Outdoor Recreation Adventure Trips

Posted by on Monday, April 4, 2016 in Archives, News.

Apr 9-10 (Sat - Sun)

Climbing and Camping (Beginner to Advanced) @ Sand Rock, AL

Cost: $86

Sign-up by: Mon, Apr. 4

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 10 (Sun)

Horseback Riding @ JuRo Ranch, Mt. Juliet, TN

Cost: $65

Sign-up by: Mon, Apr. 4

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.

Apr 16 (Sat)

Trail Maintenance and Climbing @ Kings Bluff, TN

Cost: FREE!

Sign-up by: Fri, Apr. 8

Pre-Trip Meeting: Tue, Apr.12 at 5:00 pm in the ORC

Come join Vanderbilt Outdoor Rec and the Southeastern Climbers Coalition for a day of trail maintenance. We will travel to Clarksville to work on Middle Tennessee-s best rock climbing resource. Our goal is to repair sections of trail that have seen heavy use and help other sections that are eroding quickly. Expect to get dirty and have fun. Time and weather permitting, we will climb a couple routes at the end of the day. Estimated trip duration: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.

Apr 17 (Sun)

Kayaking @ Harpeth River, TN

Cost: $45

Sign-up by: Fri, Apr. 8

Pre-Trip Meeting: Tue, Apr. 12 at 6:00 pm in the ORC

This 6.5-mile trip is designed specifically for the beginner kayaker. The nearby Harpeth River is a gentle, State Scenic River, and kayaking is a great opportunity to paddle your own boat. All equipment is included in the trip fee. Enjoy a day a on the river. Estimated trip duration: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.

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, Apr. 8

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: Thursday, Apr. 14

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!

APRIL 23 (Saturday)
HIKING, Short Springs State Natural Area, TN
Cost:   $23
Sign-up by:  Friday, April 15

Short Springs is a small 420-acre State Natural Area that includes rich woods, forest ravines, low cascades, springs, and big, beautiful waterfalls. We will hike the 4.2 mile moderately difficult trail and hang out at the waterfalls. If time allows, we will hike the 2.6 mile trail at the nearby Old Stone Fort State Park. Estimated trip duration: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm.

BACKPACKING
MAY 6 - 9 (Friday - Monday)
Great Smoky Mountain National Park, TN
Cost: $122
Sign-up by:   Friday, April 15

Springtime in the Smokies: a perfect way to round off another semester at Vanderbilt! We plan on hiking three 5-8 mile days up, down, and around the Smokies. Specific trails are still to be determined. Beginners are welcome, but you need to be in shape, as the terrain will be challenging! Be prepared for all types of weather. We will have two one-hour important Pre-Trip Meetings for this trip. Please plan to attend both. Est. trip duration: 8:00 am Fri. - 8:00 pm Mon.

Want a job with Outdoor Rec?

Go to www.vanderbilt.edu/outrec and look in the upper right corner for employment info and applications.

Summer Employment (You must be a current Vanderbilt Student, not a recent graduate.)
- As an Equipment Specialist at the Outdoor Rec. Center, generally 21 hours a week at $7.25/hour.
- At the Climbing Wall (belaying and helping people climb or boulder). For the Wall in late afternoons or evenings, generally 4-8 hours a week at $7.25/hour.

For the 2016-17 Academic year (Students with Work Study are preferred):
- As a Trip Coordinator (volunteer) and an Equipment Specialist (usually 4-6 hours a week at $7.25/hour)
- As a Climbing Wall Staff (usually 2-4 hours a week during weekday late afternoons and evenings at $7.25/hour)

Applications are due by midnight on Fri. April 8

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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.