RESOURCES
roughing it in the great outdoors
man cannon style
by strasser
On a recent balmy August weekend, the dirty dozen men of Man Cannon geared up and rolled off into the wilds for our annual overnight adventure. This was my third 24-hour outing with the team and in many ways the best yet. Then again, this is the first overnight I didn’t share a two-man tent with that cuddly brute, Stauder.
But seriously, Man Cannon enjoyed a powerful overnight experience doing all of the mundane and mystical things that make our men’s work so empowering. We circled up, cleared lists. We competed fiercely in a fun-and-physical triathlon. Our shaman led an enlightening ritual inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell. We connected on a deeper level around a roaring fire, honorably completed two men, and saluted our outgoing team leader. We elected a new one, for better or worse. We laughed our fool asses off and ate like effing kings.
Our 2012 overnight also rocked due to where we “camped.” In years past, we pitched tents in dusty sites with rocky terrain and scant amenities. As a longtime backpacker, I can dig hunkering down and roughing it in the wilds. Some may find it manly to set up and break down campsites, wash dishes with buckets of cold water schlepped from a rickety spigot. With a crowded 24-hour overnight agenda, menial tasks chew up precious time perhaps best spent engaging men in team exercises.
This time around Man Cannon rented a cabin. As location manager, I worked closely with our PTM scoping out potential sites. We ultimately settled on Pine Mountain Club, a reasonably local getaway community nestled in the Los Padres National Forest, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles. With the help of the cool folks at All Seasons Realty, we scouted out various available rentals in various price ranges. We were blown away by a massive, newly built cabin: Elmore Estates. As this sampling of testimonials from Man Cannon indicates, the men loved it!!!
“This grand ‘cabin’ is an excellent choice for an overnight. Very comfortable and rustic at the same time. Beautiful views from the back deck, which is very large and perfect for the team gatherings. A lot of sky and mountain. At night the crickets are serenading the stars. (Did I mention the jacuzzi?).“
“The cabin was incredible. And worth spending 2 nights. With the park so close you could even arrange a circle up a few hours before checking in to the cabin.”
“What a wonderful home ... pleasant and peaceful they had everything we could ever need.”
“I loved the cabin. It was a nice change of pace. My only wish is that we would've had a more spacious outdoor area, like a backyard with a fire pit or something for fun and physical. Having the park so close was great though.”
Our overnight location wasn’t perfect. But then what in this vida loca is? There’s a reason the term “Utopia” means “no place.” What few shortcomings Elmore Estates had were more than compensated for by spacious sleeping areas, multiple bathrooms, a game room with a spanking new ping-pong table, fully stocked modern kitchen, beautiful view from the back deck, Jacuzzi, proximity to a large park, and a tranquil pond. As for a fire, we brought a portable patio fire pit along to circle up around right on the roomy back deck of the cabin. As the old adage goes: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” A little ingenuity goes a long way among a team of resourceful men.
I highly recommend you consider Pine Mountain Club and Elmore Estates for your next team overnight. Feel free to contact me with any comments or questions.
Strasser
310-428-7590
[email protected].
But seriously, Man Cannon enjoyed a powerful overnight experience doing all of the mundane and mystical things that make our men’s work so empowering. We circled up, cleared lists. We competed fiercely in a fun-and-physical triathlon. Our shaman led an enlightening ritual inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell. We connected on a deeper level around a roaring fire, honorably completed two men, and saluted our outgoing team leader. We elected a new one, for better or worse. We laughed our fool asses off and ate like effing kings.
Our 2012 overnight also rocked due to where we “camped.” In years past, we pitched tents in dusty sites with rocky terrain and scant amenities. As a longtime backpacker, I can dig hunkering down and roughing it in the wilds. Some may find it manly to set up and break down campsites, wash dishes with buckets of cold water schlepped from a rickety spigot. With a crowded 24-hour overnight agenda, menial tasks chew up precious time perhaps best spent engaging men in team exercises.
This time around Man Cannon rented a cabin. As location manager, I worked closely with our PTM scoping out potential sites. We ultimately settled on Pine Mountain Club, a reasonably local getaway community nestled in the Los Padres National Forest, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles. With the help of the cool folks at All Seasons Realty, we scouted out various available rentals in various price ranges. We were blown away by a massive, newly built cabin: Elmore Estates. As this sampling of testimonials from Man Cannon indicates, the men loved it!!!
“This grand ‘cabin’ is an excellent choice for an overnight. Very comfortable and rustic at the same time. Beautiful views from the back deck, which is very large and perfect for the team gatherings. A lot of sky and mountain. At night the crickets are serenading the stars. (Did I mention the jacuzzi?).“
“The cabin was incredible. And worth spending 2 nights. With the park so close you could even arrange a circle up a few hours before checking in to the cabin.”
“What a wonderful home ... pleasant and peaceful they had everything we could ever need.”
“I loved the cabin. It was a nice change of pace. My only wish is that we would've had a more spacious outdoor area, like a backyard with a fire pit or something for fun and physical. Having the park so close was great though.”
Our overnight location wasn’t perfect. But then what in this vida loca is? There’s a reason the term “Utopia” means “no place.” What few shortcomings Elmore Estates had were more than compensated for by spacious sleeping areas, multiple bathrooms, a game room with a spanking new ping-pong table, fully stocked modern kitchen, beautiful view from the back deck, Jacuzzi, proximity to a large park, and a tranquil pond. As for a fire, we brought a portable patio fire pit along to circle up around right on the roomy back deck of the cabin. As the old adage goes: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” A little ingenuity goes a long way among a team of resourceful men.
I highly recommend you consider Pine Mountain Club and Elmore Estates for your next team overnight. Feel free to contact me with any comments or questions.
Strasser
310-428-7590
[email protected].
