TRIP DESCRIPTION:
No, we’re not going all the way to Alabama.
Nestled just between the Sierras and Death Valley, this little pocket of land is a stellar destination for rock climbing and stargazing. We’ll be camping amongst Alabama Hill’s eerie desert boulders, but hiking up to an alpine lake — get you a landscape that can do both. Sign up for some scrambling & astrophotography, plus harmonica jams available upon request.
We’ll be camping with Eric Junker, a design professor at USC, and his 9-year-old son Rye — undoubtedly the coolest artistic father-son duo the world has ever seen. Plus, we’ll be joined by Dean Kubani, a geologist and professor of Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona!
PACKING LIST:
Clothes (you should know what this entails?)
Lots o’ layers and a hat — nighttime temps are predicted to drop into the 30s/40s so be prepared for chilly times
Solid hiking shoes
A sleeping bag / pad if you have one
Flashlight
H2O — 2-3 full liters per person! hydration is cool
WAIVERS
WE WILL PROVIDE: FOR OVERNIGHTS ETC
Sleeping bags / pads if you don’t have one already!
Tents
Food (but feel free to bring your own snacks! We’ll have some, but we understand that everybody has that ~ one kind of bar ~ they can’t live without.)
Impeccable vibes
PROFESSOR: Eric Junker
DEPARTMENT: Roski, Art & Design
An avid outdoorsman, surfer, and road tripper, Eric Junker channels his restless energy into creating art and design inspired by the colliding energies of his life in the city and his passion for nature and life on the road. His murals can be found throughout Southern California, where he lives, and as far afield as Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mexico, Costa Rica, and New York City. He has also worked as a designer for companies ranging from Patagonia to the GAP to Disney.
PEAK: Alabama Hills
DIFFICULTY: 3/5
SCENERY: Really round rocks! And arches! And views of the majestic Sierras, what more could you want? Plus, Alabama Hills’ isolated location makes it a prime spot for stargazing.
FUN FACT: You’ve probably seen Alabama Hills in the movies before — Iron Man, Gladiator and Django Unchained are just a few that were filmed here!
TRIP LEAD: Emily
Emily is a junior whose skills include but are not limited to: baking pies, doing headstands, and impersonating Bruce Springsteen.
Contact Emily: epellegr@usc.edu
Read Emily’s bio here.