AvatarMeet 2015 -Camping

[Raiden]

Okay, we've finally solidified the details for the camping trip this year:

Dates: Saturday, July 18th - Wednesday, July 22nd (departure day)

Location: Rio Grande National Forest - Alamosa River Campground

Site Info: Rio Grande National Forest - Alamosa Campground

The camping trip will start on Saturday, July 18th and run until the morning of Wednesday, July 22nd. Saturday the 18th will be the "arrival day", and will serve as a buffer day for people who may be taking a late flight or people who experience a travel delay. Tuesday night will be the last night at the site, and we will depart early Wednesday morning to meet the others in Estes Park. If you wish to attend the camping trip, you will need transportation to the campsite and back to Estes Park. There will be several people with cars who will probably have space to accommodate some people; we will be implementing a transportation column to the website (like last year) to assist people in finding transportation, and we will be willing to help people find rides, but it is important to note that it is ultimately your own responsibility to find transportation to the campsite.

In addition to the campsite, our gracious admin, Mark, is willing to offer his cabin to a limited number of people who would either prefer a cabin to tent camping or do not have a tent. Details of how this will be arranged are coming very soon, but it is important that people who have the necessary equipment and want to come camping bring a tent so that anyone who would need the cabin can make use of it.

If you are planning to use the campsite, the following equipment should be considered mandatory:

- Tent

- Sleeping Bag (or other sleeping arrangement)

- Flashlight/Headlamp (LED headlamps are relatively affordable and very useful...)

- Water bottle (should be 32 oz. capacity/1 L capacity minimum Colorado is a very dry place, and something like 48-72 oz./2-3 L would be far superior)

- Hiking shoes/boots

- Insect repellant (may not be necessary)

- Sunscreen (we will be at some altitude, so if you are fair-skinned this is an absolute necessity)

- Sturdy clothing that will stand up to the wear and tear of a camping trip and keep you warm at night

Some possible activities include a visit to some natural hot springs, a superfund site (Summitville mine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), sand dunes, night hikes, swimming, and more. We'll be providing food, but for the sake of efficiency and avoiding food waste, all attendees will be responsible for their own snacks and drinks (other than water). We'll be providing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, plus s'mores for the last night, but anything else will be up to the attendees. We will also be sure to provide vegan/vegetarian/allergen-conscious meals for those with specialized dietary preferences and/or food allergies.

As previously noted, we will be adding camping and transportation columns to the website soon, so check back and make sure to sign up for the camping trip if you want to participate.