Mini Trips
What’s a Mini?
Mini trips are ones that are based out of where I originate from, the Mid-West. These trips will take us anywhere from 1 to 6 hours away from our home base of Toledo, Ohio… and anyone in the general area can join! We’ve had people join from all over Ohio, Michigan and the Chicago area (so far)… so if you’re in that wide circle, come along with us!
Minis are short group trips, usually ranging from one to three days, that provides group travel in a more local setting. The main focus of each Mini will almost always be some sort of outdoor adventure… whether it be hiking, camping, climbing, kayaking, white water rafting, backpacking, caving or biking, I want to provide opportunities for people to get out and enjoy the outdoors while making new friends and connecting with the travel family we are creating.
So if you’re in the area, please join us!
2024 Minis…
Mini Trips “Go Live” on January 10th at noon. That means I’ll start taking deposits via Cash App or Venmo at that time. Some of these trips will fill up FAST, so be sure to move quick with your deposits!
If you have any questions about the Minis or how to sign up, please email acornexpeditions@gmail.com for more info!
*As a reminder these trips are for people around the Ohio area.
-
February 17th (after 5pm) - February 19th
Total cost: $270
Number of spots: FULL
Payment Plan:
Deposit: $70
January 26th: $100
February 9th: $100
Physical difficulty: 5/8 (winter hiking can be a little difficult if you aren’t used to it)
Bougie level: 5/5
Do you want a luxury winter getaway with a big cabin full of strangers?
What at first sounds like the start of a horror film can actually turn out to be a fun time! Join us in Hocking Hills THIS winter. We will be staying in a fancy cabin AND you will be having THE Cory Berlekamp as your personal chef for 2 breakfasts, one lunch AND a dinner.
So strap on your crampons, we’ll be hiking Hocking Hills during its least visited season, meaning we will basically have the place to ourselves (back to that horror film though…). After hiking out in the cold, we will be able to retreat to our fancy ass cabin and curl up in pajamas and play some games together.
-
March 10th
Total cost: $100
Number of spots: FULL
Payment Plan:
Deposit: $50
February 23rd: $50
Physical difficulty: 7/9
Are you ready to get extremely dirty? EXCELLENT! Come along underground as we crawl, squeeze and climb through a privately owned cave. No part of this cave has been changed for ease of exploring except the entrance… where we will climb 30 feet down a manhole to access the full cave. We will be underground for about 2 hours and all equipment will be provided.
*Due to tight squeezes hips must measure 42 inches or smaller for this experience
*When I say “you’re gonna get dirty” I mean it. Don’t wear anything you love and bring a change of clothes.
-
May 5th (rain date May 12th)
Total cost: Free
Number of spots: Unlimited (well there is a limit… but that limit is like, 40, so it’s basically unlimited)
*Dog Friendly* (For friendly, active, fully vetted dogs)
*The last day you can sign up for this trip is April 7th*
Physical difficulty: 6/8 (the terrain itself is easy, just the mileage is what makes this one more difficult)
Join us back out on our local Scout Trail! Last year we backpacked it, but this year we are going to complete it all in one day (you can dooooo it!). Come on out and tackle a 16 mile trail with us. Since this is a free event, just email me if you are interested in doing this one and you’ll be added to a group chat.
-
May 18th (after 5pm) - May 20th
Total cost: $300 pp
Number of spots: FULL
Payment plan:
Deposit: $50
February 16th: $50
March 22nd: $100
May 3rd: $100
Physical difficulty: 8/9 (rafting and climbing are both physically demanding)
Bougie level: 1/5 (we’re camping!)
We’ll be heading to West Virginia to hike, raft, and climb at New River Gorge National Park. First we will be heading out to raft the lower New river, a good river to raft if you’ve never gone before! We’ll toss some hiking in after our river time. The next day we’ll head out with local climbing guides on a pontoon boat to top rope and boulder right over the lake (so if you fall, the water will catch you). While waiting for your turn to climb you can SUP or swim around in the lake or just chill on the pontoon.
For this trip you’ll be expected to have your own sleeping gear (sleeping bag, mat, pillow). I can loan out my tents if you don’t have a tent yet!
-
June 30th
Total cost: $90
Number of spots: FULL
Payment plan:
Deposit: $40
May 10th: $50
Physical difficulty: 2/9
Come along on a ferry ride to Put in Bay where we will ride along on 2 large golf carts with a bunch of strangers. We will go underground at Perry’s Cave and Crystal Cave on South Bass Island (if you joined on Cave Day 2023 I hope you kept your cave card because this will finish out the Ohio caves for you!). Hike some short easy trails, kayak in the bay, wander the streets aimlessly, and settle into a nice fun restaurant to eat your full weight in food.
-
July 6th (after 5 pm) - July 8th
Total cost: $350
Number of spots: 7
Payment plan:
Deposit: $50
April 12th: $150
June 7th: $150
Physical difficulty: 7/9
Bougie scale: 1/5 (we’re camping!)
Have you fallen in love with whitewater rafting? Might as well take it up a notch and give it a go in a kayak! Come back to Ohiopyle with us as we learn the ins and outs of whitewater kayaking. You’ll learn different paddling techniques while paddling through gentle currents, while also being taught about ferrying, eddy turns, peel outs and how to read the river. We’ll be introduced to the necessary skills to successfully perform an eskimo roll. At the end of the classes we’ll be heading out on the Middle Youghiogheny river to test what we’ve been taught. We’ll be camping at the nearby state park, and after our lessons we’ll hopefully be able to get a hike or two in!
