The Grapes of Raft

Trek Description

Have you ever dreamed of taking long walks on the beach, sipping the finest Pinots and Cabernets, and watching the sun set over Lake Tahoe? How about getting tossed around the Truckee River rapids or feasting on 2x2s at In ‘N Out Burger?

If you said “yes” to all of the above, you’re strange. The good news is this: we are, too. If hiking, swimming, winery exploring, rafting, and getting to know your future classmates is on your wish list, you’re a perfect candidate for The Grapes of Raft!

Here’s how it all begins: Land in beautiful San Francisco and enjoy the first evening exploring the city. The next day, we begin the adventure with a visit to Muir Woods to wander among towering redwoods. We’ll enjoy an oyster BBQ lunch at Hog Island and will work off lunch with an afternoon of beach hiking in the untamed Point Reyes National Seashore.

On Day 3, we’ll make our way to world-famous Sonoma County to enjoy a winery tour and picnic lunch. Evening plans include an exclusive gourmet cooking class where we will prepare dinner.

Wake up early on Day 4 to head to the rugged mountains of North Lake Tahoe, where we will spend two nights in the gorgeous Sierra region.

En route, we’ll treat ourselves to a meal like none other at In ‘N Out Burger. Choices for our free afternoon upon arriving in Tahoe include hiking, kayaking, swimming, and fly fishing. Chefs Nate and Ben will serve a decadent barbeque dinner at our beautiful Lakehouse.

The next day will be filled with a whitewater rafting adventure on either the Truckee or American river (depending on conditions). We’ll enjoy dinner and sightseeing on the state line between Nevada and California.

Come Day 6, we’ll make our way back to San Francisco. There we’ll take in a tour of Alcatraz before heading to the San Francisco Giants baseball game – the Dodgers are in town!
Beat LA!

On our last night before flying back to Michigan for MLP, we’ll toast to new friendships and incredible memories. Go Blue!

Summary Information

Activities	Hiking, whitewater rafting, winery exploring, swimming, fly fishing, kayaking, urban exploring
Location	Northern California: San Francisco, Marin County, Point Reyes, Sonoma, Tahoe
Rating	Laid Back (with my mind on my money…)
Dates	August 13th through the 19th (7 days)
Cost	$880 - $1,075 ( + $275 - $350 roundtrip airfare DTW to SFO)
Gear	Comfortable walking/hiking shoes, swimsuit, windbreaker or waterproof jacket for windy or rainy conditions at Point Reyes

Trek Leader Bios

Ben Johnson

Nate Johnson

Jess Rosenbloom

Jennie McConaghy

Originally from Southern California, Ben graduated from UC San Diego and migrated to the East Coast. He lived in Boston and NYC for several years before escaping his IT consulting job and arriving at the banks of the Huron River in Ann Arbor.

Ben hopes to lend an aura of gravitas and maturity to this M-Trek. Contrary to what the other leaders of this trek may believe, there is such a thing as too much fun. When he is not acting responsibly, he enjoys participating in the Health Care and Soccer clubs. Ben has lived overseas, speaks fluent Spanish, and can say “cheers” in six different languages.

A Silicon Valley native, Nate has crossed the amber waves of grain many a time. He is a graduate of Middlebury College and spent a half decade in tech sales and marketing before banging his head against accounting and operations textbooks. When asked how many hours he spent studying during the first term, he replied: “I don’t do numbers.”

At Ross, Nate is involved in the High Tech and Entre-preneur and Venture Clubs along with being an active member of the UMBSA. Along with J-Mac and other Section Fivers, Nate started a rock band, P-Hat, that can be seen at many of Ann Arbor’s finest (dive) bars. Beyond being a music junkie, he enjoys fly-fishing, wine drinking…err, tasting, and grilling in Ben’s backyard. And, ladies, don’t get any ideas. Nate has been married for five wonderful* years.

*Superlative required by “Johnson-Budelsky Treaty of 2000.”

Always a Jersey girl at heart, Jess grew up outside of New York City but hasn’t lived in the Tri-State Area for nearly 8 years. Living in the middle of Maine for 4 years at Colby College and then trekking west to Colorado, Jess has earned the characterization of “outdoorsy,” but please don’t tell her that.

As an economic and financial analyst in Colorado, Jess threw it all in the bag when receiving her acceptance to Ross and became a glorified ski bum. Now at Ross she has done a 180 and will be spending her summer with Tony the Tiger and friends. When Jess is not following around P-Hat as its band-aid, she participates in the Marketing and Global Citizenship Club and tries her luck on the flag football field. Incidentally, Jess is the only trek leader who can claim surfing prowess. (Yes, that black dot really is her head.)

Jennie hails from the Midwest, having spent the last four years in Chicago and the five before that at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. If prompted, she’ll tell you the long story of her journey from music & anthropology major to Ross student, but the short version is much simpler: she’s “having a killer time at b-school while trying to avoid the low pass in finance.”

At Ross, Jennie is concentrating in marketing and, well, let’s be honest, extracurricular activities. In addition to singing for P-Hat with Nate, she is involved with Follies, the Marketing Club, Net Impact, and the Monroe Street Multisport Club. Since she spends a ridiculous amount of her free time with Jess, Nate, and Ben, she can guarantee that this trek and its team of leaders will exceed every possible expectation.

Day 1 Itinerary - Sunday

Ratings
Activity	Urban Exploring
Accommodations	Budget Motel/Lodge
Experience	None Required
What do these activity ratings mean?

