Brittany Lofton
News Reporter

At 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, Outdoor Program Coordinator, Chad Thatcher will host a Wednesday Night Wandering showing the Outdoor Programs’ 2010 summer international trip.
Not only does Thatcher want to talk about the adventures the students encountered on their two month-long trip to Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries last summer but he also wants to show new Mesa State students how going on a trip can benefit them.
The trip not only features seeing countries from a different perspective, but also focuses on community projects, academic credit, and turns the learning experience of a study abroad program into an adventure. There is even financial aid available to help fund the trip.
Thatcher wants to help student travelers apply the backpacking style of traveling to all travel, and to instruct them not only on what to travel with, but how to travel.
While visiting islands like Bali, Java and Borneo, last summer’s travelers accomplished many student firsts, like traveling by train, bus and even by moped. They climbed the highest point, Mount Kinabalu and even climbed via ferrata, a path made of iron handles on the way to the mountain.
They visited the world famous Pinnacles, in which Thatcher described as a “razor-sharp limestone forest that juts 150 feet above the rainforest canopy, creating a view straight out of ‘Lord of the Rings.’ ”
Thatcher will present a one-hour slide show of all the photos taken of the trip to try and encourage students to participate in future trips and activities the OP offers. Participants of the OP will be there as well to  participate in a question and answer discussion at the end.
Join Thatcher and the rest of the group at the Maverick Center in room 155 to get out of the cold, and warm up with the pictures and stories of a lifetime.

blofton@mesastate.edu