Gay Outdoors - Premier Gay and Gay Friendly Men's Outdoor Recreation Club in New England

ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Topock Gorge Canoeing Car Camp

Camping

DATE: Mar 26, 2010

END DATE: Mar 28, 2010

Event Location: Needles CA

Trip Leader(s)

Meeting Time: 7:00 PM

Max # People: 30

Guiding / Event Fee: No, I'm not making any money running this trip

Difficulty Level:

Easy to Moderate

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Summary

Alrighty folks! March is just around the corner .. and here's what I've got planned: Camping for 2 nights on a private 214' private beach and canoeing 17 miles down the Colorado River through Topock Gorge which is part of the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. You can only get there by boat! And on the way home on Sunday, we're gonna stop in the Mojave National Preserve for a run up Kelso Dunes and lunch in their Diner.

There is a cost-sharing fee for this trip. I am a volunteer in charge of the outings for an all volunteer, gay, non-profit, California-based, hiking and camping organization called the GreatOutdoorsLA.org (not to be confused with where you are seeing this invitation, the Gay Outdoors!) This trip is being offered to both Great Outdoors members and Gay Outdoors members. The cost-sharing fee for the 2 nights of camping and refreshments is $57/person; and the Outfitting fee for canoes, life vests and paddles is $49/person.

This is a camping trip, so you will need a tent, a sleeping bag & pad, a cooler for your breakfasts, lunches, snacks and potluck item, clothes (it'll be cool at night and 85 degrees ish during the day on the river), toilettries/towel (there are pay showers at the campsite), flashlight, bandaids, extra pair of shoes in case one pair gets wet, knit cap for hanging around the campfire at night (please also bring a bundle of wood .. available at Ralph's), cup/bowl/utensils .. and, unless you have a stove, be sure to bring only things that don't require cooking. (Alot of people will be happy to help you warm something up or offer you hot water for coffee or tea or oatmeal, etc.)

Carpooling is mandatory for this campout. We can accommodate twice as many people as we can cars. I will arrange/facilitate carpooling. There will be a registration form, waiver, and a payment due in advance for the camping and outfitting. I will send the link to everyone who signs up.

This is a great way to meet some people into the same activities as you; people of all ages, ethnicities, types and from all walks of life.

(note: The Great Outdoors is non-exclusionary and therefore our events are also open to lesbians; historically, lesbian attendance at our predominantly male events is quite limited.)

Any questions, sign-up, buddy me, e-mail me through Gay Outdoors or at LAGoodGuy@gmail.com ! Looking forward to meeting you!! -Klaus-

Here's a complete description of the weekend:

Our weekend will start on Friday evening (you can arrive anytime after 3:00pm) at our campsite with its own private beach. Since Moabi Regional Park is about 4-5 hours from LA, we’re going to be holding our wine and tea welcome from 8pm-ish till the last person arrives! But don’t over-do it ‘cause our morning starts bright at 7:00am! (Have your dinner on the way or plan for something quick and easy once you arrive.)

At about 7:00am on Saturday, our Outfitter will drop off our canoes, paddles and flotation vests and give us all maps of the river and some good advice for the day. You’re gonna want to be fed and caffeinated by this time so we can be on-the-water by 7:30am. We’ll spend the entire day canoeing down the river and through the wildlife marshes. Along the first section of river, there are several tiny beaches where a few canoes could easily park and you could take a dip in the river (which is chilly, but not freezing). You can, in fact, stop anywhere along this river to explore, climb a dune, swim, rest, pee (but please don’t pee in the river!) We can spread out along the river with no necessary structure; the entire day is for you and at-your-own-pace. Though at about half-way through our day of paddling we’ll all meet and shore our canoes to go see a large collection of Petroglyphs. This is the best place along the river for us to break for lunch because there’s also a low cliff here for some rad cliff diving!

After lunch, we’ll continue to paddle downstream at a fairly leisurely rate, seeing the sights and all the hot straight guys in their monster boats! About an hour or so from our lunch spot, there’s a sandbar in the river where we’ll stop again to mess around in the warmer/shallower water. Here you can dig in the sand, build yourself a sand castle or splash around like a little girl … though I’m going to be looking for some Frisbee buddies!