Ben, Nate, Jess, and Jennie will greet trekkers as they arrive at California’s SFO international airport by late afternoon. After piling into our luxurious* transportation, Trekkers will be whisked away to downtown San Francisco and the Stratford Hotel. At the doorstep of our hotel is picturesque Union Square, where you can wander off your jet lag. We’ll hop on the cable car to explore the cultural heritage of the city, including Chinatown and the Marina District. Then, get to know your fellow trekkers at a romantic family-style Italian dinner in North Beach.

(*Mini-vans by definition are not luxurious, but we can pretend.)

Day 2 Itinerary - Monday

Ratings
Activity	Hiking (woods and beach), Oyster BBQ
Accommodations	Hostel
Experience	None Required
What do these activity ratings mean?

We start our journey North out of San Francisco. Along the way, enjoy panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and an obligatory Marin Headlands group photo. Our next stop is Muir Woods for a morning hike amidst the towering backdrop of 300’ high (that’s 90.9 meters for you metric folks) Redwood trees. Then it’s off to Hog Island for a BBQ lunch of the finest, freshest oysters* you’ve ever tasted – you’ll be awed as Nate demonstrates his refined tong techniques. Our afternoon will be spent hiking in the wild Point Reyes National Seashore, home of the San Andreas Fault. Enjoy a relaxing campfire dinner before drifting off to sleep, bunkbed-style, at the park’s hostel.

(*Alternate meal options will be provided for vegetarian trekkers or those who don’t like oysters.)

Day 3 Itinerary, Tuesday

Ratings
Activity	Winery Exploring, Picnic Lunch, Group Participatory Gourmet Cooking Class
Accommodations	Budget Motel
Experience	None Required
What do these activity ratings mean?

*food fight and grape stomping optional

After a refreshing night’s sleep, we will wake up early and head for grape country, Sideways style. Our day in Sonoma County starts with VIP treatment – we’ll live it up on our private tour and tasting at Kendall Jackson Vineyards. (Sorry, Merlot fans – no tasting of that grape will be allowed.) Soak up the wine with a picnic lunch in Kendall Jackson’s gardens, and then pile in the vans for another round of grape tasting at Benziger Family Winery. Our high-society day will finish with a gourmet meal. Don’t get to excited – after all, you’re a business school student now – because we have to cook the meal first. No worries, though; we’ll have the help of a professional to guide this group cooking extravaganza. With full stomachs, our heads will hit the pillow at the El Pueblo Inn in the town of Sonoma.

Day 4 Itinerary, Wednesday

Ratings
Activity	Hiking, Fly Fishing, Kayaking, Swimming
Accommodations	Lodge
Experience	Recommended (swimming)
What do these activity ratings mean?

The time has come to “escape the grape” as we wind our way into the mountains of Lake Tahoe (but not without stopping at California’s famous In-n-Out Burger for lunch). In the afternoon, enjoy a serene lakeshore hike lead by mountaineer Jess, followed by free time for optional activities such as kayaking, fly fishing with Nate, or – if you have a blatant disregard for cold water like Jennie – a dip in the lake. Warm up by the fireplace after our busy afternoon and get ready for a relaxing – you guessed it – gourmet BBQ dinner at the Lakehouse.

Day 5 Itinerary, Thursday

Ratings
Activity	Whitewater Rafting
Accommodations	Lodge
Experience	Required (swimming)
What do these activity ratings mean?

Today’s the day we paddle more than a basement party at your fraternity house. We’ll spend a few hours rafting down the Truckee River, just north of Lake Tahoe. We’ll float in the sun and rip through the rapids. And, we’ll laugh at Ben when he gets launched into the current. (Don’t worry, Ben floats.) A final evening hike on the lake, a BBQ dinner around the campfire, a gorgeous sunset over the Sierra Nevadas, and a trip over to the Nevada state line to say we were there … does it get any better than this? (Hint: it doesn’t.)

Day 6 Itinerary, Friday

Ratings
Activity	Urban exploring
Accommodations	Budget Motel/Lodge
Experience	None required
What do these activity ratings mean?

Today we spend a few hours on scenic Interstate 80, driving from a mile high to sea level. To pass the time, Jennie will lead us through songs (P-Hat’s set list, most likely) and Jess will teach us her famous license plate game.

Once we get back to the city, we’ll explore some of the unique neighborhoods that make San Francisco so … well, unique. (Is Alcatraz considered a neighborhood?) For our final event, we’ll meet up with Bay Area Ross Alums and hit Pac Bell … err, SBC … err, AT & T Park to see the Giants beat the crap out of the Dodgers. (Note: since we’ll be sitting in left field, please leave your steroids at home.) When it’s time to hit the hay, we’ll find ourselves again at the Stratford Hotel.

Day 7 Itinerary, Saturday

Ratings

Activity

Urban Exploring, flying home

What do these activity ratings mean?

Chow down on breakfast grub in the City by the Bay. It’s probably your last real food before peanuts and $5 beers on that flight to Detroit. On that note, be sure to stretch your legs with one last stroll around Nob Hill because whill charming, Ann Arbor’s version of Nob Hill just isn’t the same. Ben, Nate, Jess, and Jennie will take care of getting you to the airport on time for your flight home.

Disappointed that the trip of a lifetime is over? Don’t be. You’ve got nothing but good times in store at Michigan, starting with MLP! GO BLUE!!

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