Meet at “Big 5” & drive to Guadalupe Dunes, hike 1-2miles to largest dunes & surf using boogie boards (or similar) bike helmets are required. After surfing hike back to cars for lunch, drive back to SB.
Hello Troop 26,
Two part message here about the Guadalupe Dunes Trip, 1st part a message from our Outdoor Ethics Guide: Landon Armstrong. 2nd part some logistics from ASM Ian Armstrong.
Part 1:
“Next Saturday is the Guadalupe Dunes hike. On this hike you should expect it to be hot so wear shorts and a t-shirt. It could be windy, so bring a light jacket and I recommend sunglasses and a gaiter to prevent sand being blown in your face.
The Guadalupe dunes is around and hour and a half north of us and is 18 miles of coast and >20,000 acres of space. Here is a link to a website that has a lot of information about this location: https://dunescenter.org/ (Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center)
I recommend reading through it they have a page full of various plants that we could see. Animals we could see include: Western snowy plovers, Peregrine Falcons, pelicans, and terns. There could be western garter snakes, frogs and other things but we probably won’t see them in the middle of the day.
Because of the sandy environment, they have filmed over 20 movies in the dunes so look out for Hollywood props buried in the sand.
Outdoor code points for this trip:
Clean as always, we shouldnt leave any trash
Conservation minded I found some good resources on the internet on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNlA9b5Ko9o&t=4s (Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes). We should watch out for Snowy Plover nests as they are right in the sand.
Considerate be nice to other people using the dunes.
It should be a great trip different from our usual hikes. Im looking forward to sliding down the dunes on boogie boards!
Landon Armstrong”
Part 2: Some logistics
We will be meeting Nov 2nd at Big 5 parking lot, 7am. We aim to be back at 3pm for pickup.
From the RSVP list looks like now we will need 1 or 2 more extra drivers/ adult volunteers
Make sure to bring: 2L of water, sunscreen, sack lunch, a boogie board and bike helmet (if you plan on surfing down dunes).
If you didn’t get your 10 wildlife signs on the last night hike, this trip will also serve for that signoff
Any questions on items to take or otherwise, bring them to tomorrow’s meeting to discuss
Yours in Scouting,
Ian Armstrong
Assistant Scoutmaster – Troop 26
