|
|
Extended Treks
While the vast majority of Sundance outings are day trips, our group also puts together weekend trips as well as outings that last a week or longer and venture as far away as Europe, South America, or the Far East. We’ve extensively visited many exotic sites in the US, as well.
How often do national/international trips occur?
How many Sundancers usually attend these trips? The number of members signing onto these trips typically runs from 6 to 12 people, and the trips typically range from 6 to 10 days in length. Sometimes, there are two different groups of people attending the same trips, on two successive weeks.
Are these trips for-profit or at cost? All Sundance trips, regardless of type, are always conducted “at cost.” That is, Sundance, as a not-for-profit organization, does not charge for any services provided, other than the actual cost of the service itself – no profit is ever made. This is at great variance with “for profit” travel venues, who must build substantial fees into the price of the trip to remain profitable.
What are some typical costs of a Sundance-sponsored international trip? Sundance has sponsored truly exciting, and “way-below-market-cost” trips to literally scores of international locales. The cost is kept down because costs are shared among (e.g.) 10 or so people. For example, the cost to Sundance, in 2002, of renting an absolutely gorgeous, enormous villa, in the hills of the Italy’s Amalfi coast, overlooking the Island of Capri, was $3,100 for the villa for nine days. If you and a friend/partner had rented the house, you would each have paid $1,550 each. However, the cost of the villa, when divided equally among the 11 attendees was just $280 per person – for a palatial estate overlooking the island of Capri! Also, since Sundance makes no money on these trips, and since the two outing leaders serve are unpaid volunteers, the total cost of trips is remarkably low!!! (see the last section of this web page for trip descriptions.)
Where has Sundance traveled to in the past? Since its inception in 1980, Sundance has sponsored trips to scores of destinations. Some of these include: Provence, France in 1999 & 2005; The Galapagos Islands in 2003; Copper Canyon, Mexico in 2002; and the Grand Canyon in the USA. Then too, we’ve rented a wealthy landowner’s palatial estate near Seville, Spain in 2000. We trekked up to Machu Pichu, Peru, twice !once in 1982 and again in 2001. We visited the Great Wall of China, Tibet and Nepal in 2001, and have trekked to Ireland, the Virgin Islands, Glacier National Park in 1990 & 1997, Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies in 1997, and to the Sequoia National Forest in 2003. We visited Death Valley in 2004 and visited the Tuscany area of Italy in 1997 and again in 1998. In 2004, Sundancers hiked in the Lake District of the UK, its northernmost and prettiest terrain.
Are there other benefits to Sundance travelers, beyond the sites themselves? Besides the obvious goal of seeing the world’s exotic sights, these trips provide Sundancers with the less obvious benefit of building lasting, long-term personal friendships.
How do these trips get organized in the first place? Trips occur when any two Sundancers decide to organize and lead these outings. They then create a trip agenda and do research on what is needed to make the trip exciting and pleasurable. Deposits are usually required to reserve accommodations and local transportation, and the Sundance Board normally approves these upfront expenses and cuts a check to cover the deposits. This is yet another advantage of Sundance membership…no individual has to “cough-up” the substantial up-front amounts needed to book extended treks in advance. Note that in most instances, however, once a Sundancer commits to an extended trek, he or she is required to put down a modest to midsized deposit to demonstrate commitment to the event, and that most trips require you to book your own flights. Most other aspects of planning and coordination are done by the outing leaders, however.
How do I get to go on one of these Extended Treks? All Sundance members receive our monthly newsletter, the Crosswinds. Extended trips are listed there, usually many months before their departure date. We also encourage you to co-lead a trip yourself. This can provide you with a chance to develop your leadership and organizing skills. If you’d like to discuss the possibility of your leading a trip, contact our Outings Director at outings@sundanceoutdoor.org.
Can you tell us about a few, fairly typical Sundance international treks? You bet…here’s the scoop!
Ireland In 2001, Sundance sponsored 2 separate trips to Ireland. The first one featured bicycling in the western part of the country. The other trek featured primarily sightseeing, with some hiking. For this latter trip, we connected with Dublin’s Gay Outdoor group, who hosted us in their homes and provided wonderful hospitality to us. We then rented cars and traveled throughout the country, visiting many sites, and ending at the Aaron Islands.
Glacier National Park, Montana In 1990, and again in 1997, Sundance sponsored trips to Glacier National Park, in the Montana Rockies. On the first trip, our housing was cost-free since we stayed at a Sundance member’s friend’s cabin - one of only 26 remaining privately owned cabins. Our cabin lay at the foot of 9-mile long Lake McDonald. Having arrived at the cabin on July 5, we were at the height of the summer season, with the sun coming up at 5AM and not setting until 11:15 each day. To get around, we had rented a nine-passenger van at Great Falls, Montana, driven over the Continental Divide and across Going to the Sun Highway within Glacier Park to get to our cabin. The cabin was rustic yet comfortable, and we used it as the starting-point for spectacular day treks in the high country of the Montana Rockies. The nine members of this group had never met each other before, but many have remained firm friends to this day as the result of the shared experiences on that trip. We were lucky to be in Glacier Park on a year that the bright yellow bear grass was in bloom everywhere. Bear grass presents a visually stunning array of color over an already amazing countryside of wildflowers everywhere, glaciers above us, and animal life scampering everywhere, hording food for the long, long winter in the Glacier Rockies. This trip was yet another incredibly exciting and inexpensive Sundance adventure! This writer was one of the two co-leaders.
Hawaii In 2003 Sundance went as a group (actually, 2 groups, each in successive weeks, with some overlap of people between the two weeks) to the Big Island of Hawaii. We stayed at Kalani, a gay operated resort featuring an incomparably lovely setting, sumptuous outdoor gourmet meals, and daily trips to waterfalls, lava flows, national parks, orchid farms and other spectacular sites. In fact, the 10-day series of outings was customized and operated specifically for Sundancers by the resort’s owners, and included a private party at the resort owner’s home on the last evening. ~ For more info or questions about Extended Treks, feel free to contact the Outings Director at: outings@sundanceoutdoor.org
Check out our About Us & FAQ pages
To view outing details on the calendar now, click here to join Sundance online for $40/year ($20 students): JOIN To request a complimentary newsletter and go as a guest on up to two outings, or for general info, e-mail: info@sundanceoutdoor.org
|