After we leave the sandbar, there’s a remaining 90 minutes or so of paddling to get us to our pick-up point. Once there, we have to carry our canoes a couple hundred yards from the river to the parking lot (they’re not very heavy) and then our Outfitter will load-up the canoes and drive us 40 minutes back upriver to our campsite.

Since you’re definitely gonna be feeling the effects of the many hours in the sun; and because you might be a little worn-out from cliff-diving and Frisbee-fetching; and because you’re definitely gonna start to feel the burn of a day of paddling; and because you’re really gonna want to shower some river and sand off of your slightly sunburned self … we will forgo a ‘tea’ so everyone can rest, shower, change and prepare for the potluck. (Theme is beach BBQ … contact me to coordinate your contribution).

Check-out time on Sunday is 1:00pm. This means you can either have a very relaxed morning, hanging out on our campsite’s private beach and gradually finding your way back home … OR! … You can caravan with me to the Mojave National Preserve (which is on the route back home) and join me for a fun run up Kelso Dunes.

We’ll leave Moabi at around 8:00am; drive an hour east on the 40 to the Mojave National Preserve (fill your tank in Needles, no matter how expensive it is .. there’s no gas anywhere near Kelso Dunes); we’ll go directly to Kelso Dunes and spend a couple hours climbing to the top and jumping off some sand ridges! After this sand fest, we’ll go to the visitor’s center at Kelso Depot, see an 8 minute film about the Preserve, shop in their gift shop and have lunch at the Beanery, a vintage 40’s, authentic soda-fountain diner.

… NOW you may go home!

Campsite: Our peninsula campsite is extraordinary with a 214’ private beach, on an inlet of the Colorado River. The toilets are a few hundred feet from our site. Coin-operated hot showers are a 15 minute walk, or a 2 minute drive. Moabi Regional Park also has a convenience store, beach boutique, Beach Bar and Pirate Cove Grill restaurant. We may be able to accommodate an RV or 2 without hook-ups, but contact me before you send in your registration to be sure.

Topock Gorge: Topock Gorge stretches 20 miles along the lower Colorado River, from the Topock Bridge spanning I40 to the upper end of Lake Havasu. It is part of the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1941. The refuge protects 30 river miles and 300 miles of shoreline from Needles, CA to Lake Havasu City. The narrow gorge cradles a writhing, twisted section of river, one cursed by riverboat captains back in the days of big paddle-wheelers, which explains how an especially treacherous bend ended up with the name Devil’s Elbow. The cliffs of Topock Gorge, carved into oddly leaning hoodoos, jagged spires and keyhole arches, enhance the drama of the journey.

One of the most beautiful sections of the Colorado, the Gorge features isolated coves and beaches – quiet backwaters offer great spots for picnicking, photography or napping. Topock Gorge is a wilderness area, home to abundant species of birds (many of them quite rare) and seldom seen wildlife. Bighorn sheep live in the gorge and come down to the water to drink and watch you make your way downriver. An important archaeological site, easily accessible from the River, contains a superb collection of ancient Indian petroglyphs.

What to bring: 1 Bundle of Firewood; Potluck Item; Breakfast/Coffee X2 mornings; Sack Lunch for the River; Cooler full of ice and beverages/snacks for the Canoe; Bungee cords or rope to tie your cooler to the canoe in case you tip over; FRISBEE; Sunscreen; Bug Repellant; (T.P. …just in case); Hat; Water-shoes or old sneakers; swimsuit or quick-dry shorts; long-sleeves/pants if you’re pale (it’s going to be sunny and probably about 85 degrees); dry socks and underwear; water-tight bag or some big ziplock bags for your camera and lunch and dry clothes. (And of course, all your normal camping/outing gear).

Got a canoe or kayak? You may bring it if you prefer, however, the outfitter charges the same to haul your kayak/canoe back to camp as they charge to rent one of theirs.

Camp Fee: $57/person + Outfitting Fee of $49/person = $106.00/person

(Outfitting Fee includes gratuity)

Itinerary:

Friday:

Arrive 3pm – midnight

8:00pm Wine & Tea welcome by campfire

Saturday:

7:00am meet with outfitter; in river by 7:30

3:30 out of river

4:00 back at camp

6:00 potluck

8:00 campfire