Morrooned and Stranded on Morro Strand

Meet: 3/29 at Village Fountain 7 AM

Return: Sunday 3/30 7 PM

Member: ($60) Non member: ($78)

Participant Driver (1): ($35)

Participant drivers will also have all gas reimbursed!

Activity: Camping, Hiking, Exploring, Beaching, Sandboarding

Difficulty: (5/10) Medium Distance: 8 miles / 12.87 km Elevation: 620 ft / 191 m

Recommended Prior Experience: none

Location of Trip: Morro Rock/Morro Bay, Morro Strand State Beach, Montaña de Oro State Park, Oceano Dunes

Native Land: Obsipeño, Chumash, Salinan

Imagine this.

It’s the middle of the semester, and you’re struggling to stay afloat. Slowly, a tidal wave of Brightspace notifications throws you underwater. The world blacks out, and the last thing you see before blacking out is an activity summary email. That’s okay, though; you eventually wake up and find yourself morrooned and stranded on Morro Strand State Beach with guides Yohana, Kyson, and Lilly!

Join us on an adventure to Morro Bay, a beautiful seaside gateway just north of LA. We will depart from campus at 7:00 AM and hopefully arrive at Morro Bay State Park a little before noon. Here, we can explore the surrounding town, grab a quick bite to eat, and then check out Morro Rock, a 581-foot, sacred volcanic plug that now sits on the tip of the California coastline. If time allows, we will then drive north to San Simeon to check out some elephant seals, and/or check out some tidepools near the campsite. After a day of adventuring, we will head to Morro Strand State Beach to catch the sunset, indulge in a delicious campfire meal, and sleep. The next day, we will head off to Point Buchon trail for some gorgeous seaside views and then to Oceano Sand Dunes for some epic sand sledding. We will then head back and arrive back to campus around 7 PM.

Being morrooned and stranded at Morro Bay is the best way to cure your back-to-school stress!

Note: On the first day we will buy lunch from a restaurant in Morro Bay, however the price of this lunch is not included in the trip cost. Every other meal, however, will be

Contact the Guides:

Kyson Kai kkai@usc.edu

Yohana Teshome yteshome@usc.edu

Lilly Wang lillyw@usc.edu

What to Bring:

*REMINDER (overnights only) : if you do not have a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, backpacking pack, or other technical gear (non-clothing), do not panic, SC Outfitters has these items for you! Your guides will send out a gear-request form the week of your trip where you’ll let them know what gear you need!

• 2L of water

• Hat/sunglasses/sunscreen

• Sleeping bag (can borrow from SCO)

• Sleeping pad (can borrow from SCO)

• Warm clothes for day/night/to sleep in. It will get pretty cold since we will be camping near the beach. So just in case pack some thermal layers, puffers/fleece, sweaters etc.

• Comfortable hiking shoes

• Beach shoes

• Comfortable hiking clothes

• Mess kit (plate/bowl/tupperware and fork/spoon)

• Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant etc)

• Any Medications or other personal necessities.

• Personal snacks

Price of the trip includes (and we will provide):

• Snacks

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided when a trip occurs during meal-times

• Any technical gear required (ie. kayaks, snowshoes, snorkels, backpacking packs, sleeping bags, fishing rods, etc.)

• All group / shared gear (tents, stoves, bear cans, first aid kit, etc.)

• Any permits or campsite reservations needed

• 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!!

This program is open to all eligible individuals. SC Outfitters operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact the guides listed above on the trip page. We request that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least 7 days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.