2-Day California Backpacking Trip or 3-Day Survival Course for One from Treks and Tracks

Travel is available on select dates between January 21 and September 30, 2017. After purchasing this deal, you will need to visit the website listed on your Groupon voucher to complete redemption.

Wilderness Backpacking Trip

During a backpacking adventure from Treks and Tracks, you can experience California’s wilderness without the hassle of organizing a trip yourself. The company provides the gear, while you enjoy the great outdoors and learn real backcountry skills, such as how to find edible plants and honor leave-no-trace principles. Two-day backpacking trips are available in Ojai, Point Reyes, and Castle Rock State Park. A fourth option, the Practical Wilderness Survival course, takes you to Yosemite for 3 days of hands-on survival training. Each trip includes:

• Tents and backpacks
• Sleeping bags and pads
• One dinner and one breakfast (one breakfast per day)
• Water-purification systems
• First-aid kit
• Detailed list of what to bring (provided one week before your trip)

What to Expect

• You’ll hike 3–6 miles in a day depending on the trip.
• Hiking during this trip is considered strenuous—you should be in good shape.
• Your backpack will weigh 30–40 pounds (weight varies based on what you bring).

Ojai

Stately oak and bay trees give way to gentle grasses on this excursion through the Ojai Valley. Your grassland trek also includes an amble around one of the region’s meandering creeks.

• Warm-water swimming holes are found along your route.
• Stunning mountain views are never out of sight.

Point Reyes

Just an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, Point Reyes National Seashore holds some of the Bay Area’s most unspoiled views of the Pacific Ocean. No experience is needed for this hike, which is suitable for hikers 12 or older.

• Migrating whales are often visible from the shore.
• Waterfalls and coastal forests make up the backdrop for your trek.

Castle Rock State Park

On this trip, you’ll hike through Castle Rock State Park, conveniently located near the Bay Area. You’ll trek through the Santa Cruz mountains with stunning views of Monterey Bay and set up camp after hiking a moderate 3 miles.

• Sandstone features are unique to this area.
• Towering redwoods stand along your route.

Practical Wilderness Survival

Could you survive in the wilderness if you had to? This 3-day course teaches you the basics of backcountry survival in the Yosemite wilderness, where a large fraction of America’s search-and-rescue missions take place. Here’s a sampling of what the course covers:

• Survival psychology: how to remain clearheaded and minimize stress in survival situations
• Basic foraging skills and how to collect and treat water for drinking
• How to start a fire using friction or flint

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