During the spring 2018 semester, students received an email from the Office of Student Engagement asking members of the classes of 2020 and 2021 to apply to be leaders of a new program, Outdoor Adventures. This letter explained that the new program would replace Outdoors Club as a way for students to get off campus and engage in various outdoor activities. Students were left wondering what the new program would entail and what differences would be seen. This semester was the program’s inaugural season, and activities included ocean kayaking, hiking, and backpacking.
The idea of revamping the pre-existing club with the new Outdoor Adventures program was formulated by the former club’s leaders with assistance from Geoff Norbert, Assistant Dean of Student Engagement and New Programs. The club’s leaders believed that Connecticut College lacked a formal outdoors organization common to other colleges, and wanted to elevate the club to a higher level. As Dean Norbert had about 20 years of experience organizing collegiate outdoor programs, he was the appropriate person for this task. According to Dean Norbert, he was interested in this project because, “Outdoor education is a powerful programming area in higher education that can help students connect with peers, empower students, create leadership opportunities, and help students develop transferable life skills to be used after college.” Dean Norbert sees the potential for rock climbing, camping, and cross country skiing in the Arboretum–as well as kayaking and paddle boarding on the nearby ocean. Not only are there so many opportunities on and near the campus for outdoor activities, but New England is full of great outdoor locations for longer trips and programs.
According to Dean Norbert, the key differences evident in Outdoor Adventures this year is that it is no longer an entirely student run program. With the involvement of the Office of Student Engagement, the structure of the club has changed and students only need to commit to individual trips as opposed to joining the club for the full year. While it is no longer a student run organization, all of the trips are still led by students as outdoor leaders.
Fifteen student leaders were chosen through the application process last spring. Addie Daly ‘21, one of the Outdoor Adventure leaders, explained that the application process involved both an online application and an in-person interview with Dean Norbert and a former Outdoors Club leader. Daly said that training involved meetings with an organization called NESS (New England Science and Sailing) located in Stonington, CT. She detailed that leaders “learned how to operate kayaks and paddle boards, as well as to teach the skills we learned.” Training also touched upon water safety and minimizing the risk of outdoor adventures during natural disasters. The training allowed leaders to learn these important skills, while also bonding and having fun off-campus. Dean Norbert expressed his gratitude to these student leaders for the time and dedication they have put into this program, both through training and leading trips.
Over Fall Break the student leaders, Dean Norbert, and Dean Arcelus embarked on a three day, two night backpacking trip in Stratton, VT. The group hiked a twelve mile section of the Long Trail. According to Daly, this trip afforded the student leaders an opportunity to get to know each other, while also learning practical skills like choosing a campsite, setting up the campsite, cooking in the woods, staying warm, and leaving no trace. Daly also particularly enjoyed hiking in the fall foliage and seeing the views from the top of the summit.
There were eight trips open to the rest of the student body this semester, which included ocean kayaking and hiking. Daly was a leader on one of the day hike trips to Lantern Hill in Stonington, not too far from the College. The hike received a great turn-out, and; Daly said that the view was beautiful and the group enjoyed a picnic at the top. The group then stopped in Old Mystic for ice cream, which allowed students from different years to enjoy the day together. Dean Norbert reported that all of the trips had a similarly enthusiastic responses as many of the trips filled on the day the calendar was released and enrollment opened.
Now that Outdoor Adventures’ first season has ended, the program has begun looking towards the future. Dean Norbert states that “the vision for [Outdoor Adventures] is to further enhance the leadership development of the trip leaders and provide more impactful experiences for students in the outdoors.” Dean Norbert hopes to expand the program to include different types of programs, such as paddle boarding, climbing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, and whitewater rafting, as well as different trip locations. •
