Hike the Davis Mountains

RSVPs will open on 8/15. Read the below instructions carefully. You must take action on your own before RSVPing.

We will be hiking in the remote and scenic Davis Mountains, with our primary target being Baldy Peak, the high point of Mount Livermore and the entire Davis Mountains. Mt. Livermore is located in the Davis Mountains Preserve, which is only open on a couple days each year, so we will be going on the Nov 14th open day. This trip involves 3 nights of car camping, 2 days of day hiking, and a ~7-hour drive each way from Austin.

Info page: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/events/tx-davis-mountains-open-days/

To attend, you must follow these steps:

1. Read the entire info page linked above
2. On Aug 14th, make an entry reservation for yourself. You will do this by following a link at the top of the info page. I don't know what time of day the link will become available. Midnight and 8 AM are both good guesses. I don't know how fast the available reservations will sell out. Be ready!
3. After you have secured a reservation, and only if you secured one, RSVP to the meetup. RSVPs will open 8/15.
4. If you are not already a member of the Austin Mountaineers Whatsapp, contact me through meetup to be added to it. We will do further coordination of logistics via Whatsapp.
5. Once your attendance is confirmed, pay the trip fee of $80 to me by Venmo or Zelle. Consider this trip fee nonrefundable if you choose not to attend.
6. Purchase a star party ticket ($25) for yourself on 11/13 if you wish to attend (it's optional)

Vehicle coordination will be key for this trip, because 8" of ground clearance is required to access the trailhead. If necessary, we will rent vehicles that meet this requirement, the cost of which is included in the trip fee. If expenses are less than the total money collected, the excess will be returned as a partial refund to all attendees.

General itinerary:

* Thurs 11/12: Drive to Davis Mountains State Park. Camp at campground in that park
* Fri 11/13: Hiking in Davis Mountains State Park (a warmup day, but still plenty beautiful!). In the evening, drive to McDonald Observatory and attend their star party (optional).
* Sat 11/14: Drive to Davis Mountains Preserve, aiming to arrive at entrance at 8 AM. Drive to Livermore Trailhead Parking (5 miles on unimproved road). Hike Mount Livermore/Baldy Peak. The hike is ~10 miles round trip with ~2000 ft of elevation gain. Return to Davis Mountains State Park to camp.
* Sun 11/15: Break camp and drive back to Austin