When I signed up for the Outdoors Club Spring weekend camping trip in Pt. Reyes, I was making two gambles:  1) I had never been backpacking before and 2) I was entirely new to school — a fresh addition to Presidio’s C22.  Spoiler alert:  None of this mattered by the end of the trip.

The weekend started off with what was supposed to be a leisurely full moon hike to our campsite on Friday night and turned into an uphill trek through the wild!  It was adventurous to say the least. Once we reached the open expanse that is Sky Camp, the group started to settle in.  One of my favorite memories is when my new buddy, Eric, decided to pitch his borrowed tent next to mine.  It was a hilarious moment.  Just imagine a big guy and a child’s sized tent — he grabbed the wrong one!  Lucky for him, I had space to share and a new friend to share it with!  We all took it easy that night as I did my best to comprehend names and faces in the darkness.

Soon, morning arrived and Eric and I unzipped the tent to a panoramic view of sky, trees, and ocean – absolutely gorgeous.  Now daylight, I got another chance at getting acquainted with my twenty-something camp companions at our icebreaker exercise before we set on our hike to Coast Camp. We basked in the scenery of Bishop Pines, California Bays, wildflowers, and the occasional elk and deer that passed us by.

The rest of the day at camp was pure bliss – exploring wildlife on the beach, hiking, biking, and lots of R&R.

As the sun set, the PGS campers set out their chairs and watched the sunset together – all was right with the world.

Our dinner feature was camp cooking at its finest – a mac and cheese meal prepped by the most men I’ve ever seen working the “kitchen!”

We finished off the night in classic fashion with s’mores, improvised ukulele numbers, and scary stories by our beach bonfire. Whatever hesitation I had going into this trip melted away as quickly as the campfire chocolate had and I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my first semester at Presidio.

Thanks to Donny, Dany, and Gabe for planning such a wonderful trip! I look forward to sharing my greater appreciation for the outdoors with the rest of the Presidians as one of your new Outdoor Club leaders!