Overcoming Disappointment at Mount Disappointment

Meet: 7:30am Saturday, 2/7 @ Village fountain

Return: ~5:30pm

Member: $19 Non member: $25

Participant Driver (1): $13

Participant drivers will also have all gas reimbursed!

Activity: hiking, scrambling, lowering expectations

Difficulty: 5/10 Medium Distance: 6 miles / 9.7 km Elevation: 1600 ft / 488 m

Recommended Prior Experience: hiking experience recommended

Location of Trip: San Gabriel Mountains

Native Land: Tongva

Do you have an existential sense of unfulfillment? Perhaps overwhelming feelings of sadness and dread that can only be overcome by touching grass? Are you ready to take a chance on yet another potentially debilitating disappointment? Well, this trip might just be for you. Come join Hayden and Joe on this 6 mile roundtrip trek up Mount Disappointment. We will be leaving from the USC Village outside Trader Joe's at 8am on Saturday 2/7 and driving up to the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains. We will start up the steep section of the trail, climbing up 1600 ft of elevation up to the namesake peak of San Gabriel. Here, we will enjoy lunch with panoramic views of the whole valley and nearby snowy peaks. After some rest and deep philosophical pondering of all the wrongs we’ve done, we will take the forest service road to Mount Disappointment. Named after the USC football team's past season, we will take in even more breathtaking views and reflect on the past while looking into the future with a new sense of optimism. Maybe it's not all so bad after all. Wow. With this new profound understanding of the world around us, and most importantly, our place in it, we will walk down the gradual decline back to the trailhead. By a conservative estimate, we will return back to USC Village by 5:30 PM and go our separate ways into all the beautiful things we have yet to discover.

Contact the Guides:

Josiah Chakra: chakra@usc.edu

Hayden Naffziger: naffzige@usc.edu

What to Bring:

• 3+ liters of water

• Small day pack

• Warm outer layer + pants, it’ll be colder up on the mountain

• Hat/sunscreen/sunglasses

• Comfortable hiking shoes

• Comfortable hiking clothes

Price of the trip includes (and we will provide):

• Snacks

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided when a trip occurs during meal-times

• Any technical gear required (ie. kayaks, snowshoes, snorkels, backpacking packs, sleeping bags, fishing rods, etc.)

• All group / shared gear (tents, stoves, bear cans, first aid kit, etc.)

• Any permits or campsite reservations needed

• Cost of gas reimbursed for participant drivers

• Amazing guides who love the outdoors and do this for free!
  

Please Review Our Cancellation and Refund Policy:

All SC Outfitters trips have a no-refund policy unless a substitute participant can be found. In the event your trip requires added reporting measures of participants (plane tickets, external providers, rental services, etc.) dropping the trip close to the date of the trip will not allow for the spot to be re-filled. See the details on trip pages for specific deadlines and reference our complete cancellation/refund policy here.

TRIP DIFFICULTY RATING SYSTEM

• Difficulty rating for trips

  • 1: No physical activity.

  • 2: Leisurely walk.

  • 3: 2-5 miles less than 1000 ft of total elevation gain on well maintained trails. About 2-3 hours continuous activity

  • 4: 4-6 miles, about 1000 ft of elevation gain, well maintained trails. About 3 hours of continuous activity.

  • 5: 6-8 miles, about 1500ft of elevation gain on maintained trials. 4-5 hours continuous activity

  • 6: 8-10 miles, about 2000 ft of elevation gain, well maintained trails. 4-6 hours of continuous activity.

  • 7: 10-14 miles, over 2500 ft of elevation gain, variable trail conditions possible. Full day of continuous activity.

  • 8: At high altitude. 12-16 total miles, over 3000 ft of elevation gain, variable trail conditions possible. Full day of continuous activity.

  • 9: Technical skills may be necessary. At high altitude with physical elevation gain. Scrambling over rocks likely involved.

  • 10: u gunna die

**If you have any questions or concerns about the physical activity, recommended prior experience, or gear needed on any kind of trip please contact the guides as soon as possible!!

This program is open to all eligible individuals. SC Outfitters operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact the guides listed above on the trip page. We request that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least 7 days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.