<< BHS Home
 
Fall Trip Preparation

1. Meetings, meetings and more meetings!
There are 7 meetings and clinics that all BHS students will attend before they head out onto Fall Trips. Four of the meetings will be general assemblies with everyone in the school and three of the meetings will be with your particular trip group. The meetings and their purposes are listed in chronological order below:

  • Boot Clinic - Get sized for hiking boots if you need them.
  • Outdoor Education Introduction - Get an overview of Fall & Spring Trips and preparations over the next three weeks.
  • 1st Trip Meeting - Meet your group, your trip leaders and your route in the Sierras.
  • Tent Clinic - Set up your tents for your trip and inspect and repair them.
  • 2nd Trip Meeting - Gear Outfitting Day: Get your new clothing and camping gear for the trips.
  • Outdoor Skills Clinic - Learn about bears, bees, blisters & BM's in the woods!
  • 3rd Trip Meeting - Food & Pack Packing: Final gear check!

2. The Training Hikes
In order to prepare physically for the rigors of Fall Trips, all students take training hikes around the BHS campus during the three weeks leading up to the trips. Unless a student is involved in a strenuous team sport (i.e. soccer, volleyball or track), he or she should expect to go on 7 or 8 of these hikes. The hikes get longer and harder over time, but generally are no longer than an hour and a half. These hikes are an excellent way to get in shape, partly because the temperatures in Ojai on September afternoons are so darn hot! It is much hotter than any weather we face in the Sierras. So to be fully prepared, we must remember each day to bring our 5 Sun Precautions , listed below.

  • Sun hat!
  • Sun glasses!
  • Sun screen!
  • Sun hydration system (otherwise known as a full water bottle)!
  • Sunny, sunny smile!

You also will need to wear closed-toe shoes (NOT sandals or flip-flops!) like sneakers or hiking boots. Once you have received your boots, you must wear them on all hikes. You can also except to carry a full weighted backpack in the final week of training hikes.