Adventures create summer escapes
1989 Summer Outdoor Adventures Calendar
| June i
.
2-6 In ter media le Koek ( limhinu
11-13 lamih < nnoeinj» on the Niohrara \cbrasku
11 -20 Mountain Hack packing m the I etons ll vomin'j
18-20 Canoeing on the Dismal Ki\er. \chra\ka
26 Da\ Canoe t rip. Xchriiska
=______
Campus Recreation 19R9
By Connie I,. Sheehan
Senior I'Hitor
I always envy those w ho go some -
where lor the summer 'tel. as a
member ol the Iive-yoar college
progiamc lub, my sunny summers are
'•till spent gn/mg at classroom walls.
Now even summer wallllowers
s.m experience exciting adventures
nianeuxermg canoes through while
walei loam, gliding over still pools ol
rellevied prairie meadows or even
brushing chalk from tired hands
while ga/ing over the legendary
Needles c limbing area.
Your guides to summer excite
ment, Jim [ ullerlon and Ins Outdoor
Recreation crew, just returned Irom
two weeks ol extensive training in
Wyoming and South Dakota. The
crew soon xnll be lulling the outdoor
trail again, and this tune the entire
university population is united
along.
< anocing is h\ lar our niosi
populai program, said f ullcrion.
coordinator lor (Hildooi Recreation
He said it makes up one hall ol the
total summer schedule.
Experienced canoeists or not, par
ticipants can find a trip to lit any
expertise. Choices range from lei
surely day trips along quiet waters,
weekend outings on challenging
Nebraska waterways or camping and
canoeing for the entire family.
Although canoeing currently
leads in popularity, Fullerton said,
rock climbing used loatlract the most
students during the F)7()s, when he
was a student employee for campus
recreation. Interest in rock climbing
was so high at that time, campus
recreation organized a trip to the
Andes of South America.
Fullerton suit! tentative lulure
plans exist lor a similar international
trip, but lor this summer, students ol
the 'HOs will be sealing in South
Dakota. I his stale boasts some ol
America s most famous climbing
areas.
Outdoor Recreation s program
will oiler basic rock climbing in
struclion close to home and a gradu
at ion climb at Palisades Stales Park,
S I). I aler this summer the interme
diate climber's program will host an
adventure to the popular Needles
climbing area in South Dakota.
Whether it be rock climbing, ca
noeing 01 othei programs oilered In
siimpus recreation, beginning or
intermediate outings are supervised
mm ii.iiiiai -uim. t till K. Mi 11 >
receive instructions which allow
I hem lo leel coni idem when ap
proaching their chosen activity.
The outdoor department is fortu
nate to have the support of campus
recreation. Fullerton said, in provid
ing an intensive staff training period
along w ith an ongoing training pro
gram.
Fullerton explained that the staff
is taken into the field, citing the re
cent training trip to Wyoming and
South Dakota, and new staff works
alongside veteran staff on leadership
and teaching skills.
“So when they’re (student staff)
placed in charge of another group of
students and maybe there are proles
sors in the groups too, they feel con
I idem leaching." f ullerton said
Neve stall members aren't chosen
as trip leaders right awns I iillcrton
explained
[tut a lughlx trained stalI mi i the
onl) benelil in planning a trip
through ()uldooi Kecicalion
I ullciton said the departuieni s
equipment rental can oullil pi.uti
c.itIn .ms ac11sit), Irom mountaineer
mg expeditions to camping I he
equipment is available to umversiis
students lac tills and stall
One money-saving note Most
trips alread) include required equip
ment m the program cost
I he adventure has been planned
experienced leadership pros ided and
the equipment packed -so how much
does this pac kage cosi'
II 1 can a fiord these exc iling ad
ventures on a tv pic al student ineoim
’he prices must be modest indeed I or
example, student ..osts lor a tven dii>
.. ... . V ,l„.„ . u,, ... ...
onl> S5M. Ill's puce includes iian>
pollution. meals while canoeing,
full) outlined canoes, cooking and
camping equipment, leadership and
instruc tion, and student held trip in
sura nee.
“All you have to do is show up.
gel in the \an and we drive." Fuller
ion said. “We provide a lot for the
cost.'"
With program choices ranging
from canoeing, railing, rock climb
ing, backpacking and bicycle tour
ing, no one needs to sit at home this
summer.
So whether you're an inexperi
enced wallflower, like myself, or
expert “wild"’flower -- Outdrxx
Adventures can change summer
humdrum to fun.
■■ ■ —« —■—r«
Canoers brave the unpredictable
B> ( onnit* L. Sheehan
Senior I'.dilor
Americans have spent the last
eight years dazzled by Indiana Junes’
world pursuit lor adventure -- the
excitement of the unknown. But a
group of local adventurers recently
discovered that one doesn’t need to
travel the world to tap the unknown.
I his local adventure began May
14 with whitewater rafting on the
Dolores River of Colorado, a trip
tillered by Outdoor Recreation.
Just days before departure, the
discovery was made that the water
level at the dam-controlled Dolores
U__.. i . .
»AI » V i VUHIIU IIIUUI IUU IUV\ Ilf lull,
said Jim Fullerton, coordinator for
< Hildoor Recreation.
“We were wrestling with
cancelling the trip w hen we found out
we couldn’t rail," Fullerton said.
Canoeing is more challenging
than rafting, he said, because one has
to Aork harder and work more as a
•earn. But w hen offered canoeing as
an alternative to railing, everyone in
the group was enthusiastic.
“We drove to southwest Colo
rado, and when w e got down there.
Fullerton said, “we realized they
weren't going to release hardly any
water the week we wanted to canoe.”
The group had thought the Delores
River would contain enough water at
least for canoeing, although railing
was out of the question, but this didn't
prove to be the case.
At that point, the group had to
make a decision on what to do; head
back to Nebraska or make other ar
rangements.
Within hours, the group leaders
arranged a trip to the San Juan River
in Utah, said Axel Krings, a computer
science graduate student.
“The group played a makeshift
game of baseball while calls were
being made and in two hours the trip
was completely planned,” he said.
Krings said he was impressed by
the efficiency of the planning, w hich
included everything from necessary
licenses, permits and campsites to
river condition checks.
“After putting in the river at
Mexican Hal, Utah, it wasn’t more
than live minutes be (ore w'e hit our
first fast water,” Krings said.
Every canoe took in water and
some canoes only had about two
inches of space lefl before being
completely full of water, Krings said.
“The leaders don't lake chances
but there’s still plenty of room for
challenges on the trip,’’ Krings said.
Bruce Rischar, program assistant
and leader for the trip, took care of
everything, Krings said.
“Bruce read through the river
maps at night, and 1 don’t think there
was any situation of the river that he
couldn’t handle,” Krings said.
After five days on the river, the
eroup arrived at the final destination
only to find the university van had not
been delivered as planned.
Krings said the group used the
time to sw im, while Kisehar located a
ride for the two-hour, one-way trip to
Mexican Hat to locate the missing
van.
“The funniest thing was the
school bus arranged to pick us up
because the van was missing. (The
bus) broke down about fifteen min
utes later," Krings said.
Fullerton said not all his trips arc
as unpredictable as this one, but then
again, according to Indiana Jones --
it's the excitement of the unknown
that makes for adventure.
Courtesy o( Axel Krings
Canoes are walked through rapids on the San Juan River
which are too difficult to maneuver.