It’s spring and the weather is giving students at Colorado Mesa University the chance to embark on some great outdoor adventures.
The Outdoor Program has several trips planned for the rest of the semester including canoeing, rock climbing and rafting. These trips are not just for those OP members, but for the entire student body.
It is a chance for those who never have done rock climbing or biking to go out in a safe environment and try something new. Here are the must go on trips for the rest of the semester.
1: Mee Hike and Raft on the weekend of April 21 and 22. This is where students that sign up will be driven up to the top of the Monument, at night. Then the group of adventurers will backpack down the canyon to rafts. They will then spend the night by the shore and on Sunday will raft. This is the number one trip of the semester due to its double hitter of backpacking and rafting.
2: Moab Extravaganza will be the weekend of April 28 and 29. This trip will be an overnight whereas the outdoor program coordinator, Ryan Dutcher, said, “It’s a choose your own adventure.” There will be different activities offered like hiking, biking, canyoneering and hanging out with good food. It will be base camping.
3: Intro to canyoneering and advanced canyoneering. Intro is on April 7 and the advanced will be April 21 and 22. The intro is to get all the basic knowledge and doing easier terrain. The advanced canyoneering is an overnight trip where you will take all the knowledge from the basic class and apply it to skilled terrain. These will both take place somewhere in Utah.
4: Intro to kayak is the weekend of April 6, 7 and 8. This will teach the basics of kayaking and will get you prepared for other adventures. It is wise to check out the Monday night roll sessions before heading over to the Colorado River for this intro. Then you will be prepared and ready to learn more about kayaking in a live river.
5: Stress release rafting is number five because of its perfect timely placement. This will take place on May 5, right before finals. This trip is down the Colorado River and will be a chance for students to go out and get away from the studying. This trip is important to clear the mind and the soul before going crazy over finals.
6: This is not just one trip for last one on the list. For there are many things that are offered for free during the week. There will be different biking, hiking, kayak and canyoneering short trips. To check these out, go into the OP building and sign up. Free is always better and there are plenty of quick trips for everyone to try something adventurous.