Do you love the outdoors? Does hiking and climbing and doing all sorts of outdoor activities sound fun to you? Then outings club is the club for you! This spotlight will cover some of the various trips that outings club has to offer as well as give you some insight into the hardworking and friendly people that run Outings Club.

As a member of the Outings club since the start of my first year here at UNE, I have been on plenty of trips that the club offers. Only in my first two semesters at UNE so far, I have been able to go on 9 different trips that the club has offered me. This includes reaching the peak of 10 different mountains, paddling 2 rivers during the club’s white-water kayaking trip, and going tubing. For each trip, there is a designated trip leader who is van certified as well as wilderness first aid certified (these certifications are also offered for free by the club). A few trips that I would like to highlight for this piece are the white-water kayaking trip and the hike up Mount Whiteface.

The white-water kayaking trip that I was able go on was also through the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Great Glen Trails Club. This trip was a three-day trip that consisted of learning skills to white water kayak at an amateur level, camp out at a camp site, and then put the skills you have learned to the test on class 2 rapids. The instructors were great and very helpful and getting new kayakers out on the river was a great experience for everyone, no matter the skill level. For me, it was great to be out on a river surrounded by nature and to only be hearing rushing water and birds chirping. I had a great chance to spend a few days with some great people and build relationships with them through helping each other on the river, and by telling stories around a campfire later that night. The food was also amazing being cooked on an open fire.

The next trip I am going to highlight was the trip up Mount Whiteface, which happened to be the first official Outings club trip of the second semester. Mount Whiteface is one of the Appalachian 4000 footers, and the height sure makes for a great view. This trip was

fantastic for a few reasons. First the trail was very fun and had a lot of spots that involved bouldering up rocks and steep inclines. It has amazing colors as the trail goes through a section of woods that was very dense with green trees. This created a great spot to stop and really take nature as it was very quiet and beautiful. Lastly, and the most important, was the view at the summit. Which ill have a picture do the talking for. Other great mountains that the Outings Club has conquered are Mount Jackson, Webster, Avalon, Tom, Tecumseh, Kearsarge and Major.