Upcoming Trips
We are running some awesome fall break trips this year! If you are interested in coming on one, please fill out this preference form to enter the lottery by Tuesday 10/2 at midnight. We will let you know your spot on the list by Wednesday.
Here are the descriptions of trips we are running this fall. Feel free to email any of the trip leaders for more information.
YELLOWSTONE National Park
Hi, my name is Zach Boozer and I am proposing to co-lead a trip with fellow outings club member Miranda Friel to Yellowstone National Park. My email is zboozer@oberlin.edu and her email is mfriel@oberlin.edu. Were are planning on bringing a group of 8, including ourselves on this trip Yellowstone is the oldest National Park and is one of the most pristine and gorgeous places in our country. Both of us have never been there and are very excited to be planning this trip. We have a few trails in mind including this one we found on National Geographic’s website http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/trips/best-trails/yellowstone-hike-map/. We were thinking this would be a great first hike for 4 days and then we could explore a few of he many trails that extend from around old faithful, but we are very open to suggestions from others that will be going on the trip with us. Thank you.
SHANONDOAH National Park
Jackson Evans jevans@oberlin.edu 347-844-2571
Isaac Pallant ipallant@oberlin.edu (currently lacking phone but “will get on that”)
Size of group: 10 heads
Enticing blurb:
Yo Outings Club,
Isaac Pallant and I, Jackson Evans, will once again be setting forth Fall Break on an adventure. We think you all should come with us. The destination is Shanondoah National Park in Virginia, and this time of year the wilderness is going to be seriously beautiful. Hike difficulty will probably be moderate, something around 5-7 miles a day, with a couple light days for maximum bushwhacking/ exploring/ lost getting/ shenaniganzing. And we’re going to cook up some crazy nice grub—psyche, it’s camp food, but that stuff’s delicious no matter what. Here’s the twist: everybody who comes has to bring their favorite book, or anything they’ve always wanted to read in the middle of nowhere. If nothing rings a bell, you best start hunting now. Every day each person has to read everyone else one section of their book, it can be as long as you deem appropriate, and you can initiate sharing at any time. Isaac and I are low key, fairly-goofy backpackers, and we like the nature game spiced up, so any suggestions for adding flavor to our journey will be welcomed with open arms, then hugs and kisses. Finally, we’re hitting as many waterfalls as possible. Peace.
And Love, Isaac and Jackson
Thanks Guys!!!
GREEN RIVER
Anna Gerrits and Lucy Keehn
agerrits@oberlin.edu and lkeehn@oberlin.edu
Six to eight people, including the two of us.
We’re planning on canoeing the Green River in Kentucky, and hopefully spending some time at Mammoth Caves. One of us (Anna) leads canoe trips in the summers in Northern Wisconsin and both of us have substantial camping experience, as well as lifeguard and CPR certifications. Our trip is gonna be awesome, we’re going to have a great time paddling and cooking good food and seeing the caves and it’s gonna be a BUTT-TON OF FUN!
NANTAHALA National Forest
Dana Fang
dfang@oberlin.edu
Cell: (630)615-9616
Amanda Strominger
astromin@oberlin.edu
Cell: (781)521-9669
10 people maximum.
Nantahala National Forest (About a 10-11 hour drive)-Panthertown Valley. This is on the eastern continental divide in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. We’ve got mountains here to climb, waterfalls to cross (and potentially dive into-actually probably not), valleys to sing across, and some beautiful wilderness to explore. Pantertown has been noted as Yosemite of the East and it’ll be great for a fall-break trip because it will definitely be warmer in North Carolina that here in Ohio-we’ll have all the beautiful autumn weather at our disposal. We’ll probably be backpacking for four days, a relatively relaxed pace and it’ll be absolutely great!
Vermont’s Long Trail
8 people including the leaders
Adrian Singleton
(914)329-2685
asinglet@oberlin.edu
Maisy Byerly
(201)978-2002
mbyerly@oberlin.edu
Participants wont need previous experience, but will need to be physically up to the challenge. We will be leading a pretty rigorous (47 miles total, 10 miles a day) hike through Vermont’s beautiful fall landscape. We’ll backpack through Vermont’s tumbling hills, hoping to catch the vibrant fall leaves in their final autumnal display. We’ll also see some snow on the tops of Mt. Abe and Camel’s Hump. Starting at Midddlebury Gap and hiking til Duxbury Road, we’ve designed a trip that’s good for someone who wants to put a bunch of miles under their belt. It will be led by a Wilderness First Responder and his enthusiastic friend. Join us for a gorgeous and challenging hike.
HIKING IN THE SMOKIES!
Aviva Maslow
aviva.maslow@obelrin.edu
(415-847-6834)
Kira Cohen
kira.cohen@oberlin.edu
Explore America’s backcountry with Kira and Aviva for an intermediate-level hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail in the Smokey Mountains! Expect 8-10 miles of hiking per day, beautiful fall colors, meditation, rolling hills, trail songs, morning yoga, and good food! We’ll be doing a mix of camping in shelters along the trails as well as under the stars! This trip will be an excellent chance to rejuvenate ourselves after midterms by getting out of Oberlin, experiencing natural beauty, and challenging ourselves. It is our goal to create an atmosphere full of positive energy in which everyone feels comfortable and inspired to explore themselves and make new friends! PLEASE JOIN US- IT WILL BE THE BEST WEEK/FALL BREAK OF YOUR LIFE!!! Guaranteed
OCOC Open Trips
In addition to renting gear to our members for their own trips, OCOC sponsors trips in which any our members can participate. We call these “open trips”, and they work like this:
- One or several OCOC members serve as the trip leader. They plan the trip, handling the logistical aspects and interfacing with the OCOC officers. This includes choosing the location, date(s), activity, number of participants, etc.
The leader(s) may hand-pick some number of people to go on the trip, so long as …
At least half the people going on the trip are chosen by a random lottery of interested club members. In other words, the number of participants chosen by lottery must be at least as great as the number of leaders and hand-picked participants.
OCOC will supply gear for participants who don’t have it, with precedence over over members seeking gear for non-open trips.
OCOC will pay for park permits, food, and other basic trip expenses. This is usually done by reimbursement.
OCOC will arrange for a car rental via the Facilities department. If you are running an open trip and need a car, be sure to talk to us about it no less than two weeks in advance.
On top of all that, leading a trip is easy! As a trip leader, your position is much closer to “student organizer” than “guide”. Partner up with a friend to make the logistics even easier. The OCOC officers are more than willing to help with the planning process, so if you’re thinking of leading a trip, come talk to us during office hours or send us an email.