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June, 2006
Outing clubs a trip for area students
BY VALERIE TUCKER
For Maine college students, academic demands and social lives are a constant balancing act. Recreation might only be a few minutes each week at the gym, and it is so easy to curl up in front of the television on Maine's long winter nights.
Then there are those who just can't wait for any opportunity to challenge Mother Nature or enjoy the outdoors simply for the pleasure of the silence and the fresh air.
Several private and public colleges in Maine offer outing clubs, and each one has its own style and personality.
The University of Maine's campus organizations are enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge and experience. The clubs try to offer something for all skills levels and interests, both to undergraduate and graduate students, and even to faculty, staff, and community members. Trips are usually geared to all experience levels, but participants are expected to pitch in to make the outing experience fun for everyone.
What do these groups do? The answer is usually simple: if it's outside, and enough people are interested, someone will volunteer to put a trip together. The most popular activities include day hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, cross-country skiing, canoeing, and white-water rafting.
Usually, groups meet monthly on the campus and plan several events each semester. Winter and spring breaks are popular for longer trips. In April, the Farmington campus' climbing group spent several days scaling Otter Cliffs at Acadia National Park.
Jonathan Chin and Eben Baker are co-presidents of the newly re-energized UMF outing club (http://studentorgs.umf.maine.edu/~outing/). The group has about 15 active members and more than 100 e-mail contacts who want to hear about activities planned throughout the school year.
"Camping, hiking, and climbing trips get people involved in the outdoors and get them to care about the outdoors," Chin said. "We have a 'leave no trace' philosophy."
The Farmington campus outing club gave students a chance to try different outdoor sports throughout March. With support from No Umbrella, they hosted "The Paddling Picture Show" featuring Maine kayakers. Club members entered the annual Kenduskeag River canoe race, which involved some easy Class I and II whitewater navigation and a chance to be part of a treasured early spring ritual for paddlers.
"Next year, we plan to build a nature trail for elementary school children, and we hope to have Meat Head Films air their film 'EPOCH,'" Chin said. "We also do some backcountry ski trips. Our main goal is to connect people together that are interested in similar outdoor activities and introduce people to new outdoor activities. We just want to have fun outside."
Chin said members generally follow a philosophy of giving back to the places they enjoyed. Members participate in trail work and outdoor clean-ups, and they sponsor a Red Cross First Aid course every year.
Some schools have more luxurious digs for their gear and meetings. Bowdoin College is one of the lucky few. Their outing club, with an estimated 300 members and a 5,300-square-foot center, offers students all kinds of outdoor equipment to try. Three full-time staff members explain how to use the gear, and students can take classes and even get certification in whitewater canoeing, skiing, and both leadership and outdoor medical emergency skills.
"Beginners can come in, for example, and learn a new sport correctly," co-president Dan McGrath said. "We don't just throw them out there. They can learn to use a kayak in the pool for five sessions and then go out and try the real thing on the river."
Bowdoin's outing club welcomes all levels of experience. In Monson, the college has a cabin for hikers who want to trek part of the Appalachian Trail. For those who want to be nearer to the ocean, the club's island on the New Meadows River offers a chance for sea kayaking excursions. The Outdoor Leadership Center kitchen fills up with students, as well as their lively talk about trip plans and past adventures.
"We sit down and decide on the trips we'll lead at the beginning of each semester," McGrath said.
"To become a trip leader, individuals commit to 300 hours of lectures, demonstrations, and fieldwork," McGrath explained. "They also are certified as wilderness first responders to handle medical emergencies."
Participants must spend many hours in the classroom, but they go outside to get hands-on practical and field experience. Everyone must demonstrate map and compass proficiency, trip planning, and logistics skills.
The future outing club leaders must show they know how to use, maintain, and repair all sorts of gear associated with several sports.
Cooking, natural history, and low-impact camping techniques are all part of the curriculum. By course graduation, these apprentices have acquired their leadership techniques, knowledge of group dynamics, and teaching and learning styles required to guide people safely in the field.
A weeklong wilderness expedition gives every graduate a chance to lead the group. The ones who make it through the rigorous course are qualified to take on more challenging and longer trips, although each trip leader knows a serious accident or emergency can happen on even the easiest beginner excursion.
Colleges usually include the cost of membership in the annual activity fee. Depending on the financial generosity of each institution, the students' costs can vary. Food, gas, tolls, and equipment rental might be partially subsidized, but students will pay for anything beyond those costs. Some colleges will loan equipment, but most often, students must provide their own sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, and specialized gear.
All Maine college and university outing club programs provide students, faculty, and staff a chance to link up with others in a variety of outdoor experiences. For many newcomers, developing the confidence and the skills necessary to enjoy an outdoor sport is what is most important.
For those more ecologically minded, the opportunity to learn about, maintain, and improve the natural environment has great appeal. For those who seek a more physical challenge, it's a golden opportunity to fine-tune athletic expertise and hone leadership and team building skills.
Native Mainer Valerie Tucker is a freelance writer who lives in the western mountains. She admires those who climb, run, bike, hike, ski, and otherwise venture to master outdoor sports. At this stage of her life, she knows if she tries one of them, she will probably fall, break a hip, and end up in a nursing home. Thus, she is quite content to watch and write about these splendid people (but she has not given away her wetsuit). Email her at vtu15@midmaine.com.
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