Bodacious Beach Backpacking – Ode to Charlie

OVERVIEW

Charlie Haywood led trips here in 2018 and 2019 and they were some of my favorite trips that I have done with the club. Since Charlie is old now and has a job or something I figured I should step up and take his place.

False Cape State Park is a park located in between Back Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, which means beautiful views, lots of wildlife, sunrise over the ocean, and sunset over the bay. The only way to get to it is by hiking through Back Bay Wildlife Refuge which is a very pleasant and mostly flat hike along a gravel path through some beautiful marshland. Because of where you have to park for overnight backpacking the total mileage comes out to roughly 6-7 miles each way. In the itinerary section, I gave us 3 hours to do the hike but it most likely won’t take that long. Because this is a beach that has to be hiked or biked to, we will more or less have the beach to ourselves. There is an outhouse and a spigot with potable water right near the campsite which is very convenient. This is a very beginner friendly backpacking trip so all are welcome, we will just make sure you get all the necessary gear from the gear rooms. Saturday is our main day to chill at the beach and activities may include but are not limited to: swimming, reading, chilling in the sun, frisbee, spikeball if I feel like carrying it, stargazing, snacking, shell hunting, chasing ghost crabs, day hiking, getting icecream from the visitor center, and emitting chill vibes. The visitor center has souvenirs, snacks, icecream, etc. so you should bring your wallet along with you.

If you sign up for this trip and make it off the waitlist PLEASE put it in your calendar and commit to coming, if you are added to the adventure and have a scheduling conflict please try to drop as soon as you can. This ensures that we can have a full trip and an awesome weekend.

Itinerary:
We will depart Friday, April 8th around sometime between 11 am and 2pm. This will depend on when people are available to leave, the big thing is that we will need to be through the back bay wildlife refuge by sunset.
Friday:
~ 11:00 am: Depart from SAB
~ 2:15 pm Arrive at Little Island Park (where we park)
~ 5:15 Arrive at camp sites (we are staying in BH Oceanside 16 and 17), set up camp and make dinner.
~ Potentially stargaze
Saturday:
~ Get up whenever you want
~ Chill unbelievably hard
~ swim probably
~ read?
~ day hike?
– Make Dinner and watch the sunset over the Back Bay
~ Definitely stargaze if the weather is clear
Sunday:
– Wake up at 6:15 to catch the sunrise on the beach
– Break down camp and get ready to head out
– When we leave is pretty flexible and depends on when people would like to be back but I think we will head out by noon at the latest because I would like to be back by 6pm
– Arrive back at the SAB

Packing List:
– Backpacking backpack
– Sleeping bag
– Sleeping bad
– Tent
– Headlamp
– Food (may be communal) but you should bring your own snacks either way
– Mess kit
– Camp stove
– Pack cover
– Water bottles (2-3 Liters worth)
– Rain jacket
– Musical instruments if you’d like
– Cards or other small games
– Sports equipment (frisbee, spikeball, etc)
– Toothbrush/toothpaste/other toiletries (there is not a shower)
– Hiking clothes
– Warmer clothes in case it is cold
– Good walking shoes (sneakers are fine here)
– Bathing suit
– Towel
– A small bit of toilet paper isn’t a bad idea
– Trash bags
If you don’t have any of the gear listed here, check the gear room! odds are they have everything you need.

DRIVERS NEEDED!
-Drivers get priority off the waitlist. The club reimburses for gas +50% tip!
-Drivers need to show up to the SAB with a full tank of gas!