Getting involved with the great outdoors through Chico State’s Adventure Outings
Adventure Outings on their Intro to Whitewater Rafting trip. Photo Courtesy: Keith Crawford
If you’re like me and like trying new things but hate being that person that doesn’t know what they’re doing, then Adventure Outings is for you!
Chico State offers this unique outdoor recreation program to students and community members alike.
“The trips offer a really wide variety of options from backpacking and hiking to white water rafting and sea kayaking,” said Keith Crawford, one of the Program Coordinators for AO. “Almost all of the trips are led by students, who have been trained by Adventure Outings.”
AO employs 30 student trip advisors as well as two career staff.
Marley Hudson is a Chico State senior who has been involved with AO since her freshman year. Hudson has been on many trips and has recommendations for anyone wanting to try it out. “We have multi-day trips as well as easy day hikes,” said Hudson. “We want our students to take advantage of how cheap and accessible our trips are!”
At AO, safety is taken very seriously. All of the guides are highly trained in case of an accident on a trip.
Though most trips require some sort of gear, there’s no need to fear if you have no gear of your own. Adventure Outings offers an equipment rental program available to anyone wanting to go on a trip.
Hudson wants students to know that Adventure Outings is a place to find not only community but an appreciation for the outdoors.
“We are all about making every single participant feel included and welcomed,” said Hudson. “We encourage people to sign up for different trips from their friends, giving them space to make new friends who enjoy the same types of activities as they do!”
How: Go to the Adventure Outings office or website to register, pay and ask questions about upcoming trips.
Where: Adventure Outings’ office is located in the basement of the Bell Memorial Union (BMU) room number 008A.
When: Depending on what trip you want to go on, there are different dates to choose from throughout the year. The AO office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Courtney Chapman can be reached at [email protected] or @courtneychaps on Twitter.
