Hey starbeams, did you know that A-Camp is less than two months away?! It’s true! Your next opportunity to bask in the sun on top of Mount Feelings with 250 other queer humans is fast approaching, and we want you to be as ready as possible for the greatest gaycation of your life, so we are pulling out all the stops and hosting some 3-D events to help you prep!

the LA picnic will probably look just like this except with less people and you won’t all be wearing red shirts and you won’t be on Mount Feelings, so actually it won’t look like this at all but it’s going to be amazing i think you should go

The gorgeous and talented Robin Roemer (Camp Director and Calendar Girl Photographer, amongst many other impressive titles) will be hosting the very first A-Camp Prep event in Los Angeles, and it’s happening soon: Sunday, September 8th!

This event is for everyone: first time A-Campers who might be a bit shy or anxious and want to ease their nerves, veteran A-Campers who want to hang out with their buds, wannabe A-Campers who can’t make it in October and need to be cheered up about that tragic fact, and and and I’ve-Never-Heard-Of-A-Campers who are wondering what the heck this “camp” thing is all about. Every single one of you reading this in the LA area should go to this event, is what I’m saying. I would go but it’s kind of a pain to fly from the East Coast just for the afternoon, ya know? But don’t worry, Robin will take great care of you.

Okay so here’s what you’re gonna be doing!

Who: YOU! and Robin
What: A-Camp Picnic Day in LA!
When: Sunday, September 8th; optional easy hike at 11:45am, picnic at 12-3pm
Where: Griffith Park (picnic at Old Zoo, optional hike to Bee Rock)
Extra Info: Bring your own food and drinks, and bring a water bottle if you plan to hike!
Suggested Donation: $5, all funds will go toward sponsoring another campership!

The hike itself is super easy and super optional, so if that doesn’t sound like your thing don’t worry, just show up for the picnic! You’ll be sharing ideas about camp and bonding with new and old friends and hanging out in the gorgeous LA weather, and really what more could you ask for on a Sunday afternoon?

Here are the directions: Take the 5 Freeway to the Los Feliz Boulevard exit. Drive west on Los Feliz Boulevard to the first light and turn north on Crystal Springs Road. After 1.5 miles, turn left on Griffith Park Drive. Continue a quarter mile and turn left into a parking area just before the road bends to the right. Park in this lot and walk up the stairs to the old zoo area.

squint your eyes and picture this location filled with a bunch of queers hanging out with robin omg doesn’t that sound fantastic it’s like i never wanna open my eyes again i just wanna keep picturing that for forever

Here is the address if you plan to just plug it into your iPhone and let technology guide you because we live in the future: Griffith Park Drive, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

Would you like to host your own Prep For A-Camp 3D Event? Email me at vanessa [at] autostraddle [dot] com and we’ll make it happen!

We’ve still got a few spots open for the October session of A-Camp (Oct. 9-13) so if you’d like to learn more about camp, be sure to check out our website. You can register to go here.

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