What we’re about
Welcome to our Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Jose hiking and friendship group. Make friends and sweat 💦😅😋😊👍.
We offer an array of outdoor activities, with a focus on moderate to challenging hikes. Our hikes are also a place to learn some of the natural history of our area. Some hikes will go slowly enough to identify and photograph plants and mushrooms, and the occasional newt or bird (or mammal, of course). Other hikes are more focused on getting a good workout in a beautiful environment, in the company of other pleasant people. Most of our hikes are a mix of the two. Please be compassionate and mindful of everyone during our hikes.
We also sponsor a smaller number of indoor activities, be it (optionally) getting together at a pub or restaurant after a hike, or our monthly, roving trivia night. We sometimes refer to these events, affectionately and mirthfully, as "Connect Indoors".
Please join us!
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Big Sur’s Andrew Molera: Elfin Redwoods, River Crossing, Purple Sand Beaches??!Andrew Molera State Park, Big Sur, CA
(Update: Be sure to check for updates here before departing on Sunday! W/r to Pebble Beach traffic (see comments), I have allocated more than an hour longer than Alltrails suggests for the hike, so we will be back before the car show ends.)
Join us for a gorgeous and diverse Big Sur hike — but be ready for a strenuous uphill start, possible patches of rough trail and poison oak, relenting into panoramic bluffs and a purple sand beach. This is an Explore Hike*.
Route: 8-9miles, ~1,500’ Elevation Gain. Alltrails.
Bring: Water shoes (or an amphibious spirit), hiking shoes with good traction, sunscreen, bug repellent, plenty of water and a hearty snack. A pleasant disposition!
Forecast: Sunny. High 68F
Cell phones: Assume no service once past Monterey area. Pre-load maps. Cross your T’s and dot your I’s.
Anrew Molera’s Elfin Redwoods as well as the Purple Sand Beaches are highly reputed as secret attractions here. We will assess, but not reveal, the veracity of these claims.
Note: This is not a beginner hike. Please review the trail and difficulty level before signing up.
We will be crossing through the Big Sur River - there is no bridge,
Trail is Moderately Challenging: The route, rated as moderately challenging, is generally well-maintained with some steep sections and poison oak along the trail. River crossings may be up to knee-high. Distance and elevation are estimates.
This group hikes at a fairly fast pace, averaging 2.0 — 2.5mph. Please allow 5 hours for us to explore this route and several side routes. Bring your adventurous good attitude!Carpooling: From west Santa Cruz, we can carpool from The Abbey. Post your offers and requests for carpooling in the comments, noting best rendezvous locations.
When / Where to meet: Meet in the Andrew Molera Parking Area 🅿️, near the Creamery Meadow Trailhead in Big Sur by 11am. Hike departs at 11:15am.
*Explore Hike: "Explore" signifies that we are all in this together, and your host will be exploring this for the first time along with you. So, roll with the punches and bad puns, and enjoy the discovery together. You should be a reasonably confident and fit hiker to join us on an explore hike.
Legal Disclaimer: The organizers and hosts in this group are not professional guides, and each person who signs up for a trip/meetup/ or outing is responsible for his or her own safety and the safety of his or her guests and property. By signing up for this hike, or any other event organized by this group, you are acknowledging that you are aware and have made your guests aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with any social activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards, and further agree to release and discharge the organizer, assistant organizers, event organizers and event hosts of this Meetup group from and against any and all liability arising from your and your guest's participation in the group activities. As always, this is a “Participate at your Own Risk” event.
- Trivia Night [Abbott Square]Abbott Square, Santa Cruz, CA
Join us for Abbott Square's Summer Trivia Nights, hosted by Lookout Santa Cruz. Let’s see if our winning streak from 2023 can be revived in 2025!
6pm — Arrive and find each other (look for Debra’s magnetic smile (center of photo). Brainstorm a group name! Buy some food or beer!!
6:30 — Trivia game begins.
8pm — Game ends.
8:10 — 9pm Optional sunset walk to work off the beer?NOTE on tickets: We have tickets for 10 members, and may grab another 10 if we have a large demand. You may initially be on the waitlist, as we sort out our team. Please do not “no-show” if you get a seat with us (just update your RSVP on this page). Returning attendees may be given priority from the waitlist, due to their track record of showing up.
Abbott Square Trivia web page here.During our legendary winning streak of yore, the Abbott Square goodie bag of prizes was fun, but unlike Greater Purpose trivia night, it included no free beer! Of course, free beer had its down side. What trims the budget can pad the waistline. 😂 Also, we regret to report, Greater Purpose went bankrupt as we started to cash in our winnings, so maybe Abbott Square has wised up. Greater Purpose has been replaced by Balefire Brewing, sans the game room / ping pong tables 😢.
Come at 6pm to help us commandeer a table or two! Games start at 6:30.
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Our original / notorious trivia intro:
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Is your brain a trove of useless facts? Useless no longer! Join our team to compete in this high-stakes trivia competition!If they ask about Santa Cruz hiking trails, or which local wildflower garners the word "fetid" in its name, we've got it covered. But, for more arcane topics, like music, or Kanye West's shoe size, we are at a loss. That's why we need you!
Help round out our square team. If hundreds show up, we can just branch out into multiple teams like a high IQ plasmodium! (Haven't heard of plasmodium? Hmmm, don't tell your trivia mates, and learn about them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8HEDqoTPgk).
Legal Disclaimer: The organizers and hosts in this group are not professional guides, and each person who signs up for a trip/meetup/ or outing is responsible for his or her own safety and the safety of his or her guests and property. By signing up for a trivia night, or any other event organized by this group, you are acknowledging that you are aware and have made your guests aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with any social activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards, and further agree to release and discharge the organizer, assistant organizers, event organizers and event hosts of this Meetup group from and against any and all liability arising from your and your guest's participation in the group activities. As always, this is a “Participate at your Own Risk” event.
![Trivia Night [Abbott Square] cover photo](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/a/d/0/5/event_515504293.webp "Trivia Night [Abbott Square]")
