u/Capable-Brother-7327

Hi all!

I’m curious about just basic… skills, lol. Fires, back country first aid, gear repair, backpacking skills in general. Not being a very smooth social person when just meeting people at campsites makes it really hard to learn from strangers, and my immediate circle is very much RV/glamping centric. I don’t have kids so I can’t hijack scouts to learn. (trust me, I considered finding a way to do this. heck, are there adult Girl Scouts troops??? if there isn’t, can there be??)

Are there any groups or in-person classes you can recommend for Northern California? I know REI does classes, but I’m not seeing any related to what I want. And I have found beginner friendly group trips you can sign up for, but those are week+ long, multi thousand dollar trips… And I totally get there are meetup type groups, but I don’t want to be the massive newbie burden expecting people to teach me for free.

I’m just hoping for a day or a night, in-person classes, learning from skilled folks! Big bonus if it isn’t super macho survival, “I need to kill a deer to survive 12 hours stranded overnight” kinda stuff. I have no desire or need to learn how to kill someone.

For context, I’ve always loved camping and hiking. But I’d either go alone for a night as a teenager out of necessity, or only ever with glampy-friends and family. I’ve gone on a few solo camping trips to very established campgrounds nearby, but only ever 1-2 nights. I want to build the skills necessary to do proper backpacking! I’m 40! How the heck do I not even know how to build a campfire at a campground ffs! 😂

hi y’all

the short ask: I’m looking for easy, hopefully less traveled (yeah, I know), hikes near the Bay Area that allows pets. would love a baby waterfall. And/or a trickling creek. big ol trees. I’d love to do something near Petaluma, mt tamalpais, point Reyes region.

the long ask: that short ask is super easy to come up with from something as simple as AllTrails, especially for just myself. but it’s not as easy if you’ve never actually been to the spot before and at least kind of know what to expect of the time from car -> trail, how high traffic it really is, prevalence of off leash dogs (😭), etc.

the extra context: my sweet old gal has been leash/backpack/stroller trained since she was a wee thing, and is now coming up on 20 years old. we've had some pretty big ups and downs health wise, but she’s been doing incredibly well after getting things situated. she’s slow, smart, and calculated. never budges from my side and knows to hop into her backpack or let me pick her up if danger comes along. she loves people, but is pretty set on doing her own thing and not being bothered by the squealing masses while on trail. in her younger years, she’d happily join me on small solo trips, but that was in the Midwest, and a decade ago. my location and trail popularity has changed drastically.

she just started laser therapy to help with her arthritis, and she’s gone from wanting her old lady 20 minute neighborhood walks to not wanting to stop to come inside. I’d love to treat her with a few outings to new landscapes for her golden years. nothing crazy, just a calm 1-2 hours in a quiet place with some fun new scenery and things to excite her dementia addled brain.

thanks for any input or suggestions!!