Outdoor Recreation Adventure Trips
Mar 26 (Sat)
Hiking @ Virgin Falls State Natural Area, TN
Cost: $23
Sign-up by: Mon, Mar. 21
Pre-Trip Meeting: Tuesday, Mar. 22 at 5:00 pm in the ORC
A hike to Virgin Falls provides one with a day filled with beauty. The moderately difficult 8-mile hike leads to high overlooks and three beautiful waterfalls, including the mysterious Virgin Falls. The water comes up from a sinkhole, travels 100+ feet, falls 110 feet, and then goes into another sinkhole/cave. Estimated trip duration: 7:00 am - 9:00 pm.
Mar 31 (Thur)
Commodore Climb 2: Chalk to the Hand
VRWC Climbing Wall
Cost: FREE
The Vanderbilt Outdoor Recreation Staff will be hosting -Commodore Climb 2: Chalk to the Hand- on Thursday, March 31 from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm at the VRWC Climbing Wall. This second annual Commodore Bouldering Competition is a free event and is open to Vanderbilt students. Competitors of all skill levels, from beginners to rock stars, are encouraged to participate. The top three climbers in each category will receive awesome swag! Participants can reserve their climbing and bouldering timeslots prior to the event. Timeslots will go quickly so reserve your spot today! To reserve your timeslot, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/outrec. For questions or more information, email outdoorrec@vanderbilt.edu
Apr 2 (Sat)
Whitewater Kayaking @ Clear Creek, TN
Cost: $77
Sign-up by: Mon, Mar. 21
Pre-Trip Meeting: Wednesday, Mar. 30 at 6:00 pm in the ORC
If the April showers bring us enough rain, then we-re off to paddle the beautiful waters of Clear Creek. This is a fantastic destination for beginner paddlers looking for something a bit more challenging than the Hiwassee. The consistent elevation drop and exciting turns through the boulders make for an exhilarating day on the river. Experience is necessary and a solid roll is a must. This trip is limited to the first 6 people who sign up. Estimated trip duration: 7:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Note: There will be one special and two normal pool sessions available to participants of this trip to work with kayak instructors on your roll prior to the trip. Participation in at least one of these sessions is mandatory: Tues. Mar. 22 or 29 or Wed. Mar. 30 from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm.
Apr 2-3 (Sat - Sun)
Backpacking @ Great Stone Door, S.C.S.P., TN
Cost: $56
Sign-up by: Fri, Mar. 25
Pre-Trip Meeting: Tue, Mar. 29 at 5:00 pm in the ORC
Savage Gulf, home to the Great Stone Door, is a great place to go backpacking. On Saturday, we will hike to and through the door enroute to a trail on the bottom of the gorge, camping at the Alum Gap campsite. On Sunday a side hike to a pair of waterfalls and panoramic overlooks is a great way to start the day! Expect to hike 5 - 6 miles a day on moderately difficult trails. This trip is designed for the experienced backpacker or the ambitious beginner. The trails are rocky (and challenging) in places, and easy in other places. Overall, the reward is well worth the effort. Estimated trip duration: 7:00 am Sat. - 6:00 pm Sun.
Summer 2016: May 21 -29 (Sat - Sun)
Backpacking, Hiking, and Camping @ Yosemite National Park, CA
Cost: $595 + airfare to and from Sacramento, CA
Sign-up by: Friday, Mar. 25
The Summer adventures continue with the Outdoor Recreation Program and this year-s trip to Yosemite National Park, located in the high sierras of central California. Home to some of the most famous and captivating scenery in the world, we will have a chance to see and explore the impressive granite cliffs and domes, rushing waterfalls, alpine lakes and giant sequoia trees. This trip will include a 4-day backpacking trip and 2.5 days of day hiking. The elevation in the park ranges from around 3,000 feet to 13,000 feet so participants need to be in good shape for this trip. We will mostly be hiking from around 4,000 feet to 7,000 feet in elevation and 6 - 11 miles per day. This will be a trip to remember!
