Thanks for letting me have my say. :)

Kaltxi Ghaziya :)

A lot of us have thought about both options, weighing the pros and the cons of both. It is not officially before the meetup yet, but things are headed that way.

The dates (July 19-23rd) for the actual meetup were chosen to be in the middle, so that it was a few weeks before school started at least and a few weeks after school started at the least. Either choice I don't think there will be any conflicts with school. (hopefully)

Yes, I do agree that this is a major factor in deciding things like this. And although people would be arriving at different times for the actual meetup if the camping was afterwards, it is still a factor in that people will have met for a few days before hand.

I think things are still open and we should confirm one way or the other next Friday.

Kaltxi Aketuan ~

Thanks for "listening" to my concerns and for your response. :)

I, unfortunately, can probably only make a pre-meetup camping trip. As after the meetup I'll be pressed for time to get to Finland to start my summer vacation.

Yup. Too much vacation. What a problem that is to have.

- Mikko

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/the_difference.png

- Mikko

KalTXí Ghaziya :) *wave*
I wasn't with you in Seattle (well, not physically :P) & you folks would know better but I remember that some members arrived earlier & some later - & it Was a family feeling after all. So - 4 fingers x-ed - this ^^^about feeling out won't last long... Hmmm? I wouldn't know but I sure hope for nice & fast all-bonding!

anyway, as Aketuan said, we can still talk about it as much as needed & find the best solution!

Miko

You know me so well!!

In terms of group dynamics, you're absolutely right. When people are added to a group, it has to go back to square one for relationship building. Less so when people are subtracted. So in an extended meet up, you prefer the group to be getting smaller, not larger.