Lake Tahoe trip rules

The main trip page, with lots of pictures, is at: Tahoe trip

Trip participants will follow all State Park, trip and De Anza rules, especially about food storage, so we can keep animals (including bears) from harassing, or even injuring us. At this park, as we write this, it means locking food out of sight in the provided food lockers or your car (in the trunk or cover with a blanket --- don't let anything show and keep windows rolled up tight), and no midnight snacks or food-scented items (toiletries) in your tent. (On previous Tahoe trips we chased bear(s) out of the campsite almost every night).

Park rules include: 15 m.p.h. speed limit,

no gathering firewood, wildflowers, etc.,

no unattended campfires (and put them out thoroughly with water when leaving the site or going to bed),

no volleyball, badminton, etc. in campsites or on the beach,

checkout time of noon

quiet hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.. "Radios and other sound emitting devices should not be operated at a volume that can be heard beyond the immediate campsite", and since noise is the first thing people complain to Rangers about (plus, out of consideration to trip members who would like to listen to Mom nature's sound), the club asks that you bring personal headset radios/tapes, and turn your car stereo off when you enter the park, before you get to the Ranger kiosk. (Acoustic guitars are encouraged.)

The trip itself, and possible kayaking and/or hike with faculty are all you are signed up for. Any potential swimming, biking or other hikes not specifically led by faculty are not a club event. Even though these are not club events, the club expects that people will do any non-club event swimming only at the park beach in daylight hours in groups of at least two people and will hike or bike in groups of four (if someone is hurt, this leaves one person to stay with the injured person, and two to go for help). Helmets will be worn by all bike riders of any age at all times, and within the State parks, bikes are only allowed on paved roads, not trails or dirt roads. (There are bike trails in the campground/park.)

Diving headfirst into waters at State Parks is illegal, but jumping in is okay if there is sufficient water depth, you don't land on anyone, you bend your knees and land flat-footed in case you misjudge the depth. Wade through the area before trying this to see that where you land will not be too slippery so you won't end up with your body (head!) on rocks. Swimming from the beach at Emerald Bay to Fanette Island is illegal (and quite dangerous due to the boat traffic).

It is a trip rule that any Casino visits or parasailing be done after the trip is over.

Interesting weather does not cancel club events. Club campsites, and all park restrooms or other buildings are non-smoking. No alcohol or drug use is allowed on club trips. This is not just a rule written to make the College happy, it is a trip rule.

We will require that you agree to these:

If I park at the campsite I will turn off my car alarm and disable the loud beep that goes off when the keyless remote is used to unlock the car.

If I drive or ride in a truck and arrive after dark I will be certain someone stays in the back of the truck to guard gear from raccoons until it is all unloaded and dealt with.

I will make sure the doors are shut on my vehicle as each item is unloaded so raccoons don't get in.

At bedtime a will triple-check my day pack, jacket and pants pockets for candy bars or anything else that could attract animals into my tent or car.

I will bring enough warm gear, clothes, sleeping bag and extra blankets that I will not think I need get into my car at night and run the engine to warm up (thereby waking up everyone in the vicinity).

I will bring a flashlight and at least one (or even two or three) full liter bottle(s) of water and two lunches for my personal consumption on any kayaking or day hike.

I will have the courtesy to let my driver/ passengers know immediately of any changes to my ride needs or ability to drive.

If I drive, before I make commitments to people about giving rides I will be sure the vehicle is reliable enough to get to the event and home again, get permission of any parent, etc. I need to borrow the vehicle from, get permission to drive long distance from any parent etc. who would need to give permission AND get time off from work

Due to the large number of people expected to sign up for this trip, the club may not be able to call /email everyone if there are changes, so people need to watch the website for possible last minute announcements of any changes.

Equipment loaning will be 5 p.m. Tuesday, August 16 and returns will be 5 p.m. Tuesday, August 23. at the equipment shed under the bleachers on the east side of the football stadium and that may be a time you can get a ride if you need one.

As this is being written, we are not sure where the kayaks will be stored at the time of the trip. They might need to be loaded on the trailer before the trip and unloaded after. $20 of each trip kayaking participant's fee will be pooled and split as a credit towards future events (within one year) among those who help with any kayak loading/unloading before, during and after the trip.