Summer 2016: Aug 6 -14 (Sat - Sun)
Whitewater Rafting, Climbing, and Hiking @ Colorado
Cost: $665 + airfare to and from Denver
Sign-up by: Friday, Mar. 25
This summer, get ready to cross some items off your bucket list! We will meet at Denver International Airport and road trip to experience everything Colorado has to offer. We will start in the famous Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and hike to hidden waterfalls and glacier lakes before doing some rock climbing at Jurassic Park. Then we-re off to hike some 14ers, mountains that are over 14,000ft. To give you some perspective Clingmans Dome, the tallest Mountain in Tennessee, is 6,644ft high. We will hike over two times that high on Pikes Peak (14,114ft) and Mt. Elbert (14,439ft), the tallest mountain in Colorado! To split up these two big ascents we are going to do some whitewater rafting through the Royal Gorge. There we will experience the Arkansas River-s big class IV and V rapids. A hike through Garden of the Gods will be the perfect icing on the cake before heading back to Denver. The majority of this trip will be intermediate day hiking (9-19 miles per hike with elevation) with the addition of rafting and climbing. It-s designed to be a tough but extremely rewarding adventure for experienced hikers, but we will allow enthusiastic beginners to join us on the excursion!
Apr 9-10 (Sat - Sun)
Climbing and Camping (Beginner to Advanced) @ Sand Rock, AL
Cost: $86
Sign-up by: Fri, Apr. 1
Pre-Trip Meeting: Tue, Apr. 5 at 6:00 pm in the ORC
Come and get a taste of some sandstone climbing at Sandrock, AL. This overnight camping trip will offer a whole range of climbing challenges for beginner climbers all the way to advanced ones. Not to mention the views from these bluffs are to die for. If you are looking for a laid back climbing trip with a ton to offer, then this has your name written all over it. Climbing shoes = $7 extra. Estimated trip Duration: Saturday 7:00 am - Sunday 6:00 pm.
Apr 9 (Sat)
Lake Clean-up via Canoeing @ Cordell Hull Lake, TN
Cost: FREE!
Sign-up by: Fri, Apr. 1
Pre-Trip Meeting: Tue, Apr. 5 at 5:00 pm in the ORC
At points during our hike along the north side of the lake we have noticed trash washed up on the former shorelines from the summer before. By canoeing around the lake, we can stop and pick up trash, using the canoes to do the hauling. This is a pretty area worthy of our time. Beginners are welcome. All paddling equipment is provided. Estimated trip duration: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm.
Apr 10 (Sun)
Horseback Riding @ JuRo Ranch, Mt. Juliet, TN
Cost: $65
Sign-up by: Fri, Apr. 1
Pre-Trip Meeting: Wed, Apr. 6 at 5:00 pm in the ORC
Located less than an hour away, the JuRo Stables will provide us with a 1.5 hour horseback ride. We will ride on wooded trails, across creeks, and possibly to Percy Priest Lake. Check out their horses at www.jurostables.com. After the ride, we-ll enjoy a picnic lunch at the lake before returning to VU. The price includes a tip for the guide. Estimated trip duration: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm.
The Spring 2016 Adventure Trip Schedule is out!! Look for a flier or go to www.vanderbilt.edu/outrec.
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TRIP REGISTRATION:
- To sign up for an adventure trip online go to www.vanderbilt.edu/outrec. Find the specific type of trip on the Trip Schedule dropdown. Scroll down to the trip and Click link to register for that trip.
- You can now pay on-line with a credit card or debit card! If you cannot pay with this method, please contact Linda Rosenkranz at outdoorrec@vanderbilt.edu
For more information about a trip, the climbing wall, kayak workshops or equipment rentals, please e-mail outdoorrec@vanderbilt.edu or call Linda at 615-343-7898.
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Outdoor Recreation Spring Semester Hours: Mon and Fri 12 noon - 6 p.m.
Tue, Wed, and Thu 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
VRWC Climbing Wall Hours:
Mon-Thurs 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.