Santa Rosa Island July 2007
Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California; 53,193 acres with an official population of 2. The island is
located 26 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara. It is occupied by rolling hills, deep canyons, coastal lagoons, beaches, sand dunes and
few extinct pygmy mammoths.
We took over the campground and started our day with a hike on the sand surrounded by the blue waters and a view of Santa Cruz Island.
This was my first trip to Santa Rosa Island and I couldn't wait to explore. We hiked to the large grove of mature Torrey Pines, which only
grow in two places: La Jolla and Santa Rosa Island. How beautiful to see these magnificent trees in their natural environment.
 
On Sunday, we explored Lobo Canyon and once again had the beaches, canyons and trails to ourselves. Ranger Mike gave us a personal
tour of this canyon, with its many rock formations, tranquil stream and beautiful oaks. I was a little disappointed because Ranger Greg had
to stay on Santa Cruz Island, but he put in a good word for us, telling Ranger Mike that our group is “trouble”. Boy, did he get that right?
Ranger Mike also made it clear that there is only one rule on this island, "Don't Burn It Down." We kept to our promise and enjoyed Santa
Rosa Island to its fullest.

Highlights of this trip would have to be sighting a pack of Roosevelt Elk; the 22 very lively guys from Great Outdoors throughout Southern
California (including 10 from the San Diego chapter); and our time in Painted Cave, which is the largest sea cave in this part of the
country. It has a ceiling height of over 600 feet and seems to go on forever! Our boat just drove right in. We could see baby seal on the
sides of cliffs and so many birds that Tippi Hedren would be alarmed.

All in all, this was a magnificent trip; one worth taking again, and again.
~ Daniel

Camping in Mt Laguna July 2007
Eight lucky campers registered for GOSD’s first “official” camp out at the Laguna/El Prado campground in the Mt. Laguna area of the
Cleveland National Forest. Some campers were there all five days; most just came for the weekend. All were kept busy with hiking,
talking, cooking and eating and trying to stay cool.

Being the “lucky” weekend of 7-7-07, we had high expectations for good things to happen. However, there were two mishaps with
vehicles in the campground and one camper had a “near death experience” on the way up the mountain. I promised not to mention the
“exploding mustard” incident. Other than that, the weekend was fantastic: the weather was warm, the sky clear, and  the  company
delightful. We had a good time sitting around the fire pit swapping funny stories, roasting marshmallows and burning “Not Dogs”.

Friday evening was spent playing the traditional GO game of UNO; an attempt to introduce Fluxx was received with mixed results. We
were joined by one non-camper for the potluck and observatory tour on Saturday and six more made the hour drive on Sunday to hike the
gorgeous mountain meadows with us.
~ Bobby

Welcome to the Great Outdoors
Great Outdoors is a non-profit, all-volunteer gay and lesbian educational organization dedicated to the enjoyment of outdoor recreation.
We are the largest gay outdoor recreational organization in Southern California and include chapters in San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa
Barbara /Ventura County, Orange  County / Long Beach,  and   Palm  Springs.  Membership in one chapter enables participation in the
events and activities of other chapters at the discounted member rate.

The group was founded in 1978 by gay leaders who felt the time had come for a viable, healthy alternative to the bars. The community
reacted with great enthusiasm and in August 1978 over 75 men and women from San Francisco to San Diego backpacked into Big Sur.
Since that time, Great Outdoors has grown to over 800 members. Great Outdoors is a member of the International Gay and Lesbian
Outdoor Organization (IGLOO), a network of clubs and organizations throughout the world dedicated to outdoor activities of a non-
competitive nature.

Each year, the Corporate Board of Great Outdoors sponsors an all-chapter camp out in the summer; this year’s event was conducted
over Memorial Day weekend at the Big Bear Lake, CA. About fifty Great Outdoors members and friends attended the event.

Friday afternoon and evening, campers set up their tents or RV’s then gathered around the campfire to tell bad jokes and sing a few
Broadway tunes. On Saturday morning, most of the campers went on a rather strenuous hike led by Mario of the LA chapter. After a quick
rest, we gathered for a delicious potluck, as to be expected with 40 or so gay chefs involved.

On Sunday morning, about half of the campers went on Mario’s moderate hike. The rest attended a workshop on geocaching led by
Bobby of the San Diego chapter. Later, we car pooled to Big Bear Lake to board a double-decker tour boat for a 1-hour sightseeing
cruise covering the views, history and gossip of the lake area.