Creature Quest with Soph and gretch
Meet: Trader Joe’s at noon
Return: 6 pm
Member: $14 Non member: $18
Participant Driver (1): $10
Participant drivers will also have all gas reimbursed!
Activity: Tidepooling
Difficulty: 3/10 Easy Distance (miles): 2 Elevation (ft): 300
Recommended Prior Experience: Ability to swim
Location of Trip: Abalone Cove
Native Land: Tongva
Get ready to see some amazing sea creatures in the intertidal zone of Abalone Cove! We will be leaving at noon on Friday February 9 and driving about an hour down to Abalone Cove Beach in Palos Verdes. We will eat a light lunch (charcuterie/snack vibe) once we get there, then hike a few hundred feet down to the shore and explore the tide pools. Potential creature sightings include anemones, sea urchins, starfish, brittle stars, sea hares, nudibranchs (sea slugs), hermit crabs, regular crabs and maybe even an octopus ahhh! Low tide is at 3:20 pm (and it’s gonna be super low) so we will probably hang around until then and head back. Exploring the tide pools means wading in shallow water and navigating rocky areas along the coast. For this reason it’s really important to consider your attire: shorts, capris or pants that you can roll up are ideal. The activity is not particularly strenuous but will require a certain degree of agility and balance. We will not be swimming but we will be near the water so ability to swim is recommended. Also we will just be hanging around the beach so if you want to swim you can definitely bring your swimsuit; it will probably be cold though so this is not a planned activity.
ALSO: Abalone Cove is a marine protected area which means you are not allowed to collect shells, rocks and definitely no creatures.
DISCLAIMER: This trip will be significantly less enjoyable if you do not have water shoes such as Chacos because we will be walking on rocks near and somewhat submerged in water! If you have any questions about what to wear please reach out to one of the guides :)
Contact the Guides:
Sophia Hammerle (hammerle@usc.edu)
Gretchen Rudolph (gretcher@usc.edu)
What to Bring:
Water
Sun protection (sunscreen, sunhat, sunglasses)
Phone/camera to take pictures of cool creatures <3
Shorts, capris or pants that you can roll up
Water shoes (ideally shoes with some grip such as Chacos as we will be walking on rocks)
Curiosity and respect for the creatures of the tide pools
Price of the trip includes (and we will provide):
Snacks
Light lunch
Parking
Cost of gas reimbursed for participant drivers
Amazing guides who love the outdoors and do this for free!
Please Review Our Cancellation and Refund Policy:
All SC Outfitters trips have a no-refund policy unless a substitute participant can be found. In the event your trip requires added reporting measures of participants (plane tickets, external providers, rental services, etc.) dropping the trip close to the date of the trip will not allow for the spot to be re-filled. See the details on trip pages for specific deadlines and reference our complete cancellation/refund policy here.
TRIP DIFFICULTY RATING SYSTEM
Difficulty rating for trips
1: No physical activity.
2: Leisurely walk.
3: 2-5 miles less than 1000 ft of total elevation gain on well maintained trails. About 2-3 hours continuous activity
4: 4-6 miles, about 1000 ft of elevation gain, well maintained trails. About 3 hours of continuous activity.
5: 6-8 miles, about 1500ft of elevation gain on maintained trials. 4-5 hours continuous activity
6: 8-10 miles, about 2000 ft of elevation gain, well maintained trails. 4-6 hours of continuous activity.
7: 10-14 miles, over 2500 ft of elevation gain, variable trail conditions possible. Full day of continuous activity.
8: At high altitude. 12-16 total miles, over 3000 ft of elevation gain, variable trail conditions possible. Full day of continuous activity.
9: Technical skills may be necessary. At high altitude with physical elevation gain. Scrambling over rocks likely involved.
10: u gunna die
**If you have any questions or concerns about the physical activity, recommended prior experience, or gear needed on any kind of trip please contact the guides as soon as possible!!