-
July 19th (after 5 pm) - July 22nd
Total cost: $700
Number of spots: FULL
Payment Plan:
Deposit: $100
March 22nd: $250
May 17th: $250
June 28th: $100
Physical difficulty: 5/9
Bougie scale: 4/5
Everyone grab your passports, w’re headed to CANADA!! We are all piling into one giant van and will embark on a full Canadian experience. We will be traveling across Ontario to visit multiple waterfalls, eat much poutine, hike some local trails, and visit Toronto Zoo. We’ll be doing a whirlpool boat ride near Niagara where we pile onto a very fast boat and bounce around in Class V rapids. We’ll visit a National Park and cover everything we eat in maple syrup. I’ll be driving the big ol’ van and providing you with entertainment along the way.
-
August 24th (after 5) - August 26th
Total cost: $80
Number of spots: FULL
Payment Plan:
Deposit $40
June 21st: $40
Physical difficulty: 5/9
Bougie scale: 1/5 (we’re camping!)
Come on a magical kayaking trip with us as we paddle out to a big rock shaped like a turnip. I’m not sure how else I should sell this… but the sunsets will be great and we’ll paddle around to little caves too! We’ll be camping at a nearby state park where we can hike and enjoy lake lyfe.
-
September 7th (after 5 pm) - September 9th
Total cost: $380 (this does not include any rental gear you may need)
Number of spots: 3
Payment Plan:
Deposit $80
June 7th: $150
August 2nd: $150
Physical difficulty: 6/9 (we’ll be doing around 6 dives)
Bougie scale: 4/5
DIVERS! This one is for you! We’ll be heading up to Tobermory in good ol’ CANADA to dive in the beautiful clear waters of Lake Huron. This is a legendary fresh water diving location, and the surrounding are is absolutely beautiful. We’ll be going out on a charter to dive 2 shipwrecks and then doing some shore dives to see MORE wrecks the next day. We’ll try to fit in a hike at Bruce Peninsula National Park too.
This trip is good for anyone with an open water certification (we are sticking to wrecks 60 feet and above for this one).
-
September 21st (after 5 pm) - 23rd
Total cost: $360
Number of spots: 3
Payment plan:
Deposit $60
June 21st: $150
August 16th: $150
Physical difficulty: 7.5/9
Bougie scale: 1/5 (we’re camping)
Head on BACK to New River Gorge National Park to tackle The Beast of the East: The Upper Gauley. We’ll be spending a day on some of the best whitewater in the country, rafting through Class IV and V rapids. We’ll squeeze in a hike and then spend the next day rock climbing in this gorgeous park. We’ll be camping and overall enjoying being outside.
-
October 5th (after 5 pm) - October 7th (most likely)
Total cost: $330
Number of spots: 1
Payment plan:
Deposit $30
July 26th: $150
September 6th: $150
Physical difficulty: 7.5/9
Bougie scale: 4/5
We’re heading back to Red River Gorge to climb! We’ll be staying in a cute cabin and climbing as much as we possibly can. This is good for beginners as well as advanced climbers, as our guide will set routes based on your skill level. If you don’t know how to belay… don’t worry! You’ll be taught and will confidently be belaying by the end of our time together.
*These dates are tentative and could possibly changed based on our guide’s schedule. We will be going in October no matter what, however, so put your deposits in to claim your spot. Once we know the dates for sure you’ll all be notified and if you can’t make it work I will reimburse your deposit.
-
November 15th (after 5 pm) - November 18th
Total Cost: $450 for 3 dives, $750 for 6 dives (cost does not include rentals)
Number of spots: FULL
Payment plan:
Deposit $50 for 3 dives, $50 for 6 dives
August 23rd:
3 dives: $200
6 dives: $350
October 25th:
3 dives: $200
6 dives: $350
Physical difficulty: 5/9
Bougie scale: 4/5
Divers, this one is for YOU! The Bonne Terre mine outside of St. Louis, Missouri was a functioning mine up until 1962. Once abandoned, the pumps that kept spring water out of the mines were turned off and the mines filled with crystal clear spring water. Now these mines have about a billion gallons of water to dive, with maximum depths being around 40 - 60 feet… making this a perfect opportunity for any certified diver. On this trip we will be located a little south of St Louis, making our way out there throughout the day on Friday. On Saturday we will dive trails 1, 2 and 3. If you only want to dive one day, that’ll be it for you! But Sunday we will continue diving and do 3 more trails. We’ll have a cute lil house we will all be staying in, so we can make time in the evenings for games or exploring St. Louis. There is even a National Park in the city that we will be visiting on our way out on Monday.
*When signing up for this one, make sure you tell me if you want to do just the 3 dives on Saturday OR both Saturday and Sunday. Diving ONLY Sunday is not an option due to the fact that you have to drive trails 1, 2 and 3 first and those are only available on Saturdays.
I am also a firm believer in DOGS, so I try to make a few Minis throughout the year dog-friendly (for dogs who are fully vetted and are human AND dog friendly). This giant eared baby is my own, Birdie.