Explorers!

The New Year is upon us and we’re jumping straight into it! This Saturday, January 10th, is our next exploration. Despite our heads up that it’ll be rain or shine, it’s actually projecting to be shine-y weather! Despite loving the rain, I’m looking forward to strolling with you all on a nice January day! Read the details in the Call to Adventure below.

Before we get into it though, we’re also at a critical time for our Paris expedition. Still thinking about joining us? Read our Paris section below to catch up.

Magic of Golden Gate Park - Jan 10th

There’s a dragon in Golden Gate Park! Recent reports have come back to Explorers Guild HQ indicating that there is a massive Sea Serpent out in Golden Gate Park. What’s stranger still is that this isn’t the only report of a magical experience in the park that we’ve received. It’s high time that the Explorers Guild finally comes together to see what there is to see as we discover the Magic of Golden Gate Park!

Explorers will meet near the entrance at Uncle John’s Tree, and together we’ll make our way across the park. This won’t be a strenuous activity, more like a leisurely stroll through our magical city’s backyard. This event will take place rain or shine, so if it’s raining come prepared with an umbrella or your best rain gear. You can also join the our Slack Channel #0110-Golden-Gate-Park to organize with other Explorers and get the latest updates.

Where: Uncle John’s Tree

When: Saturday, January 10th, 2 - 4:30pm

What to Bring: Comfortable walking shoes, personal snacks & water, jaunty hat

Paris Update - Housing Notice!!

In the last month since we announced that we’re going to Paris, we’ve had a surge of interest to join the expedition. Our initial projection was that we would have up to 20 Explorers joining us, but as of today we’re counting 29 Explorers confirmed as being in Paris with us. For those of us on the logistics front, we’ve been trying to get all the group housing squared away so that we can plan other details. All the rooms in our two primary lofts are currently all accounted for, and full. There are several Explorers staying in a nearby hotel, and others still finding their own accommodations.

What does this mean for you, dear Explorer, who might still be interested but concerned it is “full?”

If you are interested in coming out to Paris with us and want help connecting with others to share a large group home, now is the time to identify yourself. Fill out the general interest form. If you have already filled it out, you should be getting an email from me today with further instructions.

We will be moving on from Paris housing logistics on January 16th.

If you are someone who will decide on this trip after January 16th, that’s fine! However, we will be putting the burden of booking a place squarely on you (Don’t worry - Paris is the most visited city in the world. There are lots of options available.). In this case, you can still join our daily adventures; still get what’s looking to be an incredible field guide, and still hang out with us. You just might not be sharing a sleeping situation with other Explorers. This secondary option will be available to you until literally the last moments we depart for Paris.

If you are someone who is ready to make big plans for 2026 and Paris is one of them, these next couple weeks are crucial. Let us know and we will try to fit you in with other Explorers also looking for a group housing situation. We can’t promise a perfect fit, but we can promise to try and make it work for you. If you are unsure, or are on the fence, it also doesn’t hurt to just explain your situation in an email response to me. Letting me know where you are is better than me not knowing anything.

Again, the urgency is for those of you prioritizing a large group housing situation. One, two, and three bed hotel and hostels are available nearby for those looking for a more conventional situation.

New Years Discovery

I hope you all found lovely ways to ring in the New Year. We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes, prepping for a new year of activities, and I came across an interesting artifact. Back in 2020, as we were imagining what our Caravan Rally event to Mars would look like, we projected the story in a near future where there was more space travel. We wanted it far away so that it felt huge and full of possibility, yet soon enough that most of us would be seeing that future. The artifact I rediscovered was the cover of the flight manual, highlighting that near future date of 2025.

I discovered this on January 2nd, 2026 and now that we are in the new year, it’s a bit surreal to think back on when we were writing that adventure and our perceptions of what a near future would look like. If there is a lesson to take away, or a nugget to consider, I suppose it would be that time has a way of trudging ever onward. We have done much in the four plus years of Rescue Opportunity, much of it was one day and month at a time. At the same time, there were so many other things I thought we would be doing in those years. If you are someone who takes this time for resolutions, give yourself the grace to slowly change in time, and if those changes aren’t as dramatic, reflect on the other ways change did occur.

That’s all for now. I look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday and for all your planners, thanks for engaging in our Paris logistics. Semper Explorandum!