Moab Bike/Hike/Explore November 7-15, 2020

I would like to announce the twelfth edition of our successful hike/explore/bike trips to Moab. We have been going most Novembers since 2008, and every time has been a great success. The 2014 trip report can be found at http://lamountaineers.org/node/479#comment-57.

As before, we will establish a base in a large, comfortable house in Moab, and from there mountain bike, hike, and scramble in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and the wild country immediately around Moab like Behind the Rocks. Some of our most rugged adventures takes us no more than two miles from home, yet lie deep in the wilderness. We keep discovering new places to adventure. For all eight days of our 2019 trip, we hiked in places that we had not visited in the first ten years.

I have booked the Moab Retreat House from Saturday November 7 through Sunday November 15, 2020; this week straddles the November 11 Veteran's Day holiday. Details of the House can be found at www.moabretreat.com. I have rented both sides of the house, north and south, with five bedrooms each. First priority will be folks who want to stay the whole week, but I will also try to fit folks in who want to stay Saturday through Wednesday or Wednesday through Sunday.

There will be hiking and biking options each day, with activity levels ranging from easy to hard and technicality from beginner to advanced. Most days there will be an easy, non-technical option, as well as the more challenging adventures. Every day outing will organized as a separate Mountaineers trip with a trip leader, and be formally signed out via a Mountaineers trip waiver for all participants. Canyoneering outings will be possible if a trip leader (not me) is available and willing to take the leadership responsibility. Day leaders have full discretion in limiting the numbers for their outing, and deciding who is qualified to take part. All participants in Moab must be paid-up members of the Mountaineers both at the time they sign up and at the time of the trip. If spots become short in the Moab Retreat House, they will be assigned with a preference for those interested in exploring new places on foot.

After the daytime adventuring, we will socialize in the evening with dinners together, either potluck or hitting the town.

I would like to stress the importance of carpooling, both to express our respect for the environment, and so as not to overstrain the limited parking. Persons who drive solo to Moab may be asked to park offsite (a couple blocks away) and make a contribution to the church who owns the parking lot.

Please let me know if you are interested in this outing. To hold a spot, please send me a deposit of $200 per person, or if you prefer, pay in full up front. Final payment will be due by July 1, 2020. The facility costs are up only slightly from past years; the schedule below should cover lodging costs for the 8-day stay, but if our revenue comes up short, we will make a final collection during the trip. A small gratuity for the house's cleaning crew is also a kind thing to do. Half-week stays will be half price, if a match can be found for the other half of the week. Deposits will be refunded only if this can be done without impacting the other participants, whatever the reason for cancellation.

Estimated lodging costs for the 8-night stay:

                                        Double       Single     

Master bedroom             $650.00      $450.00           

Queen bedroom             $480.00      $400.00           

N basement family room    $400.00     $220.00           

Understairs nook             N/A           $200.00            

Bunkroom                       $325.00     $250.00