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Lost Coast Backpack - SBC

Lost Coast Backpack - SBC

June 23, 2024 - June 28, 2024
6:00am - 8:00pm
Lost Coast, CA
      
 
      
The Lost Coast is an untamed stretch of coastal land in Northern California filled with steep cliffs, beautiful mountain ranges, and flat beaches. We will take a 25-mile adventure through the untamed stretch of coastal land on the infamous Lost Coast Trail. We will explore the coastal landscape backpacking on sands of the beach and the grasslands of the steep cliffs. Along with the beautiful landscape, there is admirable wildlife of Sea lions, mountain lions, deer, Roosevelt elk and more. We will begin our hike at Mattole Beach Trailhead and end our journey in the Black Sands Beach in the small town of Shelter Cove. You are guaranteed an adventure you will never forget and views you will always admire.

Trip Cost     

SRWC Member: $200
Faculty, Staff, Non-Enrolled CSUSB Student, and Alumni Association: $230
Affiliate: $245
Sponsored Guest: $260

Pre-Trip Meeting / Sign-Up Deadline
May 31, 2022 @ 6pm

Activity Level 
4 - Epic

Trip Departs From
CSUSB Student Recreation and Wellness Center

Itinerary

Day 1: We will meet at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center at 8:00 am where we will prepare for our 6-day adventure. We will spend a few moments checking our equipment and packing up the van. Shortly after we will begin our drive to Humboldt county stopping along the way for meals, gas, and short restroom breaks; we will have a long drive that day! The stops will be provided but the cost for meals are on you. Once the sun has set and we have arrived at Richardson Grove Campground we will set up camp under the stars at Richardson Grove.

Day 2:  Early rise today for a nice and filling breakfast and finalizing all we need for our trip down the Lost Coast Trail. It will take us roughly 2 and a half hours to drive to Mattole Trailhead from Richardson Grove. We will begin our 6-mile hike to our campground at the Sea Lion Gulch, we will see the wild ocean, sandy beaches, beautiful lighthouse, and possibly some Sea lions on our way. On our hike we will take a stop at the Punta Gorda Lighthouse; make lunch and take in the scenery; the gorgeous meadow and the wild ocean. After our 6-miles we will rest for a bit set up camp and enjoy our dinner.
 
Day 3: Rise and Shine for our second day on the trail, we will fill up with yummy breakfast and begin our hike to our second campground. This will be our first hike on the other side of the cliff, passing through the impassible zones at low tides where we will see the wild ocean and the beach floor at low tides. After the impassible zones; we will relax make lunch and take a moment to reflect on the trail traveled. We will hike a minimum of 5 miles to our second campground at Spanish Flat, here we will set up camp, eat dinner and enjoy the beautiful stars. 

Day 4: On our third day on the trail we will rise early and begin our hike after a hearty breakfast. This will be our longest day hiking a maximum of 9 miles! This trail is beautiful you will see the remote landscape with a few gorgeous private homes along the way. The scenery changes from beach to hills, to trees, to ocean and more. Keep an eye out, you may spot some wildlife, if it isn’t a sea lion on the beach then it is black-tailed deer or Roosevelt Elk. Along the trail, we will enjoy a break, eat some lunch and appreciate some snacks. After our 9 miles of hiking we will have some pasta, take our shoes off and call it a day.

Day 5: Let’s wrap it up, the views, the admiration, the landscape; on our last day on the coast we will take an easy stroll on the beach. After breakfast, we’ll pack up camp and take a short 5-mile hike to Black Sands Beach. Once at Black Sands Beach, we will have lunch in Shelter Cove before departing back to Richardson Grove. We will drive an hour to Richardson Grove where we will admire the larger than life Redwoods and set up camp. We’ll have dinner here and call it a night for an early rise the next day.

Day 6: Now it’s time to travel to CSUSB, the drive will be 12 hours with no traffic or stops. Of course, we will need to stop for meals and gas taking breaks along the way so to ensure we arrive on Campus by 10 pm we will rise and shine at 6 am, have breakfast and be on our way by 7 am.

Packing List

Weather

Food 
12 meals are included, starting with breakfast on day 2 (5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 3 dinners)
5 meals are not included (2 lunches, 3 dinners). Bring money. 


Hygiene and Comfort
We will be carrying our all our food, shelter, clothing, water and equipment in a pack weighting over 40lbs. We will be staying in reserved campsites on the first and last 2 nights with access to restrooms, showers and drinking water. The campsites on nights 2 and 3 are primitive with NO toilets or showers. We will practice Leave no Trace when disposing of human waste and trash.  We will treat water from a nearby spring or creek. You will have the option to share a tent with one or two people or sleep out under the cover of the stars.  Light weight tents, warm synthetic sleeping bags, foam pads and ground tarps will be provided to ensure a comfortable night’s sleep. The ground consists of soft soil. 
 
Risk / Hazards / Safety

Cancellation Policy

How to Register            

Registration Opens March 1 @ 8:00am