By Gabi Marrese
The semester is already half over and the fall weather is calling your name. The Puget Sound Outdoors program has planned trips to keep people active and help them unwind after midterms. Over fall break, there are four outdoor adventures that are open to students with or without experience. “Goat Rocks” is an overnight backpacking trip with no experience required.
“My co-lead and I actually planned a different trip to Indian Heaven Wilderness, but the fires are so bad down there that it was canceled. So we planned this new one to Goat Rocks instead. There is a lot of planning that goes into each trip: each day is planned out pretty much by the hour, especially when we have to factor in hiking and elevation gain. We also look into nearby hospitals, how much food we will need and we figure out the budget,” junior leader Heather Rose Stegman said.
This trip departs on Saturday Oct. 14 and returns Tuesday, Oct. 17. The cost is $85 for a four-day adventure filled with scenic basins, majestic volcanoes and goats. Goat Rocks Wilderness is a gorgeous alpine wilderness experience located only four hours away from campus.
“Become a Cave Dweller” is also an overnight backpacking trip with no experience required. This trip allows you to get a feel for backpacking and to explore a cave on the southwest side of Mt. Saint Helens. This trip costs only $75 and occurs from Saturday, Oct. 14 through Monday, Oct. 16.
“We’re really excited to get to know new people and create a welcoming environment for backcountry learning since it is a beginner trip. We’re also just really excited to be outside and explore Mt. St. Helens while getting to know the group,” junior leader Anna Gruf said.
“FALL Break + VolCANO = FALLCANO” is a creative name for this moderate/advanced overnight backpacking trip on the east side of Mt. Saint Helens. This trip is 20 miles round-trip that leaves on Saturday, Oct. 14, and returns Tuesday, Oct. 17. The cost for this adventure is $90 but comes with a beautiful mountain, new friends and the outdoors.
“Send it at Smith” is an overnight climbing trip at the Smith Rock State Park. This is an intermediate trip that requires knowledge of climbing up to the grade of 5.9 beforehand but requires no outdoor experience. This occurs Saturday, Oct. 14, through Tuesday, Oct. 17, with a cost of $95. Not only will you be climbing up rocks but also eating good food with new pals and experiencing the outdoors.
Sign-ups are at the Expy on Monday through Friday between 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The trips are first-come, first-served and payments are due at the time of signups. The expense is minimal for the experience and relationships you will build on these adventures.