NO REFUNDS for no-shows. The club will provide: campsite space, a faculty advisor, a first aid kit, and a water purifying pump for club led hikes/kayaking. The club intends to provide tandem kayaks, paddles, lifejackets (which must be worn and strapped securely) and possibly dry bags, but circumstances may preclude kayaking. The club will probably also provide a shared stove and lantern for at least one dining canopy covered cooking area, but if the club does not, members can borrow such club equipment with a cleaning and/or late fee deposit in the form of a cashier's check or credit card.

Trip participants are responsible for any other gear, including food and food preparation equipment, tents, sleeping bag, mosquito repellant, waterproof outer layers in case of rain, swimsuit, and other personal gear. Members can borrow some stoves, lanterns, tents and insulated sleeping pads, but we expect a large turnout for this trip and do not have enough of such gear for everyone. Showers are probably pay - bring quarters.

We have the group campsite at D.L.Bliss State park., a right turn just north of Emerald Bay off Highway 89. Large carpools are encouraged, as each will have to pay a daily fee (2004) of $5. The eight largest carpools will be allowed to park at the campsite, others will have to park at campground "overflow" at the "balancing rock" trailhead, about a quarter mile from the group site. The parking permits for vehicles (the eight largest carpools) allowed to park at the site will probably be at the campsite with the faculty advisor, or they may be at the entrance Ranger kiosk. DO NOT go to the site before 3 p.m. the first day, as the kayak trailer needs to park first!

All club-planned activities are optional. The first day of the trip there are no plans for anything, just arriving and setting up camp. The second day we have plans to kayak from a parking area a few miles south of Emerald Bay or perhaps the beach at our campground and go along the shore and into Emerald Bay (about eight miles round trip). This will take a half day or longer, bringing lunch with us. On previous trips many people did a tour ($5?) of Vikingsholm (a reproduction of a Norse fortress of 800 A.D.). If it's still legal, we'll go to the "teahouse" at the top of Fannette Island in the center of Emerald Bay. (Sorry, you can't have tea there because no picnicking is allowed on the island.) Previously people have swum around the island. If we do so this year we only do it when the advisor has set it up, and you must stay in line of sight of each other with a lifeguard in a kayak also in line of sight.

50 people can camp at the site, but only 20 to 26 can kayak. You must share a tandem kayak, no one can use a kayak individually unless there is a spare kayak.

For the potential kayaking part of the trip, we will give a kayak paddling lesson before we go out and have a discussion of the planned route. Please pay complete attention to it. It will include boundaries of where we will be going and important safety considerations. There are many motor-powered boats on Lake Tahoe, and we need to stay out of their way, even if we have the right of way. This means we will stay near shore most of the time. It's dangerous to goof around and pretend to tip the kayak or ram another kayak. Early mornings like these can be cold, and people have gear in the kayaks they want to keep dry, so water fights are not allowed.

Part of our club policy for kayaking includes: You must agree to stay with the group. Each kayak must be in talking distance, not just line of sight, of another kayak. This means fast paddlers may have to wait for others, and the next-to-slowest people will have to wait for the slowest. Fast paddlers can go out to the lead, then double back and visit with people at the back if it gets too boring for them. Stronger paddlers can volunteer to paddle with a slower partner on our return to the launching site. Everyone is expected to paddle to keep up with the group. Sometimes you have to paddle hard to keep the wind from pushing you where you don't want to go, or to stay with the group.

If we have swimming or a picnic at a destination and you don't want to participate, you must wait. If you envision yourself far ahead of the group, don't sign up for kayaking on this trip.

To be able to go on the proposed eight mile Emerald Bay kayak you must have been on a previous Club kayak of at least 1« miles duration, such as our Monterey Ocean Kayak Day Trip, or you must do a swim test of 20 laps (25 yards per lap) of freestyle or breastroke in 15 minutes, and be oriented to the kayaks on a shorter trip, such as Stevens Creek reservoir, or, if there is time, during the trip.

By signing up for this trip you are agreed to all of this. If, upon reading all this, it seems like too many rules for you (you don't want to paddle with the group, you don't want to wear a lifejacket, or you don't care about food storage or campfire rules) please don't sign up for the trip. People on previous kayaking and camping trips have been barred from attending future club events because they did not follow trip rules, and you could even be kicked off the trip before it is finished. If all this puts too many restrictions on your "freedom," please don't join us.

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Emerald Bay and Fanette Island at dawn:

photo below by Quang-Tuan Luong/terragalleria.com, all rights reserved.