Rock climbing? Camping? Peeing in the woods? Students can experience all of the above during an IU Outdoor Adventures class.
“I love asking if we have any first-time poopers-in-the-woods,” trip leader Anna Tarner joked. “For me, it feels like so many doors are about to open for this person.”
From coastal kayaking to ice climbing, Outdoor Adventures offers a myriad of courses that introduce students to the outdoors and teach them new skills.
Most of its courses are one to two credits, and many involve an overnight camping trip. Students typically meet for two weeks before the trip to learn the basic skills needed. They don’t need to have experience — everything is taught in the pre-departure meetings — and are provided with all essential gear, food and transportation for a course fee of $175.44. There are course fee waivers available through the Student Engagement Fund.
“I would tell anybody and everybody to take one of our courses,” Tarner said. “They’re meant to be fun, to push your comfort zone and to learn more, about yourself and about others.”
Courses offered include Intro to Mountain Biking, Backpacking, Wilderness Survival and Rock Climbing.
A central component of the classes is creating community between students.
“The thing that strikes me the most about our courses is the fact that most of us come in as complete strangers,” Tarner said. “You have two class periods and then you go camping for the weekend with these people.”
Class meetings include ice breakers and team building activities to create a foundation of trust and teamwork before heading out in the field. Trip leaders think this opportunity for connection with new people is invaluable.
“I’ve seen so many friendships blossom from those classes,” trip leader Kamryn Denney said. “We have students from all over, different kinds of majors, that take these classes, and you meet different people you’d never think you’d meet or become friends with.”
During a February backpacking trip, Denney saw students who were strangers come together to help each other stay warm, offering up hand warmers and extra layers to those who needed them.
On a recent backpacking trip during the first weekend in April, heavy rains could have soured the experience, Denney said. But trip leaders sprang into action to make the experience memorable and fun despite the weather. The group rented out a large cabin at a nearby camp, made brownies and popcorn and threw a dance party with disco balls and strobe lights.
“That was super cool to see, going from absolute strangers to everyone just giggling and laughing and throwing the funniest dance moves ever,” Denney said.
Outdoor Adventures courses are also an opportunity for students to push themselves and develop new skills.
In the 8-week Introduction to Outdoor Leadership course, students are trusted to take ownership of their experience. Since the course is intended to prepare students to be trip leaders in the future, they must plan and lead the second trip of the course.
Denney says she cherishes the chance to watch students grow in confidence. She recalled one student who took Introduction to Leadership and struggled to learn skills with the map and compass. This year, he took a second course, Backpacking, and was so enthusiastic about the skills he had mastered from his previous class that he reminded Denney when she missed some instructions.
Once students finish a course, Outdoor Adventures offers plenty of other services to help them continue to explore the outdoors.
Students can rent outdoor gear such as mountain bikes, sleeping bags, hammocks, camping stoves, tents and snowshoes through the OA website. The group also hosts workshops such as advanced knot tying, car maintenance and trail running.
“Outdoor Adventures is a bit of a hidden gem on campus,” Tarner said. “Spreading that love of the outdoors is something that OA has been doing since we started over 50 years ago and will continue to do.”
