New Club Enjoying the Outdoor Life
December 2, 2009 No CommentsSarah Chavis
Staff Reporter
Mountain biking. Skiing. Tubing. These are just a few of the activities that the Outdoors Club partakes in throughout the school year.
Co-presidents Kim Moran and Kristin Behrle both agree that bouldering has been their favorite activity thus far. “It’s kind of like rock climbing but without the rope,” states Moran. Bouldering does not require the typical rock climbing equipment because it’s at a much lower altitude. Instead it focuses on strategies and tactics that are too dangerous to perform at greater heights.
Events such as hiking and camping are always included. “We try to do these so that everyone feels comfortable participating regardless of their skill level,” comments Moran. This semester the club went camping at the Pine Grove Campground on what turned out to be a very rainy and cold weekend. Despite the poor weather, the group made the best of the situation and still had fun.
Juniors Moran and Behrle actually revived the Outdoors Club when they were sophomores. “We were both wondering when the club met because we remembered reading about them in our brochure freshman year,” explains Behrle.
“We went to the College Activities office and asked Mitch [Alexander] about it,” continues Moran. “He told us there wasn’t currently a club but we were more than welcome to start one again.”
Moran and Behrle have done an amazing job at rebuilding the club. Their group advisor, Dr. Jeff Marx, agrees, saying “the Outdoors Club lives and dies by the leadership. In years when we’ve had a president with a wide range of interests and lots of enthusiasm, the membership in the club soars. I know that Kim has taken a very active role as president, planning lots of interesting trips and outdoor activities.”
When they began the club again last year, they started off with 15 members. They’ve already doubled their membership since then to 30 active members. “One of our main goals is to keep up attendance rates,” says Moran, “and to have fun and challenging events.”
Next year, they are very excited and hopeful of accomplishing an overnight Appalachian hike. Other anticipated events include canoeing, kayaking, caving, and white water rafting!
The Outdoors Club meets the last Monday of every month in Lewis 120 at 8:00 p.m. If you have any questions or interest, feel free to contact Kim Moran at klm012@mcdaniel.edu or Kristin Behrle at klb010@mcdaniel.edu .
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