sturdy field boots with good ankle support
 day pack big enough to hold your water, lunch, jacket and mapping gear
 water bottles for 2-3 liters of water (4 liters if the weather is hot)
 sun hat; warm hat that covers your ears; gloves or mittens
 sunscreen
 Brunton or other suitable compass for measuring strike & dip and sighting on objects (you can borrow one from Division)
 hand lens
 rock hammer:  either a sledge hammer w/separate chisel, or a lighter pick hammer
 small trowel or collapsible shovel for cleaning off exposures in soft materials
 clipboard with cover (to protect your map) (you can borrow one from the GPS Division)
 field notebook
 protractor
 field pencils, pens, eraser, ruler
 drafting pens
 colored pencils
 optional:  camera, film, binoculars, pocket knife, hand magnet
 optional:  field case for carrying notebook/pencils
 optional:  camelbak or platypus-type water bag with a tube and bite valve, so that you can drink water hands-free any time
 optional:  hiking poles (the terrain is not that steep though)
 optional:  leather work gloves (to protect your hands while you are climbing up & down rocky areas)
 optional:  personal first aid kit and/or snakebite kit to carry in your day pack

Camping equipment ( Note that we will be wilderness camping so there will be no facilities of any kind available; please plan accordingly) :
  tent with rain fly (can be borrowed; see note below)
  foam pad or thermarest (can be borrowed; see note below)
 sleeping bag (can be borrowed; see note below)
 flashlight or head lamp
 
Obviously you also want clothing, toiletries, socks, a towel. Please bring warm clothing to wear at night.

Temperatures:
   Check the weather forecast for Barstow, California. The weather will probably be similar. It can be windy any time. Be prepared for rain.

Terrain:
 The terrain is desert but not particularly steep. Some slopes have loose rocks. Please wear sturdy footwear.   There are bees and rattlesnakes in the vicinity.
 

Other advice:
 If you have a driver's license, please take the Division driving test so that you can be authorized to drive the Division field vehicles.
 
 If you don't have a sleeping bag, tent or foam pad you can arrange to borrow (rent) one from the Caltech Y. In this case the GPS Division will pay for the cost of the rental. You are not allowed to sleep in the field vehicles.
 
  If you tend to lose things such as your rock hammer or protractor, we recommend the following: 1) make your rock hammer more visible with neon tape or spray paint on the handle; 2) choose a protractor that is tinted and transparent instead of colorless and transparent.

Please make sure you have filled out the online emergency contact information form and submitted it to the Division Office. Please fill out another copy and bring it with you to the field in a sealed envelope with your name written on the outside. This envelope should also include information concerning any medications you are taking, and anything else that an emergency room doctor might want to know about you, in the unlikely event that you have a medical emergency. The envelope will be carried with us in the field and only opened if necessary. Otherwise it will be returned to you unopened at the end of the last field trip.

Last updated September 27, 2011 by J. Stock .